《Poison City》


 Chapter 1. The Raid

    It was a chilly, breezy and cloudless late afternoon, noises of doors banging, people cursing and fighting, and even guns fired were coming from a five-storey apartment complex located at the border area between the South-Western and South-Eastern Districts of Poison City. It was an impromptu drug raid, carried out by three detectives of the PCPD, along with a few uniformed officers. Under ideal circumstances, they would have waited for their backup to arrive. But this was in an area where the roads were narrow, bumpy and generally very poorly maintained. Thus when they spotted a fleeting window of opportunity, they had no choice but to go in - lest they let a large subgroup of the drug gang and one of its core leaders that were in charge of a quarter to one third of the hard narcotics in Poison City and employed children as young as eight as drug mules, go free.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Pieces of wood and drywall flew off as one shirtless, tattooed young drug dealer with the left side of his head shaved was thrown against the side of the hall. The short and double barrel shotgun was taken away from his grasp before he could even try to squeeze the triggers.


    Detective Marcus Cai tossed the shotgun to the ground beside him after bashing the perp with its butt and let the officers behind him cuff him up - this should be the last one inside this complex, the others should all be handled by the officers guarding the entrances. There was one last room in this storey - one with a metal door and some pieces of light yellow paper stuck on it and its frames.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Please let him go!¡± The restrained young drug dealer begged Marcus as he walked towards the metal door: ¡°He would be in danger if he comes out! Please let him go!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The uniformed officers pulled the perp up and dragged him away.


    ¡°No! No! Please don¡¯t do this!¡± The drug dealer tried to resist the grip of the two officers, but it only earned him some kicks to his legs and being more violently shoved down the stairs.


    With the two officers taking the perp away, Marcus was now the only one in the hallway. But this was of no concern to him - he approached the door carefully from the side and then took a few seconds to examine it - the yellow pieces of paper were not random decorations, but were actually talismans - paper talismans made of the same kind of yellow paper that was commonly used to make paper money and paper ¡°gold nuggets¡±, which people in the South-Eastern District burned as sacrifices and gifts to their dead ancestors and family. The symbols and patterns on them seemed to be drawn using some kind of low quality red ink, Marcus could easily see coarse grains left behind by the brush strokes.


    ¡°Police! Come out at once!¡± Marcus banged on the metal door.


    ¡°Please leave me alone!¡± A weary and frightened voice of a man came from behind the metal door: ¡°Please! I¡¯ll tell you everything! Just ¡­ just leave me in here! I can¡¯t go out there! It will be the death of me!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not an option, sir.¡± Marcus said: ¡°If you have crucial information, we can get you into protective custody. But you¡¯ll have to come out first!¡±


    ¡°NO! NO!¡± The man cried: ¡°I can¡¯t go out there! Please! You wouldn¡¯t understand! She¡¯ll kill me!¡±


    Marcus took a deep breath, then unleashed a full force kick onto the metal door. The frame of the door was loosened, and the wall around it cracked up. But the door itself still stood, as it seemed like the door was reinforced from inside and bolted shut.


    ¡°Please, please just go! Leave me alone!¡± The man inside cried: ¡°Please! I¡¯ll tell you anything! I¡¯ll do it here! I¡¯ll sign a statement. I¡¯ll do anything you want! As long as I can stay here!¡±


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    ¡°Considering what you and your friends have been doing, you don¡¯t get to demand that.¡± Marcus shook his head, as he took a brief moment to focus and activate his Qi - The Style of Ferocious Tiger, a simple name for an ingeniously simple martial arts style. As more Qi than usual coursed through his meridians, he looked around to make sure no other officers were watching and readied his stance: ¡°One last time: open up! Or I¡¯ll kick this fucking door down!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ PLEASE! Leave me be! Just let me ¡­¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡± The sole of Marcus¡¯ right foot made contact with the metal door once again, this time the kick was so forceful that it dented the door slightly, while ripping it off from its hinges and throwing it onto the ground inside the room.


    A loud, throaty, seemingly terrified and yet almost unbearably high-pitched scream exploded beside Marcus¡¯ left ear and got his head ringing for a short while. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up straight for a brief moment, but soon they became as they were. A slim and pale man wearing a dirty white cotton vest and a pair of old jeans inside the room was lying on the floor, crying and staring at Marcus, visibly shaking and had an obvious wet spot on his crotch, spanning to both his inner thighs.


    The stench of urine and sweat filled the stale air inside the room. There was but one dim and flickering light hanging from the center of the ceiling, which made the room lacking in lighting but not completely dark. On the walls hang at least a few dozen paper talismans like those that were stuck on the door frames and the door.


    ¡°No! Nonononono¡­¡± The slim man went into a cradle position and started mumbling while crying: ¡°She¡¯s gonna kill me! She¡¯s gonna kill me!¡±


    ¡°Get up, GET UP!¡± Marcus wanted to put his gun back into his holster, as he could tell the man was in no condition to harm him even by a little, nor did he look able to do so because of his poor mental and physical state. But he remained cautious and closed in on the supposedly last perp in this rundown complex one step at a time.


    The slim man crawled on his butt backwards away from Marcus, while having his eyes fixated on him, or maybe, something on or behind his left shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re under arrest, get up!¡± Marcus lowered his gun, but still uttered his order in a calm, stern tone: ¡°Hands above your head!¡±


    The slim man stared at Marcus for a short while, his terrified facial expression gradually loosening up, tears ran down his messy and dirtied face along with snot and drool. ¡°Oh my god - thank - thank you! ¡± This slim man crawled up to Marcus and tried to hug his left leg: ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved me! You saved me!¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± Marcus was quite confused, but he stuck to his job: ¡°Stand up! Turn around and hands behind your back!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay, just - please don¡¯t leave me!¡± The man tried a few times to stand up, and finally did during his fifth or sixth try, and let Marcus put him in cuffs and take him along like a tired pet.


    ¡°Who is ¡®she¡¯?¡± While driving his car back to the precinct with the slim man sitting in the passenger seat instead of the back seat, due to the incessant begging of the man, Marcus asked: ¡°Why does ¡®she¡¯ want you dead?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know man, really.¡± This perp shuddered as he seemingly tried to recall certain things that led him to this state: ¡°I - I swear! I have absolutely no idea who she is and what she wants! I - maybe the spirit of some random woman I pissed off back in the days. ¡±


    ¡°Spirit?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Spirit! Or - or - or ghost! Specter!¡± The slim man curled up in his seat: ¡°She torments me - she - she haunts me in my dreams AND while I¡¯m awake. Almost every corner I turn, I could see her face, just staring at me, with those terrifying eyes, until now - if not for you, she would¡¯ve killed me¡­ THIS I am very sure. She would¡¯ve killed me¡­ somehow, I can¡¯t even imagine¡­¡±


    ¡°... we¡¯re going to request that you take a drug test when we¡¯re at the station.¡± Marcus sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t - you don¡¯t believe me, do you?¡± The slim man looked at Marcus while slowly banging his forehead against his curled up knees: ¡°I - please, you don¡¯t have to leave me, but just please stay by my side - I fear she may come back. I think she WILL come back. So please, please stay by my side ¡­¡±


    ¡°That will depend on how well you cooperate.¡± Marcus shook his head and turned around a corner of the narrow road: ¡°We will need to know everything you can give us. And you¡¯re going to have a full statement and confession.¡±


    ¡°As long as I am safe and away from her - I am willing to do anything - ¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about her. How did you get involved? Why is ¡®she¡¯ targeting you?¡± After some careful maneuvers, Marcus finally made it to a slightly wider street, yet he still had to be careful because the streets were more crowded - the locals of the South-Eastern District were not known for their warmth towards law enforcement officers like him, and the apathy and despise the pedestrians and jaywalkers were showing them now was one of the better scenarios Marcus knew they would encounter.


    ¡°I - it¡¯s complicated, and I want to be somewhere safe - ¡±


    Just this moment, Marcus¡¯ phone rang, and he had to put it on speaker.


    ¡°Come back to the precinct, now!¡± That was Captain Ko, in a clearly unhappy tone.


    ¡°Already on my way.¡± Marcus sighed.

 Chapter 2. No Time To Rush

    Sitting in the biggest office inside the 17th precinct in the South-Western District of Poison City, located just a few blocks away from the unofficial ¡°border¡± between the South-Western and South-Eastern Districts, Captain Ko was equally frustrated and furious at Detective Marcus Cai, Detective Brian Sai and Detective Shrevas Pahaik.


    ¡°Pahaik, what did I tell you last time about what to do on raids like this?¡± Fuming behind his desk, Captain Ko asked why playing with a ballpoint pen with his fingers.


    ¡°To wait for backup, sir.¡± Detective Shrevas Pahaik was the most senior of the three detectives, and thus he was already expecting that he would be taking the heat: ¡°And to contact you if we need to move without backup.¡±


    ¡°This is all my fault, sir.¡± Marcus interjected: ¡°I led the officers in, because I saw Carl - ¡±


    ¡°You THOUGHT you saw Carl Strong, I know.¡± Captain Ko raised his hand and interrupted Marcus: ¡°But you didn¡¯t get him, did you? What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking we could go in sneakily enough and - ¡±


    ¡°You thought you could go in sneakily and he wouldn¡¯t be prepared, in an old-ass, apparently dealer-occupied apartment complex in the South-Eastern District with at least three side entrances and exits with two officers behind you.¡± Captain Ko scoffed: ¡°That¡¯s a dang good idea, you know? It¡¯s not like other precincts with SWAT teams at their disposal have already tried not once, but THREE TIMES before!? And in areas much less complicated than this very complex? What made you possibly think you can do that huh? Just because some people gave you this ¡®Steel Tiger¡¯ nickname?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d still be tracking him down, Captain - we have people watching every safe house he has in the area, so if he goes to any one of them we will know.¡± Detective Shrevas Pahaik interjected to stop the Captain from ranting on: ¡°And we had no idea that he would appear there, so we made a call. He would have been long gone when the backups got there. ¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah. Don¡¯t I know it, everything''s back to normal now. We¡¯ve got some low level dealers who probably have never even met one single bigger player in the area. And the perps are gonna get a speedy trial, and probably won¡¯t even last the second week in prison.¡± Captain Ko sat back on his chair and sighed: ¡°Tell you what? Why don¡¯t you stay here, and finish all of that paperwork before you go home, huh? It¡¯s some low level dealers, so we might as well process them as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°We could still get something out of them.¡± Detective Brian Sai said: ¡°The one Marcus brought in himself was quite cooperative. We have officers taking his statements right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, an overambitious new guy who joined the crew just last month, how much could he know?¡± Captain Ko pushed back on his rolling chair and stood up: ¡°Now, you gentlemen have a nice late afternoon and evening, I¡¯m gonna go home and let my wife nag my brains out.¡±


    ¡°Marcus, you go on ahead. ¡± Right outside of the Captain¡¯s office, Detective Pahaik patted Marcus on the back: ¡°I can finish up the paperwork here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Shrevas, just leave some to me and I¡¯ll come back as early as I can tomorrow to finish them up. Captain wouldn¡¯t know. ¡± Marcus sighed and put on his jacket: ¡°I¡¯ll check on that pissy pants before I go as well. ¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, be careful there because he¡¯ll probably freak out. Wonder what drugs he¡¯s on.¡± Detective Sai shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s kinda rare and - weird. Normal cokeheads who see demons and ghosts all day don¡¯t really speak that coherently.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he mixed stuff up.¡± Detective Pahaik chuckled.


    When Marcus walked by the room where the perp he brought in was being questioned, he saw no one in there. He then proceeded to the holding area, and found that the perp was put into a single holding cell, looking around for something or someone, while talking with - none other than the only forensic technician in this precinct, Kevin Loo.


    ¡°Here - take these, they should help you. They are real and of good quality, unlike the crappy ones you have.¡± Kevin Loo reached into his jacket with a video game logo and character on the back and handed the perp two pieces of light yellow paper: ¡°I doubt he¡¯s gonna be able to stay here with you all day. But I¡¯ll be here all night, and I¡¯ll come and check on you, alright?¡±


    ¡°No! Nonono¡­¡± The perp still shook his head and mumbled: ¡°I saw him drive her away! I saw it! None of these will help ¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, he¡¯s got a lot going on. He can¡¯t be here all day.¡± Kevin Loo frowned: ¡°I got these from the Temple of Forgetfulness, they¡¯re legit. If you¡¯re not sure then give them back to me, I have use for them myself - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono please, I don¡¯t wanna die.¡± The slim and frail perp immediately shoved the folded up talismans in his pocket: ¡°If you see Detective Cai, can you ask him to check on me? Please?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to check on you now.¡± Marcus went over and said to the perp, while nodding at Kevin: ¡°And he¡¯s right, I have a lot to deal with. But I will come back here tomorrow, alright? And I¡¯ll ask this very nice gentleman here to call me if there¡¯s anything you need, alright?¡±


    ¡°No! No! You don¡¯t understand! You have to stay here! Or she¡¯ll kill me!¡± The slim man immediately started begging again: ¡°You promised! You promised! Please!¡±


    ¡°I promised you I¡¯ll bring you back myself. ¡± Marcus looked at the slim man in his eyes and said with a stone cold voice: ¡°I have my own things going on too. You¡¯ll be safe here. Kevin, if anything happens, just page me, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevin sighed, and after a moment of hesitation, he stuck another talisman on one of the bars of the holding cell: ¡°Don¡¯t scratch this off, you hear me? One more protection for you.¡±


    When Marcus opened the old and heavy door with metal frames to his small and somewhat crowded apartment, inside a complex that looked just barely better than the one he raided with a team earlier, he was hit with an intense pungence of cheap alcohol. And as he turned on the lights, he saw empty beer cans and bottles lying around on the floor and the coffee table at the center of his living room. And on the slightly worn sofa full of small cracks on the old leather surface, laid his father, Elvin Cai, in a cradle position, covered in an old and dirty hand-woven blanket - made by Marcus¡¯ mother.


    His father was even more drunk than usual - there were a few more beer bottles and cans than what he¡¯d usually find around the apartment. He was always a lightweight drinker, and even after this many years of practice he was still unable to handle what would only amount to a casual night out for many. Thus, the few more bottles and cans actually made Marcus feel quite concerned, and he had to walk over to check on his father¡¯s pulse and his breathing.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years - you know?¡± Elvin Cai mumbled and held Marcus¡¯ right arm when Marcus was trying to test his pulse: ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years - did you hear anything? Anything from the station?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry dad.¡± Marcus sighed and pulled the blanket up: ¡°People stopped looking, and it¡¯s kinda unwise to actually investigate - I¡¯m trying.¡±


    ¡°It''s been almost 15 years. ¡± Elvin hugged the blanket tighter, his forearms were trembling and his voice was shaking: ¡°15 years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know, dad. I know.¡± Marcus picked the picture frame dropped on the ground and put it back onto the kitchen shelf. It was a family photo of him, his father and mother. This was not the latest picture of them as a family, but one that was clearest and showed the most of her. It was not as important 15 years ago, before that infamous cruise ship that sank into the middle of the Aqiu Lake.


    The lights flickered, and after a few seconds they went dim, but not completely out, leaving various corners in the apartment darker, colder and grimmer. This was odd, at least per the experience of Marcus, as it indicated that they were facing some electricity supply issues. But this was fall season, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold and thus there was very low demand for power for air conditioning or heat. For this reason, they had almost never encountered electricity supply problems during the fall. He looked out the window, and found that the whole neighborhood seemed to be having energy issues.


    ¡°Maybe some nearby areas had a power outage and some of the supply got redirected?¡± Marcus thought to himself. It did not matter, as he just needed to take a quick shower before his daily short meditation and practice session and then going to bed.

 Chapter 3. Missing Son

    The dawn barely broke, and Marcus already made it back to the 17th Precinct. The first thing he did was to check on the status of the slim man he brought back from the not-so-successful drug raid. The system was slow, and even when the perp was being cooperative, they still had to jump through all the hoops to arrange a trade deal involving protective custody. Thus he would still be at the precinct¡¯s holding room, with only a few night shift officers and Kevin Loo the forensic technician to keep him company.


    When Marcus got to the holding room, he found that the slim man had already fallen asleep on the bench inside, drooling and snoring, and Kevin Loo, looking slightly tired and holding a big coffee mug shaped like a skull, was standing just outside the fences. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Kevin smiled and greeted him.


    ¡°Yeah, here to check on him. ¡± Marcus pointed at the slim man: ¡°What¡¯s new?¡±


    ¡°First thing is that he¡¯s alive, and fell asleep around 3 or 4 A.M last night.¡± Kevin yawned: ¡°And I took a look at some of the evidence you brought back. I will categorize them and send a few things to the lab later. And - I know you¡¯re not really a believer, but I gotta tell you, our friend here has reasons to be afraid. I did some quick check on him and he even let us draw some blood - no sign of hallucinogens or any known drugs. The paper talismans he had with him - though terribly drawn and were wet - did show some signs of, you know, coming into contact with entities.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus nodded, not acknowledging or dismissing Kevn¡¯s theories : ¡°What have you found in his blood? What are your theories?¡±


    ¡°Not just blood, I took some samples of his saliva and stomach liquid as well.¡± Kevin handed Marcus a thin report: ¡°Some preliminary stuff, nothing too suspicious as of now. I just sent all the samples to the lab, and we should hear back in a few days. That said, the scientific hypothesis is that he¡¯s under severe stress or suffers from some kind of hallucination; and the other theory, just keep an open mind, which I know you will, is that he might be actually right and telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°Stress I get, if he¡¯s new to the gang then he¡¯d be handling the tougher spots and have limited resources and help. And the other theory - if that is true, IF, he told me he didn¡¯t know how ¡®she¡¯ found him, do you have any theories on that?¡±


    ¡°My best guess would be something in his spots and general turf. Which I plotted out for you in the map if you ever want to check it out. ¡± Kevin tapped the report he gave to Marcus and smiled: ¡°I¡¯ll do a search on the crimes and urban legends in that area, but the power kinda went out last night and I had to turn off a bunch of things to keep the lab equipments running.¡±


    ¡°So our precinct¡¯s affected as well? That¡¯s a little bit too - wide spread, don¡¯t you think?¡± Marcus frowned.


    ¡°I heard some rich kid was speeding on the road and banged into a roadside sub-station.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°I wonder why one substation can have that much impact, it seemed multiple blocks suffered from low power and even outage at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Interesting ¡­¡± Before Marcus could say anything, the ringing from the office phone on Detective Shrevas Pahaik¡¯s desk interrupted his thoughts. Since Detective Pahaik was not here yet, he just rushed over and picked it up. The first thing he heard was an officer on the other end of the line babbling to him with an annoyed voice: ¡°Hello Detective Pahaik, sorry to ring you so early, but we kinda have a situation here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but Detective Pahaik is not here at the moment, this is Detective Marcus Cai, can I take a message?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure! This is about the accident last night, the kid who drove into the substation. Just about one hour and a half ago, they found the body of a young woman at a spot on the other side of the substation. It appeared that she might have been thrown out of the car when it crashed. The kid is still missing, and his father is demanding that he speak to Detective Pahaik, directly.¡±


    ¡°Okay, have you tried his cell?¡± Marcus asked.


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    ¡°He¡¯s not answering.¡±


    ¡°Then he might be on his way over - I¡¯ll let him know when he gets here.¡± Marcus nodded, being the most senior detective from this precinct, Detective Pahaik was one stickler for rules, and driving while texting or answering phone calls was something he was known to actively avoid: ¡°While we¡¯re on that, do we know who this rich kid and the young woman are?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still verifying the young woman¡¯s identity, but the driver is clearly Carl Benson, and his father¡¯s name is Rick Benson.¡±


    ¡°Rick Benson? Why does this name sound familiar?¡±


    Detective Pahaik arrived at his desk about 15 minutes later, complaining about the traffic. And he seemed quite surprised when he heard from Marcus that some rich kid¡¯s father wanted to talk to him.


    ¡°Rick Benson? Fuck.¡± Detective Pahaik shook his head and sighed after hearing the name


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Marcus laid down Kevin¡¯s report onto his desk.


    ¡°We went to high school together, we used to be kinda close.¡± Detective Pahaik answered with a wry smile: ¡°Now he¡¯s a big shot tech guy in the South-Western District.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, looks like he¡¯s trying to pull something so that his son doesn¡¯t go to jail for hit and run and negligent homicide.¡± Marcus shook his head and scoffed: ¡°There was a young woman, dead. They¡¯re trying to ID her, but it¡¯s likely she¡¯s thrown from the car when it hit the substation.¡±


    ¡°Rick has always been kind of a sleazebag.¡± Detective Pahaik threw his jacket on, which he put onto the back of his chair just moments prior: ¡°Let¡¯s check the scene out before he actually caught me.¡±


    ¡°Want me to come with?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°That''d be great, thanks.¡±


    The scene of concern was actually not that far from the precinct, which was only half an hour¡¯s drive with regular traffic. And it was somewhat less messy than Marcus expected - there was debris of the exterior of a luxury car scattered everywhere, and the car itself was half buried inside the ruins of the electric substation. The local electrical workers assured them that the power was already cut and there was no danger in stepping into the scene, yet Marcus still felt something tingling his senses as he got close to the orange convertible heavily scratched paint and an almost completely collapsed head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the body?¡± Detective Pahaik asked with a frown on his face: ¡°The young woman¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Here, follow me.¡± An officer with a slightly shaken and disturbed facial expression came forward and said to Marcus and Detective Pahaik, then led them toward the direction in which the convertible was pointing: ¡°But, be prepared - things are a little - a little strange, to say the least. I don¡¯t know if you believe this kind of thing - but people are talking - well, you would know when you see her - ¡±


    ¡°Cause of death?¡± Staring at the body in a full red skin-tight nightgown, the wrinkles on Detective Pahaik¡¯s forehead seemed like they would not go away for hours.


    The body was still in its original place and position - there were no obvious signs of external injuries, nor were there any signs of blunt force trauma; the body froze with a wide smile, yet it was a smile of only the mouth and not the rest of her face; her eyes were wide open, and her eyeballs were crawling with dark, spider web-like veins.


    The forensic scientist at the scene stood up and from where she was and pushed her sunglasses to above her forehead: ¡°Shrevas, long time no see.¡±


    ¡°Ayer. ¡± Detective Pahaik seemed surprised: ¡°What - what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to take offense to that.¡± The forensic scientist responded with a smile: ¡°But yeah, semi-high profile case, so they called me here. And the, uh, cause of death is actually suffocation, caused by the vomit stuck in her throat. The subsequent blunt force trauma caused by being ejected from the vehicle and landing on the ground happened after her death, therefore not easily visible. And judging from the almost non-existent bruising, she was dead for quite a while before the accident actually happened. Strange thing though - the bruises seemed way too light even considering that. The other thing - you see her face? And her dress? Red, clean, no tears anywhere, almost in perfect condition. That¡¯s what disturbed some of the locals.¡±


    ¡°Red dress huh?¡± Detective Pahaik scratched his jaw with a frown: ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Skin fragments in her fingernails. We can run some DNA tests, but I am pretty sure it¡¯s gonna be the driver¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Looks like Rick¡¯s son¡¯s gonna have a lot of explaining to do.¡± Marcus lifted some bushes and picked up a small piece of torn cloth from the ground, half buried under some dirt and sand.


    ¡°Nice, thank you detective.¡± Ayer came over and packed the piece of cloth in a plastic evidence bag and compared it with the content of another - both showed similar patterns and colors.


    ¡°Where is this found?¡± Detective Pahaik asked.


    ¡°Inside the girl¡¯s hand.¡± Ayer sighed.


    ¡°Not that I am a frequent reader of fashion magazines or anything.¡± Marcus pulled up his phone, searched for a few keywords and showed both Detective Pahaik and Ayer a web page: ¡°This is the latest style from Marvon Brown, a luxury men''s clothing brand.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Marcus, good on you!¡± Detective Pahaik smiled as he looked at the phone screen and then the evidence bags: ¡°... what the heck, why are you looking at this? Or are you actually a trust fund kid?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± Marcus grabbed his phone back: ¡°My father is - was a fan. So I saved up a little and wanted to pick a birthday present for him. But it doesn¡¯t matter, okay? This might just be the shirt he was wearing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the girl having a piece of it in her hand tells a whole ¡®nother story.¡± Ayer looked Detective Pahaik in the eye: ¡°You do what you¡¯ve gotta do. I¡¯ll share my report with Captain Ko. There are a couple of things I want to confirm through tests.¡±

 Chapter 4. Three

    Detective Pahaik spent half a day at the crime scene, and then half a day avoiding any contact with his old high school buddy Rick Benson. And he finally answered the call when it was almost time for him to call it a day.


    Just like normal rich parents would do, Rick Benson asked and even begged Detective Pahaik to keep them posted on the whereabouts of his son, and informed him that since he had not answered nor returned his phone calls all day, he had hired a private investigator. Naturally neither Marcus nor Detective Pahaik was very fond of this idea - especially when they heard the private investigator¡¯s name - Brooklyn Payne.


    An infamous slimy sleazebag, Brooklyn Payne was once a Detective himself, until he was caught red handed taking bribes from a local gang member. But he was still a smart one, and worst of all, he was quite familiar with the PCPD rulebooks as well as their loopholes. And after looping Captain Ko in on the situation and coordinating a district-wide search with other precincts, they wrapped up their work for this day.


    Instead of going home directly, Marcus grabbed a quick bite from a deli by the side of the street, then hopped on a small dusty old bus and got on the way to the Temple of Forgetfulness.


    A place of some fame, one with some occasional volunteers here to help out and solely managed by only one monk: Master Liaoran. Not many knew how long this gentle, old but still agile monk had been the only monk in the temple. But many knew one or two things about him - that he made probably the best talismans in the city and he had no problem gifting them to the people in need, and that he could guard this lone temple dangerously the mountains against bandits, gangs and even ferocious beasts roaming in the forests.


    ¡°Hello, detective, how¡¯s your week been?¡± When Marcus set foot in the temple, Master Liaoran was already waiting for him in the yard, by the door to the inner sanctum, sipping on a cup of tea.


    ¡°Not good. More weird and stupid cases.¡± Marcus threw his bag to the side and took off his jacket, his muscles jumping slightly anticipating a spar: ¡°And just today I had to help a fellow detective investigate a crime scene as fast as possible so that some rich and influential parents won¡¯t be able to swing their schlong to tamper with the evidence gathering and processing procedure.¡±


    ¡°Ha. But today we¡¯re not going to start with the sparring session.¡± Master Liaoran poured Marcus a cup of tea and signaled him to sit on a small straw mattress in front of him: ¡°Stressful days like today call for a little meditation first.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Yes, again.¡±


    After making Marcus sit down begrudgingly, Master Liaoran pulled out a small incense burner and lit the incense inside with his finger. Marcus¡¯ eyelids twitched as he watched this - he could barely sense any Qi coming from the master, and up to this day he still had a hard time pulling off this kind of move. His Qi had affinity to the elements of fire and earth, in theory doing things like this would be relatively easier for him. But whenever he tried, he either lit the entire incense stick down with an overpowered touch, or the incense stick did not light up at all. It was ultimately a matter of practice and control, or so he was told, yet it seemed to him that all the time and effort spent on practicing controlling his Qi had mostly gone to waste.


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    ¡°Now, clear your mind, but no need to try to go into a meditative state right away.¡± Master Liaoran said to Marcus while he slowly closed his eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t think of this as just some general philosophical thought exercise that you may encounter in college or universities, but think of it as this mental preparation you do before you start practicing your Ferocious Tiger Style - ¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and then asked: ¡°Should I recite anything?¡±


    ¡°No, need, just some general self reflection.¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice became soft and even a little distant: ¡°I have somewhat come to realize, that given the complicating and sometimes sometimes grueling nature of your work, there might be - hard as you tried to calm yourself down and cleanse your mind before coming here, things that would cloud your mind and thus exposing you to the easy pitfalls along this path.


    ¡°The teachings of old, and said to have come from Buddha and other great meditators, listed out three ¡®poisons¡¯, in no particular order, that you, or anyone trying to find greater and higher wisdom along their paths of cultivation. First poison, Greed, is a poison of one¡¯s obsessive desire to advance in the power ladder, enjoy the richness of the world, and when it comes to martial arts and cultivation of the mind, the desire to learn and master too much; The second poison is Resentment, which points to the negative feelings of hate, anger, rage and contempt for things, factors and people that are not ours to contro; The third poison, one that I personally think is the most deceiving and fear-inspiring, is Ignorance and Obsession, which signifies the lack of understanding and knowledge, and the almost natural fixation that comes with it - sticking to one¡¯s own mistakes, too stubborn to reflect and rethink, until it is too late.


    ¡°I cannot presume to tell you which of the Three Poisons with which you are most afflicted. I could only take a guess, but it bears great value that you try and figure it out yourself. The first step of knowledge and wisdom and all - ¡±


    When Marcus was about to leave Temple of Forgetfulness, his muscles were more sore than usual. The beatings he received were nowhere less just because he spent the first half of his weekly session with Master Liaoran on meditation. This time during their spar, Master Liaoran patiently let Marcus use all of his moves on him, and then used Marcus¡¯ very own style to deliver blows back, in an attempt to teach him how his moves could be improved and tempered. Marcus couldn''t tell how much he had learned from that, but he could easily say that he was humbled once again, just like many weekly sessions before this one.


    ¡°Wait a second, detective.¡± Master Liaoran called out to Marcus from behind: ¡°You forgot this - ¡±


    Marcus turned back, and saw that Master Liaoran was behind him with a small clay jar and a small paper packet in his hand.


    ¡°This is the ointment for your muscles - I figured you¡¯d run out soon. And here¡¯s some talismans - I noticed that you have some dark clouds over your head and shoulders, so bring this with you until the ink fades, or if they get damaged.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master.¡± Marcus bowed and took the jar along with the talismans: ¡°What¡¯s this with the dark clouds?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it just means you¡¯ve encountered some unclean beings or gone to some unclean places. Nothing to worry about - Ferocious Tiger Style imbues your body and mind with enough Shaqi to deter most.¡± Master Liaoran was now fully dressed in his robe, with all his marble and boulder-like muscles covered up, and his smile made him just seem like a regular kind old man of the village.


    ¡°Thanks again, Master, see you next week.¡±


    ¡°Be well and tranquil. And remember, I am here to help if you ever need any. ¡± Master Liaoran gently nodded at Marcus: ¡°Take care.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Master.¡± Marcus bowed again, and just when he was about to turn, his pager and phone rang at the same time.


    ¡°Sorry, Master - this must be very urgent.¡± Marcus silenced his pager and answered his phone while running to the side of the road.


    ¡°Go to the damaged substation.¡± This was Captain Ko: ¡°Something happened - Pahaik is already on his way over. I am sending Lance over as well.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus waved his hand at some passing taxis, but none of them was vacant at the moment so he had to stand on the sidewalk and keep waving.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, maybe some guy was on something really hardcore and went on a rampage, or some kind of gang activity. Multiple victims, no witnesses.¡±

 Chapter 5. Wretch and Stains

    Marcus did not even need to be actually in the scene to know that it was bad - a large number of squad cars surrounded the entire scene within a whole block radius, and almost all traffic had to take their respective detours.


    After asking the taxi driver to stop and drop him off just outside of the police blockade, Marcus ran to the scene of the car crash - the route was entirely cleared so there was almost no hindrance in passage or sight. And from afar, he already saw two bodies covered by white cloth. The pieces of white cloth were no longer white, however, as the fluids from the bodies had almost soaked them through and through.


    A foul smell of rot, salt and some kind of pungent acid hit Marcus right in the face and made him dizzy for a slight moment. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡± Marcus asked one of the officers standing by the police tapes as he concentrated a bit of his Qi on his nose to block off the stench.


    ¡°The emergency reparations team sent by one the local electricity companies and district. While they were at work, someone, or maybe something attacked them. And all of them were dead, all six of them.¡± The officer shook his head: ¡°Captain Ko is in there as well.¡±


    ¡°Cai.¡± When Marcus went into the scene, Captain Ko and Detective Pahaik greeted him at the same time with a serious nod.


    ¡°I will be supervising this, but I would like you, Pahaik, to lead the investigation.¡± Captain Ko looked straight at Detective Pahaik: ¡°I paged Lance as well - Cai, you and Lance will be secondaries on this case. You two will provide Detective Pahaik with whatever assistance he needs. This will be all of your top priorities now, and all the other cases, put them on hold.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡± Marcus knelt down and took a look at one of the bodies covered in the stained white cloth, especially the part covering the body¡¯s face.


    This was a middle aged man in an orange uniform with glow strips, slightly tan skin. His face looked like it was bashed into the ground with brute force, and then dragged along the ground - the skins on his forehead and nose were almost all peeled off and rolled to the edges, his facial muscles were exposed, and his eyes rolled back so far that Marcus could only see the white of them.


    ¡°From the preliminary examination, the causes of death all seemed to be asphyxiation.¡± Just this moment, the forensic scientist whom they met earlier, Ayer Flemmings came over and told the Captain as well as the two detectives: ¡°I know, it bothers me as well. This means the different traumas were all inflicted post-mortem.¡±


    ¡°What caused the ??asphyxiation?¡± Detective Pahaik asked.


    ¡°Your forensic technician found this in one of the victim¡¯s throat.¡± Ayer raised a small plastic evidence bag: ¡°If you ask me, I¡¯d say it¡¯s some really disturbed individual playing some kind of sick joke.¡±


    ¡°Is this -  aquatic weed?¡± Detective Pahaik passed the evidence bag to Marcus.


    ¡°Yeah, aquatic weed, from what I can tell, a kind that¡¯s quite common in Lake Aqiu. And if you take a look at the ground - it¡¯s wet all over the place.¡± Ayer nodded: ¡°But - the closest water from here - ¡±


    ¡°At least one hour drive.¡± Marcus and Detective Pahaik said at the same time.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late.¡± Just this moment, a female detective of similar height to Marcus, wearing a pair of glasses with black frame rushed to their side: ¡°What¡¯s the update?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll brief you in a bit.¡± Detective Pahaik nodded at Detective Keryn Lance then turned to Captain Ko, ¡°Will the Province send people over to help? I don¡¯t think this would go unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hold my breath.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°Treat this with the utmost priority right now, loop me in on any updates. Dr. Flemmings, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could lend us more of your time - and I¡¯ll have Mr. Loo fully under your lead - ¡±


    ¡°I understand - this is probably the worst case I have encountered in years. ¡± Ayer sighed and nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll let my boss know.¡±


    ¡°They just dug up the last guy.¡± This moment, Kevin Loo came over and wiped some sweat off his forehead, revealing a set of prayer beads on his left wrist, and Marcus immediately noticed that he was wearing a small jade charm on his neck: ¡°Dr. Flemmings, you might wanna take a look here - it¡¯s - it¡¯s kinda bizarre. And a little horrifying, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look together.¡± Captain Ko waved at everyone.


    The group went over to the site following Kevin Loo¡¯s lead, passing by two other bodies scattered around the scene, one of which was clearly dismembered by some kind of brute force, and one young officer who was rushing outside of the perimeter of the scene to vomit.


    The foul stench grew stronger and the Qi blockage formed earlier was no longer sufficient. Ferocious Tiger Style granted him an enhanced sense of smell, but right now it only made him dizzy and at risk of retching or even fainting. When he overcame the smell by covering up his face and concentrating more of his Qi on his nose, he came to sight of the body Kevin was leading them to see.


    This body, also in an orange uniform with glow strips, seemed to have gone through additional weathering than the rest, and with no obvious signs of trauma on his upper body. The normally sturdy and durable worker trousers worn on his lower body, on the other hand, seemed to have been corrupted by prolonged exposure to water and weathering, so much so that they became brittle and broke off like thin, fragile china and revealed his pale, swollen and sore-covered legs. The skins on his legs seemed like they were about to melt if placed close to any heat, and they were covered with quite a few pus-gushing sores, which were presumably the source of the pungent smell.


    Captain Ko, Detective Pahaik and Detective Lance both showed visible disgust on their faces, while Marcus, Kevin and Ayer seemed mostly unperturbed, even given the smell. For Marcus, it sure was a gruesome sight to behold, but it seemed that both his experience working with some gnarly cases in the past and his general desensitivity prevented him from having too much of a reaction to things like this.


    ¡°Aquatic weeds.¡± Kevin Loo knelt down and pointed at the body¡¯s ankles and a few sores with some kind of dark linings inside while covering his face with his hand: ¡°And the condition of the legs looked like they were put in the water for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Good eye, Mr. Loo. But being buried in the dirt doesn¡¯t do that.¡± Ayer sighed with a frown on her head: ¡°We¡¯ll need more time to examine it. There must be something to their presence here.¡±


    ¡°It also takes no small amount of effort to bury people this way.¡± Detective Lance said after taking a closer look at the hole from which the body was dug up: ¡°Why would anyone do this? Looks a lot like revenge or someone trying to deliver a message.¡±


    ¡°Good question. But we must find out ¡®who¡¯ first.¡± Captain Ko rubbed his temples, then said to Detective Pahaik: ¡°Find out the identities of these victims first, and then check their associates or known enemies. This is some vengeful shit.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Detective Pahaik sighed and turned to Marcus and Detective Lance: ¡°Marcus, can you contact the power company and find out the names of the victims, where they came from, where they live, and who might want to harm them; Keryn, can you check around the scene and see if there are witnesses.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°Thud¡± When two officers tried to adjust the position of the poor man¡¯s body so that they could more easily cover him with a piece of white cloth, his left foot fell off, and thick gray and green liquid dripped out of his shoe covered in cracks, dirt and stains.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Just this moment, Ayer and Kevin raised their hands at an officer and stopped him from stepping into a small mud pool near a bush.


    ¡°Oh, thanks, Ms. Flemmings and Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonono, not you!¡± Ayer knelt down and pointed at the wet dirt on the side: ¡°This!¡±


    Kevin raised his phone, turned on the flashlight and gently pushed the leaves and branches of the bush to the side - a small partial footprint was revealed and it seemed to have a gap between the heel and the forefoot.


    ¡°Looks like a women¡¯s boot.¡± Kevin Loo said: ¡°Could it be the woman from the earlier car crash?¡±


    ¡°She was wearing heels, so no.¡± Ayer shook her head: ¡°This looks quite fresh, might be someone who came here before us.¡±


    ¡°Who reported this again?¡± Marcus asked from the side.


    ¡°Some passers-by.¡± Captain Ko answered: ¡°They were really panicky, barely able to speak. I doubt they would dare step foot in here or be of any help.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you do, try to figure things out as soon as possible.¡± Captain Ko stressed once again: ¡°We can¡¯t expect anyone from the province, but the folks from the city council and the mayor will be breathing down my neck about this. We need to hurry.¡±

 Chapter 6. Weeds and Tar

    All three detectives present at the scene stayed for another two hours before they disbanded - hard working as they might be, all three of them still needed a break after one day of work even if it was an urgent case. In turn, they would need to leave it to the night shift officers to guard the scene and examine it some more just in case they forgot or missed anything. Before he left, Marcus put in an official urgent request to the power company that sent this team to inquire information about each of the team members - but given the usual reaction speed of these local half-city-runned companies, they would probably get back to him in at least a few hours or even days.


    ¡°Detective, your father¡¯s bill.¡± When Marcus finally set foot in the front door of his apartment complex, the doorwatch handed him a small paper bill, on it was the balance of 20 dollars.


    ¡°What¡¯d he do this time?¡± Marcus sighed and took out his wallet.


    ¡°He broke a few windows and threw up on the floor, so we cleaned his wounds and had Mr. Wells take a look at him. He would bill you separately.¡± The doorwatch answered: ¡°We put him back on the couch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Mr. Blake, much appreciated. ¡± Marcus took out two bills, a net amount of 25 dollars and handed them to the doorwatch.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mr. Blake took the bills without saying anything: ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years, so - I apologize if he should cause you any more trouble. I would definitely talk to him.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Mr. Blake shook his head: ¡°I know someone who was on that cruise as well, hell, probably everyone does - they just asked me to join a memorial service. Just - take care of your dad, will ya? One cannot live like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, thanks.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Have a good one sir.¡±


    Elvin, Marcus¡¯ father was lying on the couch when Marcus came home, in a cradle position and was covered in blankets. There were some more empty bottles on the ground, but the stench of cheap alcohol in the air had almost all dissipated. His right hand was bandaged up in a firm and meticulous fashion. Though this very apartment complex was in an area that was far from being decent and the people living in it were mostly just barely getting by, Mr. Wells, the unofficial ¡°complex doctor¡± was still careful and beyond ¡°professional¡± to his patients.


    After giving his father another blanket because of the temperature readings of the thermometer of the room - he couldn¡¯t feel much of the cold ever since he had a good handle of Ferocious Tiger Style, which not only toughened his body, but also afforded him a good amount of Qi which became almost ever-present in his meridians, providing him additional resistance to negative external influences, like low temperature in this case.


    Before doing a quick meditation and practice session and going to bed for a short nap, he took a cold shower per his daily routine and tried to organize his thoughts about the matters at hand.


    First is the seemingly normal and simple case of the car crash and the missing son of Rick Benson. He couldn¡¯t help but feel this was a case where there was much more to it than it appeared - maybe it was because the eagerness of the father to find his son and the not-so-subtle intention of covering things up, maybe it was because of the strange and chilling facial expression of the dead young woman and the weird feelings he had when he was at the scene. Kevin apparently was thinking that he might come into contact with something paranormal or ¡°unclean¡±, yet there was little concrete proof of that. He was not one to immediately believe or dismiss the claims of ghosts, spirits or other supernatural occurrences. He just prefered to deal with things he could see, hear or feel.


    Throughout his not long yet not short career as a law enforcement officer, he had indeed encountered some truly bizarre and somewhat terrifying cases where supernatural presence might have been the only reasonable explanation - but he also had to remind himself that these kind of explanations could in many ways just be cop-outs when the leads ran cold and there was information missed or hidden. And this kind of cop-out would eventually lead to laziness, inaction and utter irresponsibility. He did not want to fall into that - he could feel his stomach churning just at the thought of it.


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    Having double and then triple checked the locks and windows, straight into his bedroom he went. The main bedroom was empty, because it was kept for his father, who rarely used it.


    The next morning, after a short nap of barely over 3 hours, Marcus woke up even earlier than usual and headed directly to the local electric power company, by the name of ¡°S&S Corp¡±, to inquire information about the emergency reparations team. And just as he suspected, even with the team brutally murdered, the power company did not fully process the request yet. It was in a state of ¡°pending review¡±, whatever that meant.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, officer. But that request is still being processed, it¡¯s under administrative review. We can try to rush them for you. But there¡¯s not much we can do.¡± The lady at the front desk laid down her phone and said to Marcus with a professional routine smile: ¡°Without the permission of the respective departments, we are not able to divulge personal information regarding our employees - ¡±


    ¡°Even if they¡¯re dead and we¡¯re trying to find out who murdered them? Can I talk to someone in charge?¡± Marcus sighed, shook his head and then took his phone out: ¡°I can put our captain on the phone - ¡±


    ¡°Detective!¡± Just this minute, a man¡¯s voice with slightly exaggerated friendliness and enthusiasm interrupted Marcus and the lady at the front desk. When Marcus turned to the direction where the voice came from, he noticed it was a man with shiny and well-groomed hair and mustache, and a shiny name tag on his chest: ¡°I am the on-call executive manager today, what can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± Marcus shook hands with this man while trying to read his name tag: ¡°Mr¡­ Flake, I am Detective Cai from the 17th Precinct of PCPD. I put in an urgent information request late last night to request some personal information about a certain emergency reparations team you sent out last night¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, we actually sent out three teams last night, I wonder which one you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°The one with six members, to fix the sub station at the corner of Emerson Street and East 11th Street.¡± Marcus said: ¡°We have a situation on our hands - they fell victims to what we presumed as murder. So I am here to collect their personal information as a part of our investigation - in particular their associations, personal networks and any other information that could help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my, god.¡± Mr. Flake gasped and covered his mouth: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s horrible! What happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to find out, so as a part of our investigation - ¡±


    ¡°I totally understand, detective, let¡¯s sit down and we will help you in any way we can.¡± Mr. Flake pointed to the side and then snapped his fingers at the young lady at the front desk: ¡°Forward that request to me, I will personally approve it right now. And call Mr. Saks immediately.¡±


    Mr. Saks turned out to be a corporate counsel, who sat beside Mr. Flake and had a recording device.


    ¡°Sorry for this red tap and formality, but we¡¯ll need to record our conversation so that we can provide training for future members of our company.¡± Mr. Flake smilde and pulled up a document on his tablet: ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ve skimmed through your request, detective, and I fully appreciate the work you do. But I would like to ask some questions first, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Just make it quick.¡± Marcus repressed his urges to raise his voice and responded with a quick and simple answer.


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Mr. Flake exchanged looks with Mr. Saks, then proceeded: ¡°Do you have any specific proof or evidence that the murder happened?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus almost scoffed, but then had to calm himself down a little.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be insensitive, but we haven¡¯t heard from the team on any of this, and our on-call center did not receive any alerts or calls for help from them - so as you can imagine, we are just as blind to the situation than anyone.¡± Mr. Flake re-framed his question with a smile: ¡°So, as the one reviewing this request, I would like to see some ev - ¡±


    Before Mr. Flake could finish his sentence, Marcus raised his phone and showed him a few distantly-shot photos of the scene, which included sights of the bodies from some distance and without revealing details of any of them.


    ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Mr. Flake jolted back as if he just saw something really horribly disturbing and horrifying that he had never seen before: ¡°Okay! Okay! Sorry about that! I think that¡¯s enough! Yes!¡±


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Marcus dimmed his phone and asked.


    ¡°Oh! Yeah! Sorry! Oh!¡± Mr. Flake¡¯s reaction seemed just as exaggerated as his friendly enthusiasm: ¡°Yeah, just another question then I¡¯ll approve this request - could you provide us any updates on the case when you do find something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s not up to me. You¡¯ll need to communicate with our captain, Captain Ko.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Understood, understood.¡± Mr. Flake nodded and looked at Mr. Saks once again: ¡°Now, I¡¯ll have my people pull the information and present it to you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have a question of my own.¡± Marcus said: ¡°I would like to talk to some of the team members¡¯ coworkers, can you help me with that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course! Just wait here a moment, I¡¯ll find some people that can talk to you.¡± Mr, Flake adjusted his fine and luxurious looking suit: ¡°And I apologize for my - my unprofessional reaction.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, I appreciate your help and cooperation.¡±

 Chapter 7. Helpless

    According to the deck of personnel information provided to Marcus by the S&S Corp, out of the six members of the emergency reparations team sent by the company, five of them were born and raised in the South-Western District, and only one of them had a South-Eastern District address, which was not that uncommon for employees of a department located near the border area between two districts. But it would be quite some trouble for any law enforcement officer to actually go and interview the relatives, friends and neighbors of this particular victim. And additionally, the team was supposed to be one of seven employees, just that one additional member, who had an South-Western District address on file.


    So, with this information at hand, Marcus made a quick decision: he asked other officers to go on death notification and interview duty and try to interview those associated with the five victims who lived in the South-Western District, and he would go to interview the one who lived in the South-Eastern District. This was because although he was no longer living there, he still had many connections in the area, and he was quite familiar with how people in the district were generally like.


    After a short bus ride and walking through some winding and narrow alleyways, Marcus finally reached the address and knocked on the door gently. Like many single-storey residential places in the area, there were two doors to this home, the other one was made of welded-together metal bars with room one could see through, and the inner one was made of wood with the tarnished copper room number on it. The roof was covered with old and moldy clay tiles, with a few metal antennas pointing in different directions, one of which had a talisman made of thin bronze hanging on it.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± A 30-something woman with a tired look on her face and uncombed hair opened the inner door just enough to show her face: ¡°I don¡¯t want to buy anything. And I have no money to donate.¡±


    ¡°Are you the family of Mr. Doug Evans?¡± Marcus pulled out his badge and spoke with a softer tone: ¡°My name is Marcus Cai, a detective of the PCPD, may I come in?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re police? What happened?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened and responded with a shaking voice: ¡°We always abide by the law, we stay out of trouble, what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Mr. Doug Evans. Are you his wife?¡± Marcus left his badge out for a few seconds so that the woman could look more closely.


    ¡°What happened to Doug? Did he get drunk on the job again?¡± The woman shook her head and asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Macus sighed: ¡°May I come in? Please, this is really important.¡±


    The woman hesitated for a short while, then nodded and opened the door. Before he entered, Marcus noticed that his presence had already attracted the attention of some of the neighbors and locals.


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    This was but a simple place to live for a simple employee of one of the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful corporations operating in Poison City. ¡°Probably good that they didn¡¯t have a child.¡± Marcus thought to himself as he looked around the room and found no signs of children or elderly.


    ¡°Can you - can you tell me now?¡± The woman took a deep breath, looked Marcus directly in the eyes and asked: ¡°What - what happened?¡±


    ¡°You might wanna sit down.¡± Marcus pulled a chair at the corner of the living room to the woman¡¯s side.


    Being the death notifier officer was never fun - even as a pretty seasoned detective himself. Mrs. Emma Evans responded just like so many who were struck with the news of their husband¡¯s passing before - almost collapsing at the news. There were many differences between the people of the South-Eastern and South-Western Districts, but their immediate reactions could all be grouped into the same set - in this case, she was stunned for a short moment, before becoming absolutely inconsolable and deep in sorrow and despair.


    Marcus left his contact information and the instructions on how to get to the precinct to identify and claim the body before he left. Though he had asked if Mrs. Emma Evans would like him to escort her to the precinct, she did not respond and just laid on the couch, sobbing with her head buried in a pillow and asking to be alone.


    Right after properly closing the doors, Marcus notified the precinct and told them to send officers to check back the next day. If circumstances permit, he would have a social worker follow up with her and take care of her - but sadly in the South-Eastern District there were not many of them. To find someone to help take care of her, he would need to contact some local community leaders, who happened to not like cops very much. Even he could barely get any more than a cold and distant greeting should he go for a visit and ask for assistance.


    Lucky for Marcus, maybe the woman¡¯s letting Marcus into her house had sent a signal that he was not one of those cops that were unfriendly to the local community or their lifestyles, the neighbors were more willing to share with him what they knew about Doug Evans, the quiet, kept to himself engineer who occasionally fought with his wife, liked to drink and tipped generously when eating out. But none of these neighbors could tell him anything useful - his other objective here was to know about who would want to hurt him, and who would possess such a grudge as to murder him in such a brutal fashion. It seemed like he might have to rely on other officers who went to the South-Western District for possible leads on the murderer, or the murderers.


    After spending almost a whole day interviewing the neighbors, before he could hop on a taxi and go back, a woman rushed towards Marcus and dropped down on her knees before him without a hint of hesitation. She was wearing a cheap looking gray blouse with flower patterns, which was covered with dirt and had ragged sleeves, and her face covered with marks left by tears and snot.


    ¡°Please, officer - you¡¯ve - you¡¯ve gotta help me.¡± This woman cried, barely able to utter a whole sentence: ¡°I can¡¯t find my baby! I can¡¯t find my boy! I was just in the market, and - and I was just looking at some groceries and my baby¡¯s gone! Please help me! He¡¯s only 7 years old¡­ my son¡­¡±


    ¡°Calm down, calm down, what happened?¡± Marcus knelt down and tried to lift the woman up, but she tried to shake his hands off and remain on the ground, seemingly waiting for him to make a promise to her.


    ¡°I was - I was just in the market! I was just in the market! I took my eyes off him for one second, and he was gone!¡± The woman cried with her fingers clenching the bottoms of Marcus¡¯ trousers: ¡°I can¡¯t find him anywhere! Please, you¡¯ve gotta help me! I don¡¯t know what to do now! No one¡¯s helping me! No one helped me at all!¡±


    ¡°When did he go missing?¡± Marcus took out his notepad: ¡°What¡¯s he wearing? Anything we can identify him with?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just earlier! It¡¯s just earlier!¡± The woman even tried to kowtow to Marcus in an attempt to beg for his assistance: ¡°Just earlier! He was with me just a short while ago! He - he was wearing a red hoodie, and - and - and he has a scar on his left face! Yes! A scar on his left face! And he has a shorter pinky - he broke it while he was very very young, and - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually been almost two days.¡± A man¡¯s annoyed voice came from the side: ¡°And no one¡¯s seen his boy.¡±

 Chapter 8. Dogs and Cats

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Marcus looked back at the man and asked. This man was wearing a loose, light gray cloth shirt with a pocket on the left chest, a pair of loose trousers of similar material, a light orange armband and a golden necklace, which were pretty standard attire of members of the local community watch and patrol team. These were special organizations pretty much only present in the South-Eastern District, organized by powerful local community groups, typically centered around families, local groups and sometimes beliefs in different gods. All of these local communities formed a community collective, which throughout the years became the de facto governing body of the South-Eastern District.


    ¡°She lost her son two days ago.¡± The man repeated with an annoyed tone: ¡°She¡¯s been looking ever since. We have people out there looking for him, and I think it would be in the community¡¯s best interest if you focus your time and effort on more dire things.¡±


    ¡°I think a child missing for two days is pretty dire.¡± Marcus stood up and looked the man directly in his eyes: ¡°Two days - that¡¯s enough for the PCPD to log as potential kidnapping and fire up an alert, we do it for far less - ¡±


    ¡°An alert has been fired within our network, and we have people looking for him as we speak.¡± The man did not show any signs of backing off: ¡°And you¡¯re not in any other districts, are you copper? In our district, you don¡¯t have the same kind of jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°We do when it comes to serious crimes just like this one.¡± Marcus sensed that this man in front of him was trying to intimidate him, by activating his Qi and creating a more overwhelming presence, clearly manifesting himself as a martial arts practitioner: ¡°And all I¡¯m trying to do here is help her - the woman¡¯s son is missing. Isn¡¯t child kidnapping something you treat very very seriously here?¡±


    ¡°It is, which is why we are mobilizing almost everyone from our community patrol team.¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrowed, seemingly slightly confused and angered as to why Marcus did not show any signs of worry or concern at his stance: ¡°And the last thing we need is for a dumbass copper to waltz in like a disoriented pige and mess up our coordinated search and investigation mission.¡±


    ¡°Coordinated search and investigation mission, you say?¡± Marcus asked with a frown: ¡°How many have gone missing? Why haven¡¯t we heard of this? According to the agreement between the city and your community collective - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, COPPER!¡± A few veins seemed to have popped up on the man¡¯s forehead as he raised his voice, attracting passers-by and potentially other members of the community watch and patrol team: ¡°You think we¡¯re just gonna sit by and let the scourge of heinous crime tear through our community? What can you even do huh? Nobody likes you here! Nobody works with you here! ¡±


    ¡°Please help My SON! MY SON IS MISSING!¡± The woman screamed and wept, her fingers scratching her head with such a force that blood started dripping from her fingers: ¡°I can¡¯t find him¡­ I can¡¯t find him¡­ I CAN¡¯T, FIND HIM! Can you please help me?!¡±


    ¡°You will be hearing from us!¡± The man turned to the weeping woman and raised his voice once again: ¡°Stop crying! This isn¡¯t going to - ¡±


    ¡°Slap!¡± A hand swung from the side and left a clear red hand mark on the man¡¯s cheek. This was the doing of another man, middle-aged, with a slightly hunched back and holding a crooked-looking wooden walking stick.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°If you continue behaving like this, you are more despicable than a fucking pig.¡± This middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back spoke with a calm but stern tone: ¡°You can bark at cops however with whatever words you want. But any disrespect thrown at a distraught mother trying to find her child is nothing short of disgrace. Fuck off! One more of this then to the bay you go!¡±


    The slapped man put his hands on the red mark left on his face, he tried to say something but his face swelled up too much for him to make a cohesive sound. And at the hand signal of the middle-aged man, this man ran away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a cup of tea.¡± The middle-aged man sighed and said to Marcus, while waving his hand at some other members of the community watch and patrol team to come over: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find a place for her and deploy my best men to help her.¡±


    Old Wang¡¯s Tea House, was the place to which this middle-aged man took Marcus, him being ¡°Old Wang¡±, or Bulu Wang, as Marcus knew him. Under any other circumstances Marcus would not have left the weeping woman like this. But with Bulu Wang¡¯s presence, and the fact that other more benign-looking community watch and patrol team members came here to help, he felt for now assured that she would be well taken care of, and that he did not really have much of a choice.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you for a while, still busy?¡± Bulu Wang poured Marcus a cup of tea with a flowery fragrance.


    ¡°Thank you, still kinda busy.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°As you can see, things are - well - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only a young punk in the team, new. He still has a ton to learn.¡± Bulu Wang sat back and sighed: ¡°And - I will not waste your time. His attitude aside, he was still telling the truth about the thing with missing children - there are a few of them already. And just like you know, we took them extra seriously and dispatched a lot of members to look for them. But we have been having trouble finding many useful clues.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why the communities didn¡¯t loop in the city, is it?¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°You¡¯re afraid that the city will attempt to overreach?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons, one of the main ones.¡± Bulu Wang sighed: ¡°And the other thing is that whoever is doing this, they seem to be quite familiar with the way our teams work, how we conduct investigation, and even how we communicate through many of our channels.¡±


    ¡°Inside job?¡± Marcus frowned and nodded: ¡°That could definitely happen. But what for? I thought since the communities don¡¯t take children purchasing lightly, there would be almost no buyers here or maybe anywhere. Ever since - ¡±


    ¡°No one would dare attempt to buy this many kids in the entire district, this I can promise you.¡± Bulu Wang raised his hand and interjected: ¡°And we have been setting up watches and road checks at almost all entrances all over the district, you know the drill. But to no avail - these kids seemed to have just disappeared. Which is terrible, and it started reminding people of the horribleness decades back - ¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Marcus put down his empty cup: ¡°But what could I do to help? That punk might be rude, but I guess he¡¯s not wrong. We barely have enough resources for people like Carl Strong, or things like serial murder and extremely serious narcotics trafficking and trading, these are what the cops are good - well, OKAY at. Things like missing children in the South-Eastern District has never been our strong suit.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Bulu refilled Marcus¡¯ cup: ¡°I am looping you in because I trust you, and ask you to do the same for me. We are trying to handle it, and we are also trying to make sure that, given the powers that be, we¡¯re not making the situation worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Marcus scratched his face and sighed: ¡°You know I cannot just let this slip my mind, right?¡±


    ¡°Two days, that¡¯s all I¡¯m asking.¡± Bulu raised his index and middle finger at Marcus: ¡°Two more days, we¡¯ll update you. If we don¡¯t have answers by then you do what you have to do.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Marcus let out a long sigh and relented: ¡°Fine, I will check back tomorrow and the day after. You¡¯d better have answers by then. If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t have much of a choice.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Of course.¡± Bulu Wang smiled, raised his left hand and pinched Marcus¡¯ right arm with a gentle force, and Marcus felt a gentle stream of Qi touching his skin and some surface muscles then dissipating after a brief contact: ¡°You¡¯ve kept up with your practice, good. I was thinking if there¡¯s anything more I could teach you, but it looks like I may need to ask you for help and knowledge instead.¡±


    ¡°Temple of Forgetfulness, Master Liaoran is a hell of a critic and guide. You could learn a lot from him if you¡¯d ¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Ah, too bad, I just don¡¯t have the time, and patience.¡±

 Chapter 9. Concerned Thief

    It was already almost dark when Marcus made it back to the precinct, and judging that it was already quite some time after his normal off-work hours, he just decided to leave a quick note on his monitor and make a mark on his calendar. But before he could finish his note, he saw Detective Shrevas Pahaik escorting a young woman into the precinct.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus noticed that Shrevas seemed quite upset and frustrated, so he decided to go over and ask.


    ¡°Theft. Petty theft, most likely.¡± Shrevas shook his head: ¡°A rather clumsy one at that. The victim insisted that she be prosecuted, so I had to bring her in.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d she steal?¡± Marcus nodded, he could understand Shrevas¡¯ frustration, he was the lead in the investigation of the murder of the emergency repair team, and dealing with this would just be nothing but a giant waste of his time.


    ¡°She was accused of stealing a pouch of talismans from a giant turd of a clergyman.¡± The young woman rolled her eyes and said: ¡°Stop talking as if I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°So you admitted it?¡± Marcus rubbed his own temples.


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t, I was just guessing what Detective Tight-ass here was about to say.¡± The young woman scoffed: ¡°Come on man, I haven¡¯t got all day!¡±


    ¡°Can you keep an eye on her while I go in and log a few things? Should be around twenty minutes.¡± Shrevas looked to Marcus while cuffing the young woman to his desk, his eyes full of weariness and numbness from overworking: ¡°I know you need to go back and take care - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, take your time.¡± Marcus waved his hand: ¡°The neighbors will take care of him.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Shrevas nodded and rushed to the evidence rooms.


    Marcus pulled a chair over and sat beside Shervas¡¯ desk, then opened his notes while still paying some attention to this young woman with an attitude. There was something different about her, though her attire and general demeanor were somewhat generic and even cliche¡¯ - she had natural black hair, with several locks dyed with the colors of blue, purple and golden; she was wearing some cheap eyeliner, a slightly torn canvas jacket, a pair of old jeans and a pair of cloth flat boots. There seemed to be very faint traces of energy radiating from her, which piqued the interest of Marcus. For some reason, Marcus had the feeling that her crass attitude and her somewhat obnoxious behavior had an element of pretense.


    The young woman also seemed to have become somewhat interested in Marcus, as her eyesight lingered on Marcus and went up and down a few times, but in an examining and inspecting kind of way.


    ¡°Do you work out, cop?¡± The young woman asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Why deny it, those arms don¡¯t lie.¡± The young woman giggled and leaned forward: ¡°Tell me, what can a girl do to get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Sign a confession.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Or ask the victim of your crime to forgive you and save us the paperwork. It¡¯s petty theft, if you don¡¯t have a record it¡¯s likely just a fine. Even if you do, you probably would just get a few days in a detention center.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, people don¡¯t always do things for money.¡± The young woman laid back on her chair.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s a pouch of talismans worth?¡± Marcus grabbed a notepad from Shrevas¡¯ desk and asked.


    ¡°Nothing - ¡± The young woman shrugged and scoffed: ¡°To that fat toad of clergyman at least. Those talismans were the collective work of the community, he lives in the temple so he has nothing to worry about. But the community is in need of it, especially - ¡± She stopped before she would speak too much and implicate herself more.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Go on, I¡¯m listening.¡± Marcus smiled as he wrote down notes on the notepad.


    ¡°You pigs are all the same.¡± The young woman snorted and crossed her arms.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start over then.¡± Marcus also sat back and put on a relaxed and gentle face: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Gloria Lee.¡±


    ¡°Age?¡±


    ¡°28 - but be a dear and mark me down for 26, 25.¡±


    ¡°Home address?¡±


    ¡°I live in the unregistered area of South-Eastern District, I could take you there for a trip but can¡¯t tell you the street number.¡± Gloria Lee spoke with a smirk: ¡°So, yeah, no address for ya.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus shook his head, he knew full well the troublesome process he or Shrevas would need to go through should he really would like to process this young woman: ¡°Why¡¯d you steal from the clergyman?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal from him. But if someone did, that bastard had it coming.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. ¡± Marcus sighed and put down the notepad: ¡°You know, if the clergyman insisted on you being prosecuted, there was not much we could do right? A clergyman and his influences - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, trust me.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°He likes to remind everyone of that everyday, like he¡¯s got something to compensate for.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and I will go and get a cup of coffee. And you keep in mind that the petty theft can still be a pain in the ass if you¡¯ve got priors AND the victim expressed concerns about the object being stolen.¡± Marcus stood up and walked towards the kitchen area, which was just at the back of Shrevas¡¯ desk: ¡°Trust me, I think Detective Pahaik would agree with me on this - if the victim insisted, then it¡¯s better if you¡¯d just sign a confession and deal with the fine.¡±


    ¡°Eh, pass. ¡± Gloria waved her right hand in front of her face like she was shooing off a fly: ¡°But you enjoy your coffee, okay? Be sure you don¡¯t lose any sleep tonight.¡±


    Marcus walked towards the kitchen and poured the last bit of coffee in the thermal pot into his mug. But just during this brief moment where he did not have his eyes on Gloria, he heard the sound of something jingling, and then the sound of the metal chains on handcuffs being loosened falling onto the ground.


    He immediately turned back, and found that Gloria, the young woman whom Shervas asked him to keep an eye on, had somehow uncuffed herself and gone outside of the precinct door with some documents rolled up in her hand.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Marcus cursed as he leapt through the room and rushed after Gloria, his Qi speeding up inside his meridians, greatly increasing the level of power he could exert through his muscles and bones, thus boosting his speed and momentum in his chase.


    But it seemed that Marcus was not the only one with their own special skills - Gloria, upon seeing the speed of Marcus¡¯ charge, immediately jumped onto a tree on the side of the street and landed on a branch on all fours. Something coated her exposed skin, making her whole body seem darker with a glimmer of dark blue glow.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Marcus stomped his legs on the ground and launched himself up at the tree. His movement was much less graceful and yet several degrees more forceful and violent. The leaves and small branches on the tree were blown to the side from the gush of wind coming from his lunge, and Gloria could see a faint orange glow coming from Marcus¡¯ pupils and arms.


    Several branches around Gloria were torn and sent into the air when Marcus tried to grab her. But she had already leapt off the bigger branch on which she was standing when this happened, and with a short string of after images, her figure landed on the far side of the empty street, aiming for a narrow and dark alley.


    Marcus kicked the poor tree, leaving a giant dent on its trunk and launching him at Gloria once again. This time, Gloria chose to fight back aside from evading Marcus - when Marcus got into the alley and the environment turned dark all of a sudden because of the lack of light source inside, she turned around right after hopping onto a metal dumpster and launched a handful of small hard wood pellets at Marcus.


    These hard wood pellets were not too dense, and were mostly rounded without any sharp corners, which gave Marcus no difficulty in blocking most of them just with his arms and taking the rest with his forehead and chest. The pellets cracked and burst when they came into contact with him, some pieces of which flew off and tore up little holes on his clothes. And it was at this moment that Marcus realized what felt special about this young woman Gloria - she must be another martial arts practitioner, not just because of her almost superhuman cat-like maneuvers, but also because he felt the presence of Qi in these wood pellets. This was a different kind of Qi from his - his Qi had some elemental properties of fire and earth, which meant that his Qi was ¡°warm¡± and ¡°strong¡±, a more ¡°Yang¡± kind of Qi; while the Qi of Gloria was ¡°cool¡± and ¡°soft¡±, a more ¡°Yin¡± kind.


    With this realization, Marcus immediately pushed his Qi harder, used the wall on the other side as a stepping stone and lunged at his target trying to catch her on the top of the wall on which she was now standing, with his right hand forward in a claw position and his left retreated and ready for a follow-up attack.


    Though Marcus was quite confident in his speed, his defenses and his reflection that he could take down Gloria without resorting to using too much force, he was still careful about facing off against this young woman of unknown martial arts style. Thus, when he got to a closer distance, he immediately pushed his left arm forward and retreated his right arm. His fingers, infused with his Qi, managed to grab the corners of some of the files in Gloria¡¯s arm.


    But the next moment, Gloria¡¯s back arched like a cat, her lower body slid slightly to her left and unleashed several kicks in rapid succession. The kicks landed on Marcus¡¯ forehead, his left chin and his chest, which, though not causing him much pain if at all, did knock him off balance and make him fall off the wall.


    With the pulling from both Marcus and Gloria, the rolled up files were immediately torn, and Marcus got only the smaller pieces of them.


    Gloria¡¯s body was elevated up in the air riding the reflection force of the kicks, and with her right hand grabbing onto the edge of a roof and pulling up, she managed to hop onto the roof of a two-storey building.


    She took a quick look at the damaged roll of files in her hand, and after a short moment of hesitation, she said to Marcus: ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years - you better watch out, not just for yourself.¡±


    Before Marcus could ask her why, Gloria left without anything more.

 Chapter 10. Happy

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Shrevas.¡± After coming back to the precinct, the first thing Marcus did was apologize to Detective Pahaik: ¡°I fucked up - I went for a coffee, and - ¡±


    ¡°She got out of the cuffs and got away.¡± Shrevas raised the loose handcuffs up and sighed: ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect that either. But - let¡¯s just be extra careful next time, okay?¡±


    ¡°You got it. It¡¯s totally my fault. It won¡¯t happen next time.¡± Marcus shook his head, then handed the pieces of files he got back from Gloria: ¡°Here, she tried to take these.¡±


    ¡°Case documents?¡± Shrevas nodded and took the files and spread them up on his desk: ¡°These are from the emergency repairs team.¡±


    ¡°What could she possibly want to do with it?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know - but nothing good I assume.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say she came here with the intention to get these files. Maybe she¡¯s one of those gossip columnists or journalists. This case is quite high profile, but Captain has released very limited information to the press. If she really is one of those - then we may see some details in these files hitting the news tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Fuck - that - I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, no need to apologize, let¡¯s just tell the Captain, and we can figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Marcus immediately took out his phone: ¡°And I¡¯ll file the report. Leave the mess to me.¡±


    ¡°Did she say anything?¡± Before Marcus dialed the Captain¡¯s number, Shrevas asked after reviewing the remaining content and page numbers on those torn pieces of files.


    ¡°She mentioned something about it having almost been 15 years.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°She said we should watch out, not just for ourselves. Whatever that means.¡± Then without saying much else, he proceeded to call Captain Ko, who at this hour should be at home having dinner with his family as per his usual routine.


    ¡°What, Cai?¡± Captain Ko¡¯s voice sounded quite clear that he was not very happy with being called at this hour.


    ¡°Hello Captain, I¡¯m terribly sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but I have something urgent to tell you.¡±


    Marcus was already expecting to get yelled at through the phone. But to his surprise, though Captain Ko sounded audibly upset, he did not utter too many harsh words, and just told him to write up a report on what could be leaked and deliver it to his desk first thing in the morning before hanging up.


    ¡°That was quick. What¡¯d he say?¡± Shrevas asked Marcus when he came back to his desk.


    ¡°To write a report on what could be leaked and put it on his desk first thing in the morning.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°I don¡¯t know - it¡¯s weird, normally he¡¯d be furious at things like this. Remember that time an officer misspoke to the press?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I remember.¡± Shrevas nodded: ¡°I think he might be expecting it to be leaked some day. But I don¡¯t know - actually other precincts are expected to start working on this case alongside us as well some time. So I guess he¡¯s planning something on the PR front¡­¡±


    ¡°...okay, ugh.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Now, before you go home, please, let me know what you think - ¡± Shrevas hesitated and pointed at some of the torn files on his desk, and apparently he just printed out the full versions of the file: ¡°And again, please, do know that I ask these questions for the sake of the case - ¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the 15 years stuff right? Go ahead, what is it?¡± Marcus nodded and cut Shrevas off.


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°First off - have you looked into it? Like - like how the ship sank? And what happened to other relatives of those caught in it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have. I think - I started looking into it in the second year, maybe a little during the third as well. And the people from the city council must have come to my house 3 or 4 times each year since then, warning me and my father.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And it¡¯s a surprise to me, to be honest with you, that I could even make detective.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s kinda expected.¡± Shrevas nodded, scratching his jaw: ¡°And, do you happen to know any of the relatives who were digging into it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking this may be some kind of vengeance plot by distraught relatives?¡± Marcus frowned and asked: ¡°It¡¯s - well, it¡¯s not impossible. The protest at the five year anniversary turned out quite violent. Especially those who live in the South-Eastern District still have those altars and temples of remembrances they fought the city agents and police for.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and people in this city have committed horrible atrocities for less.¡± Shrevas nodded: ¡°The aqua weeds, the water, it all - all kinda point that way. And it¡¯s all very on the nose - it¡¯s like someone was trying to send a message.¡±


    ¡°But we still don¡¯t know why.¡± Marcus pulled the file with the pictures of the aqua weeds and a rotten foot: ¡°And this - we don¡¯t have an explanation for this - did we hear from Dr. Flemmings and Kevin?¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time.¡± Shrevas shook his head: ¡°Now, if I remember correctly, none of the victims had any known enemies that would do something like this, no?¡±


    ¡°None but one, one did not show up and missed the oncall.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I will send some officers to double check with him, he might be our only meaningful lead.¡±


    ¡°I looked up his name in our database, no priors, no records, a few parking tickets and that¡¯s it. So it is quite unlikely that we will actually find anything there.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°And I fear that if this is indeed someone trying to send a message of some sort, they will do it again.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not that.¡± Marcus went to his desk to pick up his jacket: ¡°Let me know if you want me to help with anything else. I¡¯ll need to head back and start working on the report.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just one more question, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Shrevas stuck a few sticky notes on the reprinted pages of the case files and looked Marcus directly in the eyes: ¡°You were there, and you were one of the few that survived the incident. Do you by any chance know of any other survivors?¡±


    Marcus¡¯ fingers clenched hard before he relaxed them, then he said: ¡°No, I don¡¯t know any. I don¡¯t exactly keep track, you know. I was only about 15 or 16 back then, and I just lost my mother.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Shrevas patted Marcus on the shoulder: ¡°My apologies.¡±


    ¡°No problem. See you tomorrow.¡± Marcus nodded with a tired smile.


    It was already late, and the pale moon was already reflecting its light onto the whole of Poison City. For some reason, Marcus felt an unnatural sense of chilliness and gloom when he got off the bus. The pedestrians were wearing more clothes than usual, and the streets smelled of fire and ashes. As he checked out a few piles of ashes on the side of the street, he noticed that these were from things made of the same kind of paper people and local clergymen used for making talismans, such as paper coins, paper clothes and paper toys intended as offerings for the dead. They were the signs that people were doing remembrance rituals, presumably of those who lost their lives in the sunken cruise ship in Lake Aqiu.


    He did not find his father sleeping on the couch when he entered his apartment this time. Instead, he smelled food coming from the kitchen and heard a faint humming.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Marcus asked as he entered the kitchen. And right by the second hand dining table sat his father, in his clean gray shirt which he had not worn for years. He looked like he had shaved and cut his hair by himself. And judging by the smell and the plates on the table, it looked like he had cooked as well.


    ¡°Hey son, welcome back.¡± Elvin smiled at his son, somewhat nervously pointing at the food on the table: ¡°I hope you''re hungry. I made eggs, and stir fried vegetables, just the way you like.¡±


    ¡°Thanks ¡­ Dad ¡­¡± Marcus was still in a bit of disbelief when he sat down: ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Can¡¯t a father just cook for his kid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I appreciate it. Believe me. But you haven¡¯t done it - for years.¡± Marcus tried not to bring up how long it had been, but the burn marks on the scrambled eggs and the dryness of the vegetables were reminders stark enough.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, my bad. My bad.¡± Elvin seemed at a loss and then he raised his hands with a few red spots and a bandaid: ¡°I guess I haven¡¯t been practicing. Still need some time.¡±


    Marcus picked up the chopsticks and put some egg into his mouth - it wasn¡¯t too bad, a little on the bland side, something he remembered his father used to do when he used to cook.


    ¡°What put you in the cooking mood, Dad?¡± Marcus nodded in approval and picked up some vegetables: ¡°You know, the street delis surely don¡¯t have these.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Questions for later.¡± Elvin waved his hands: ¡°How¡¯s your day? How¡¯s work?¡±


    ¡°You know, same old, same old.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Working on a few cases here and there, nothing special - ¡±


    ¡°I had a dream of your mother earlier.¡± Elvin interrupted Marcus, with a wide smile on his face.


    ¡°You dreamed of her?¡± Marcus was not expecting to hear this.


    ¡°Yeah! Yeah!¡± Elvin¡¯s shoulders and arms shook with excitement and nerves: ¡°And - it felt very real, very warm and calming - very - I felt really, really happy.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s good, Dad. ¡± Marcus chuckled as he walked over to the fridge and opened a bottle of beer for himself: ¡°That¡¯s really good. Great, actually.¡±


    ¡°Son, do you mind doing the dishes?¡± Elvin yawned and stretched as he stood up: ¡°I¡¯m feeling tired, so I¡¯m gonna go to bed early. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had a good sleep since - since years ago. Hope I¡¯ll run into your mom again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that sounds good.¡± Marcus nodded but with an almost invisible frown on his face: ¡°Sweet Dreams.¡±

 Chapter 11. Blinded

    ¡°Morning Detective Cai.¡± The next morning, close to noon, after Marcus¡¯ dropping off his simple report on the stolen files on the captain''s desk and having an earful of Captain Ko¡¯s scolding and warnings, a uniformed officer holding a folder came to him: ¡°We have an update on Mr. Bai Gu.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Bai Gu, the perp you brought back from the raid?¡± This officer shrugged: ¡°We have a quick update for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, yeah! What¡¯s up?¡± Marcus smacked himself on his forehead, then asked: ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just been quite busy a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I understand. Everyone¡¯s talking about the case with the missing rich kid and the emergency reparations team. So the update is this: Bai Gu has been cooperating with the investigation and provided some useful information. And Captain Ko has approved of either putting him into protective custody or providing him with some limited police protection. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, what¡¯d he choose? Protective custody?¡± Marcus sighed and asked.


    ¡°No, he chose to go to some temple, and accepted the terms that he will have officers visit him regularly.¡± The officer shrugged: ¡°He¡¯s set to be released soon, maybe just later today. So we were wondering if you wanna talk with him, since he asked about you a few times - he seemed¡­ a little concerned about you.¡±


    ¡°About me?¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°I¡¯ll see if I have time, I have to head back to the South-Eastern District and do some more interviews. Thank you for keeping me updated. Could you also loop me in on where he ends up?¡±


    ¡°No problem, detective.¡± This officer nodded with a smile. And just when she was about to head back, something came to her mind and she pulled out a few pages of files stapled together and handed them to Marcus: ¡°Oh, I almost forgot - Kevin asked me to hand this to you - it¡¯s the test results of Mr. Bai Gu¡¯s blood, saliva and stomach fluid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯d he find?¡±


    ¡°Not much, no traces of hallucinogens, but apparently he ingested a lot of different mushrooms that could be somewhat toxic to the human body. Kevin mentioned that according to some local superstitions, they allow people to hide from spirits and evil.¡±


    ¡°That - was unexpected but also made sense, thank you.¡± Marcus frowned and took a look at the report filled with a bunch of words he could barely pronounce, let alone read: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Marcus was not lying about having to go back to the South-Eastern District, as the next thing he did was hop on a bus heading there. Even officers or detectives who owned cars would not drive there at this hour, for very simple reasons: the communities just did not welcome police vehicles in their neighborhood, and there would be hardly any witnesses if their vehicles got vandalized.


    Luckily for him, there were many public transportations that could take him there directly, albeit slowly. He told Bulu Wang that he would come back today to check on the woman who was looking for her son, and he would like to check on Mrs. Emma Evans and see how she was doing. After the meeting with Bulu Wang, he was informed by the local community watch and patrol team about where the woman would be staying, and the first thing for him to do right now was to visit her and get an update on the search for her son.


    The place where the woman should be staying was not far from the bus stop. After getting off the bus, he turned from the main road and proceeded to a side street that was barely wide enough for two small cars to pass through. There were people selling all kinds of things on the side of the road, making it even narrower. Maybe it was because it was already halfway through the afternoon, or it was because of the gloomy weather, or it was because this being a not so well off and well run part of the South-Eastern District, everything seemed to be slightly more depressing than Marcus remembered the district to be.


    ¡°You want some homemade jerkies, sir?¡± An old woman with a hunched back asked Marcus with a trembling voice: ¡°I have some chicken, some duck, and even beef if you¡¯d like ¡­¡±


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    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Marcus refused without turning his head, per his experience, these street jerkies were rarely made from meat of quality, sometimes not even proper meat. He actually knew someone who found out that they had a rat hair allergy through them.


    ¡°Good morning sir, would you like some breakfast?¡± Just a moment later, a man standing over some mobile bamboo steamers asked Marcus: ¡°We have some fresh steamed dumplings and baos!¡±


    ¡°No, thanks.¡± Marcus shrugged this man off again, due to the same kind of caution he practiced with the old woman¡¯s jerkies.


    Walking past these street merchants and two beggars, Marcus noticed something strange up front - the place at which the woman should be staying halfway down the street from him, but there seemed to be an abnormal amount of people gathered around the location.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Marcus pushed through some of the people standing to the side and got into the inner place.


    The door was open, and there were three people with the community watch armbands walking in and out of the room, clearing things out. On the floor was the woman he saw yesterday, the one who was looking for her son, now no longer breathing. There was a bruise line on her neck, her face was purple and her eyes were bulging out, indicating that she died of asphyxiation. But even though this seemed like a painful way to go, the corners of her mouth were raised, as if she died smiling.


    ¡°What - what the fuck happened?¡± Marcus lunged forward, grabbed one guy with an armband while showing his badge and yelled: ¡°What happened to her!? I thought Bulu Wang and his men will take care of her?¡±


    ¡°I - ¡± The man grabbed by Marcus was stunned: ¡°I - What - ¡±


    ¡°Detective - ¡± Another older man with a mustache and an armband with additional patterns on it came over and tried to get Marcus¡¯ hand off his fellow: ¡°Please, let go of him - I can explain.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry, my apologies.¡± Marcus immediately let go of the man and gently bowed: ¡°I talked with Bulu Wan about her yesterday - she was looking for her son, who did this?¡±


    ¡°It appears - no one.¡± This man with a mustache sighed: ¡°One of our caretakers found her hanging in the room this morning. There was no signs of forced entry or struggles, the rope was made from her own bedsheet, she used the chair in her own room - everything we found so far points to suicide. I¡¯m sorry, detective.¡±


    ¡°But, why?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°Her son is still not found, is he? Is there any update on that?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Detective, but I¡¯m not at liberty to divulge that information.¡± The man with a mustache shook his head: ¡°I can direct you to our operating center - ¡±


    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll find Bulu Wang myself.¡± Marcus shook his head, then tried to walk away.


    ¡°This is your doing, pig!¡± Just this moment, a hoarse shout came from the crowd surrounding the room.


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus was stunned for a brief moment, then turned to the direction of the voice.


    The man who just shouted, wearing a slightly worn and tarnished gray and blue T-shirt and with a rough beard on his face, stepped forward and pointed his finger at Marcus: ¡°It must be you! You interrogated her yesterday! While she was grieving and begging you for help!¡±


    ¡°I did not interrogate her, I offered to help.¡± Marcus responded with a calm tone, while slowly getting ready to turn on his police cam.


    ¡°You interrogated her! You asked her all kinds of questions as if she¡¯s a bad mother!¡± This man looked around with an angry look in his eyes, his tone was indignant, his other hand was waving in the air. And this attitude turned quite infectious, as many among the crowd surrounding the scene started murmuring and looking at Marcus with similarly unfriendly looks. ¡°That¡¯s what you did! You were shaming her and attacking her!¡±


    ¡°You killed her!¡± Another man yelled: ¡°How can you ask a woman who lost her son questions like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± ¡°Heartless monster!!¡± ¡°You disgusting Pig!¡± More members of the crowd became agitated along with the man who hurled the accusation at Marcus and joined in on the attack.


    Marcus turned to the three members of the local community watch and patrol team, and found that they had already left the scene without looking back, leaving him to deal with the riled up crowd alone.


    ¡°You must pay, cop!¡± Someone threw a dirty and half-rotten bok choy at Marcus, which just bounced off his shoulder.


    ¡°Outta my way.¡± Marcus sighed, and said to the locals standing in his way. He started pushing forward, and though many of them tried to push back, he was able to make it halfway through.


    ¡°Die, you swine!¡± Just this moment, a man with a higher pitched voice growled behind Marcus, and in his right hand was a make-shift flail, made of a wooden chair lag, a short metal chain and a heavy metal lock as the head. With his teeth clenched and his eyes open wide to an almost bulging extent, he swung the flail at the back of Marcus¡¯ head.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The sound of metal clashing together erupted from the impact between the metal lock and Marcus¡¯ hand - who turned back and grabbed the head of the flail just moments before it could connect with its target.


    ¡°Have you thought this through?¡± Marcus stared right into this man¡¯s eyes and asked with a calm voice, his right hand and arm unwavering even when the man was pulling the flail with all his power: ¡°If you assault a police officer from the city, the city will have an excuse to send their forces in without consulting of your community collective. And if you gravely injure one, things would be even messier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I don¡¯t fucking care, you PIG!¡± This man¡¯s eyes were still wide open, but his fervor and craze was not enough to cover the fact that his body twitched to a slight extent at Marcus¡¯ words.


    Before Marcus could say anything else, another man lunged at Marcus from his back with a long wooden stick with exposed nails. Marcus immediately turned back and put his left forearm up. The wooden stick cracked and broke upon impact, the end of the stick with exposed nails embedded inside dropped down and hit him on his left shoulder.


    ¡°Once again, back off!¡± Marcus turned on his police camera, and uttered his order in a stern tone: ¡°Back off! You¡¯ve been warned! I am a detective of the PCPD and I am ordering you, back off!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, Pig! ¡± ¡°Yeah! Fuck you!¡± More angry yells and curses started coming from the crowd.

 Chapter 12. Bad Luck

    With the crowd being riled up, more and more attacks came at Marcus from almost every direction - some with sticks and metal chains, and some with things like eggs, rotten cabbages and tomatoes. Marcus activated his Qi and ran it through the entirety of his body, and used his body to tank most of the attacks. Most of these attacks did no damage to him physically, just his clothes and pants, and those that came particularly hard and had a chance to threaten his safety were either blocked or evaded by him. Though the Ferocious Tiger Style was not known for its agile evasion and movement techniques, it made up for this weakness for its practitioners with the grantings of enhanced physical strength, endurance, abilities to sense danger, threats and hostile actions, and abilities to withstand greater damage, injuries, sickness and weather conditions. Under the current circumstances, messy as this situation might be for him, he felt that he was not in any sort of real danger.


    ¡°Back OFF!¡± Another attack of no honor with a shovel came for his back, and Marcus, having sensed the attempt, immediately stepped to the side and let the shovel glide through the space without hitting him. And instead, the shovel almost jabbed another man in the leg, who was trying to come at Marcus from the side.


    ¡°Once again! Back off!¡± With a heavy push on his chest, the young man with a crooked haircut wielding the shovel flew in the air for but a mere second and landed on a pile of trash on the side of the street. And with a quick sweep of the make-shift flail he took from the first attempted assailant, four wooden sticks and poles aiming at him were shattered to torn pieces and splinters. The three men and one woman wielding these sticks and poles were thrown on their butts and backs by the force, which caused many from the crowd attempting to pile up on Marcus to flinch and step back - this was clearly a show of the level of force which they were not expecting. This sudden fear and hesitation spread through the rest of the crowd, and almost at the same moment all the attackers stopped what they were doing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it once again - ¡± Marcus looked around with a stern but calm tone to the stunned crowd: ¡°Back off - and this will go away peacefully.¡±


    As Marcus took another step towards the direction he was facing, and the mob in front of him all took a step back almost in unison.


    ¡°Now, no more of this - and I¡¯ll leave you to whatever you¡¯re doing.¡± Marcus lowered the make-shift flail and started walking one small step at a time.


    The crowd around him stopped getting closer to him, seemingly having lost their will to attack or even to just dish out harsh words. But those around and behind still followed him as he walked - it seemed that they were not ready to let him go like this just yet either.


    ¡°Help! Help!¡± Before Marcus could walk very far, the sound of two crying women echoed through the all of a sudden silent streets: ¡°My babies! Those thugs took my babies!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Fuckers! Where?!¡± ¡°Get them! Get them! We need to break their fucking arms!¡±


    These pleas for help seemed to have provided a much needed outlet for the aggression built up in the crowd, and almost all of them started rushing towards the direction the two women pointed to.


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    ¡°What do they look like?¡± Marcus stopped by the sides of the two crying women and asked with haste: ¡°How tall are they? What are they wearing?¡±


    ¡°About - about this tall, all of the thugs are taller and stronger than us, we couldn¡¯t - ¡± One crying woman raised her hand over her head: ¡°And they were wearing dark shirts and gray pants - please, you gotta help us - ¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus sped towards the direction where the crowd was running to, with his eyes scanning through everything in front of him trying to lock onto the perps who seem like the abductors of children the two women described.


    ¡°Found them! They¡¯re there! There!¡± After about half a minute, a young man reaching out from a window on the second storey of a complex on Marcus¡¯ right side pointed at an alley on the left side of the street he was on.


    Marcus caught the backs of two men before they ran into that alley, and he immediately memorized what they looked like from the back: striped dark blue shirt, and dark gray canvas jeans.


    With more Qi flowing into his legs, making his steps and stomps stronger and stronger and eventually much more powerful and propelling than normal human steps, Marcus sped up like a human-shaped motor vehicle and surpassed the rest of the chasing crowd in a matter of seconds.


    The alley was dimly lit, and it was only wide enough for at most three adult men to run side by side. Not far in front of Marcus were three men, one running at the front and two in the back. The one in front had two children tucked in both his arms, and the other two were each carrying one child - which made a total of 4 children. It gave Marcus a moment of shock, as he had no idea that there would be kidnappers this bold as to grab children off the street right in front of people. Considering how much hatred against child smugglers flowed inside the veins and how some of them literally performed brutal lynchings on alleged kidnappers and smugglers, someone willing and daring to do this in open daylight was more than unexpected.


    ¡°... Do it!¡± Seeing that Marcus was gaining on them, the man on the left yelled at the man on the right.


    ¡°Shit - Fuck you!¡± The man on the right cursed and lowered his body, and the next moment, while Marcus was still wondering what he was doing, he flung his right arm in the air and threw the child in it into the air.


    The crowd behind them and Marcus gasped, the child was thrown with quite a force, and within a brief moment, he had already reached a position that was over the height of a three storey building. And below on the ground, there was trash, glass shards from broken windows and alcohol bottles, even some large chunks of debris from buildings with exposed rebar with sharp tips pointing up into the air. If the boy fell down, he would surely suffer severe injuries, if not death.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus took a very quick look at the boy in the air, then immediately scanned through the buildings and streets around him. After less than 1 second, Marcus changed course and ran toward a watermelon stand on the side of the road. The owner of the stand already backed off from the main road, and all he could do at the moment was groan as Marcus used his watermelons as stepping stones. Watery, sweet pulp was spilled everywhere on the ground when Marcus leapt into the air, leaving the exploded and cracked melons below.


    The young boy let out a muffled scream as he started to fall from the height - there was a piece of duct tape on his mouth and his hands were also taped together on his back. He could only squirm and struggle, but nothing seemed to be remotely useful to help with his impending fall.


    A big, callused hand came from below just in time to grab the shirt on the front of this young boy, and he felt a gentle support coming from this hand and the arm connected to it. His fall was not broken, but decelerated, and the speed in which the ground lunged at him became much less terrifying.


    Marcus successfully grabbed onto the boy on his left hand, and his right hand tried to reach for the edge of the handrails on a balcony on his right. The force of his and the boy¡¯s fall caused him to leave three dents on the metal handrail with his fingers. The boy continued his way down with gradually slower speed. Before long, he stopped falling and was pulled up under Marcus¡¯ left arm.


    Many from the crowd cheered as Marcus let go of the handrail and dropped onto the ground with the boy intact. But Marcus just took the tape off the boy¡¯s mouth and arms and handed him to the owner of the watermelon stand: ¡°Take care of him - his mother is looking for him.¡± Then, he got on with his chase of the tree men.

 Chapter 13. Escort of the Dirt

    Throwing the boy in the air only bought the three men less than half a minute¡¯s time, as Marcus once again gained up on them in his pursuit. This time they did not throw another child, maybe because they already knew it would not work as expected. So the next logical thing for them to do was just to split up - for the simple reason that Marcus was the only one that could catch up to them right now, and none of the mobilized locals were even close to apprehending them.


    Marcus had his sight fixated on the man who threw the boy earlier, and thus when all three of the men split up, he went after the one that was running at full speed and empty handed. This man looked back at Marcus with a terror on his face as he turned and got into another dark and narrow alley. This alley was quite a lot older and messier than the previous one. There was more garbage and trash on the ground, more random wires spanning across the space above, and more provocative and even downright vulgar graffiti and posters on the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dead end! You have nowhere to run now!¡± Marcus yelled at the man from the back: ¡°Freeze!¡±


    The man tried to exert more of his energy in his attempt to escape - the alley became narrower, and there was more and more garbage and trash on the ground. The lighting got dimmer, the smell in the air got more pungent and more foul. In front of them there was some smoke coming from a couple of dirty and oily metal wall vents, which blocked the sight of both the man and Marcus.


    Just after another half a minute¡¯s time, the man trying to escape almost slipped on a piece of wet, torn plastic bag, and as he fell to the side, the smoke in front of him slowly dissipated and revealed a fence gate, with a heavy metal chain locking the opening and barbed wires on top.


    ¡°I told you this is a dead end.¡± Marcus slowed down and stepped forward one step at a time, his breathing pattern barely disturbed, his eyes staring at the man who seemed almost out of breath: ¡°Now, you¡¯re under arrest. Hands above your head.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this.¡± The man was still panting, tears were coming out of his eyes, his face was all red and sweaty from all the running: ¡°I - I have to - I don¡¯t have a choice. I just - I just don¡¯t have a choice! Nobody has a choice!¡±


    ¡°You almost killed a kid.¡± Marcus swung the make-shift flail with his right hand as he approached the man: ¡°Submit to arrest now is your best chance. Do you know what the local community does to child snatchers? I heard more than half of them are still missing - and by half I don¡¯t mean just numbers.¡±


    ¡°No - nonono¡­¡±The man tried to stand up straight, but he could only do it halfway by clenching the fence gate: ¡°I - I can¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re under arrest. Hands above your head, now.¡± Marcus shook his head and spoke his order once again: ¡°Where are they taking the kids? Why are you taking them?¡±


    The man did not answer and just wept for a brief moment, then with two shaking legs and shaking arms he stood up, with his hands held up above his head.


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    Marcus sighed, slightly disappointed. He then cuffed this man up and started escorting him out. Before they left the alley, Marcus requested backup and escort from his precinct, hopefully they could be here soon.


    On his way back, expectedly, the locals, with literally pitchforks, shovels and some other rough and make-shift weapons, surrounded them.


    ¡°Hand this fucker over! Cop!¡± One of the locals, a man with a grayed-out eye and a scar across the same side of his face shouted at Marcus, revealing his yellow, crooked teeth: ¡°Let us deal with him!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus shook his head, slowly but sternly making his way through the crowd, with the flail tucked in his belt and his right hand on his holster, the locals were still not willing to get to close to him : ¡°Under the agreement between the city and the community collective, severe crime cases, such as murder, arson and child kidnapping and trafficking shall be handled by the city law enforcement agencies. This is our jurisdiction, but all relevant information will be shared with the community collective and in turn all residents of the district.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that! This man tried to snatch and kill a kid!¡± Another man cried.


    ¡°And that kid is fine. I made sure of it.¡± Marcus responded without much emotion in his tone: ¡°There are still two of them at large - and it will be in everyone¡¯s best interest if those two are found along with the children. I¡¯d appreciate it if you spend your time and effort finding out where they are and update the PCPD.¡±


    ¡°Give him to us! He¡¯ll spill!¡± The man with a grayed-out eye said: ¡°Oh! He¡¯ll spill!¡±


    The crowd yelled along with him with their pitchforks and shovels raised.


    ¡°We will find out. And torture will not help you find the truth.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Out of my way, we are heading back to the 17th Precinct. According to the agreement, you can find your representative to audit and participate in the interrogation. But he has to go with me.¡±


    ¡°Fuck it! ¡± ¡°Fuck you! Pig!¡± ¡°Where¡¯re the children! You fucking scum! Where are they!¡±


    The man with his hands cuffed behind him wept and whimpered, as tears and snot dripped down on his face.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my baby!?¡± Just this moment, a woman rushed through the slowly moving wall of locals and came to the man - it was a woman with tear marks on her face and dirt on her clothes, one of the women who cried for help earlier: ¡°Where¡¯s my baby!? Where¡¯s my baby!¡±


    ¡°Come with us to the precinct, ma¡¯am, and we can find out together.¡± Marcus sighed and said with a softer tone, as he grabbed the woman¡¯s arms and stopped her from pulling on the man¡¯s shirt too hard or scratching him: ¡°Come with us, we¡¯ll find out together.¡±


    The crowd quieted down for a brief moment, as if everyone was waiting for the woman to respond.


    ¡°I - I - ¡± The woman wiped off some of her tears, while continuing staring at the man, trying to make him look into her eyes: ¡°Tell me where my baby is - tell me where he is! Where did you take him!?¡±


    The man did not answer, and just shook his head, still weeping and whimpering.


    ¡°You scum! You disgusting garbage of a man!¡± The woman cried: ¡°Give me back my baby! Give me back my baby!¡±


    Before she could go on, the exhaustion and stress seemed to have got to her, making her lose control of her legs and arms and fall onto the ground.


    ¡°Ambulance! ¡± The crowd gasped, and some of them immediately called out: ¡°Call an ambulance!¡±


    The crowd loosened their formation to give the woman some room and to make way for an ambulance, with some of them rushing to her side to check on her. Marcus knelt down by her side as well, and with his limited knowledge and experience, he tried to check the woman¡¯s pulses and breathing. She was still breathing, and her pulses were weak but not to an alarming level.


    ¡°Looks like exhaustion, she needs rest.¡± One of the locals who checked on this desperate mother was a young woman wearing a nurse¡¯s uniform, she also checked her pulse and breathing, and she also checked her pupils as well: ¡°Let¡¯s bring her to the med center!¡±


    ¡°Is she gonna be fine?¡± Marcus let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°She should be.¡± The nurse nodded: ¡°But we can¡¯t take any chances - we should still find a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus sighed and stood up: ¡°Please update me if there¡¯s anything - I am Detective Marcus Cai from the 17th Precinct.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± The nurse nodded.

 Chapter 14. Wall

    It took a while, but Marcus finally managed to bring the weeping man back to the 17th Precinct and away from the agitated locals. The mother of one of the children kidnapped by this man¡¯s cohort could not make it here with them, but she could be here later when she¡¯s fully recovered.


    ¡°Marcus.¡± Right after Marcus¡¯ putting the man into an interrogation room, Detective Shrevas Pahaik came to him with an almost empty coffee mug in his hands: ¡°I heard you went back to the South-Eastern District to check on the widow again - how¡¯d it go? Did you learn anything new?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, things got a little - hairy.¡± Marcus shook his head and sighed: ¡°Something unexpected happened, so I have to come back early. I didn¡¯t really get a chance to talk to her.¡± He then proceeded to explain to Shrevas everything that happened. From the dead woman who was looking for her boy, to the three men snatching kids away from their mothers in almost broad daylight.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Shrevas sighed, then nodded: ¡°Thank you - I totally understand. Sounds like a nasty, nasty case. Once you are done with this, please follow up on your leads. And - to give you a little update, the officers checking on that final member of the emergency reparations team are still trying to find him. So I issued a BOLO, and hopefully we can locate him soon. When you¡¯ve followed up, come help me with the search. I suspect he might know more than we think.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Will do.¡± Marcus nodded back: ¡°I¡¯ll try and see what I can get out of him first - this will be a tricky and sensitive case. I¡¯ll ping the captain as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Appreciate your help.¡± Shrevas let out a tired smile: ¡°Oh, and uh, not sure if you are interested, but we are still looking for Carl Benson - from what I heard looks like the PI his father hired haven¡¯t found anything either. So - we still don¡¯t have anything yet, if anyone asks.¡±


    ¡°Understood, appreciate it.¡± Marcus grabbed his coffee mug and walked toward the kitchen area along with Shrevas: ¡°Is there evidence of any connections between these two cases? You know, my gut says they¡¯re related, but looking at the details, nothing stands out to me.¡±


    ¡°Lance is still looking at this - last time I spoke to her, she said there was something peculiar, but she didn¡¯t tell me what exactly. You can ask her if you wanna learn more - you know how she is, she won¡¯t say much until she is certain.¡±


    ¡°Alright, will do.¡± Marcus filled her cup, then started heading towards the interrogation room.


    The silent and weeping kidnapper he brought back was still in the room, still keeping his mouth shut. There was a strange sense of pride, determination and burden to his silence, instead of simply not willing to risk incriminating himself. This was not rare for the kind of criminals who got brainwashed by cults and gangs, which came more often from those who came from the South-Eastern District than any other place.


    ¡°Alright, you in a talking mood yet?¡± Marcus brought the fresh cup of coffee with him when he entered the room: ¡°You know, technically we can''t search you, yet. But we can run some facial recognition software with your mugshots. So, we already know who you are. Your name¡¯s Simon Tu, street name ¡®Sitch¡¯. You used to work for the local church, then you changed jobs and have been working for the local coffin home since. Your records are mostly quite clean, aside from some petty theft charges, and some vandalism charges - yes, when you have committed something as despised as kidnapping a child from his mother, the community collective was quite happy to oblige our inquiry for information.¡±


    The man took a look at Marcus¡¯ face, his coffee mug, and then his face again. And after a long sigh, he shook his head and finally opened his mouth for the first time since the moment Marcus put cuffs on his wrists: ¡°I¡¯m not gonna tell you anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why?¡± Marcus sipped his coffee.


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    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. You people from the South-Western District wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± The man shook his head.


    ¡°Oh? And what you did, you thought the people from the South-Eastern District, of all three districts, will understand?¡± Marcus scoffed and gently shook his mug.


    Sitch did not respond.


    ¡°You know, if you confess now, not only will you save us a ton of time, but you may also get a chance to get a plea deal and be put into protective custody.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°You still live there, so I would say you know the district and the people there more than I do. Tell me, what do they do with child traffickers?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. They don¡¯t understand.¡± Sitch shook his head still, ¡°None of you would understand. I¡¯m not talking.¡±


    ¡°And - just let me know, because I want to take a nap, had a couple of long days, you know?¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°How long do you plan on not talking, and just talking this cryptically about your whole operation? Because I was thinking - you must have some kind of mastermind behind your whole thing, am I right? You have a few people working together in a coordinated fashion, and it¡¯s in the late afternoon where kids are still out there and people are getting tired and less on alert. Sounds well thought out to me. And throwing a kid to distract the ones chasing you? That sounds like some psychopathic scheme, and I would not believe you are the one who came up with it.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus stood up shaking his head and let out a long sigh: ¡°Let us know if you need anything or would like to talk. I have plenty of time. Just so you know, the sooner you talk, the easier the punishment and a better deal you¡¯ll get. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m gonna go and take a break, and update your local community collective. Just hang in here, alright? Think about it, with what you did and you being here? Both the locals AND the people behind you are gonna wanna find you.¡±


    ¡°Let him stew in there for a bit. No one gets in without me knowing.¡± Marcus told an officer guarding the interrogation rooms and the evidence room when he came out: ¡°I¡¯m going to work on other things for a bit - and take a short nap.¡±


    ¡°Understood, detective.¡±


    When Marcus got back to his desk, he started watching the footage recorded by his police camera - it was not required, but recommended, especially when it came to dealing with cases in the South-Eastern District, where politics of the city versus the district community collective could really get in the way.


    The footage of him facing the local mob when he found the woman who seemingly hung herself seemed fine - he showed restraint even when attacked, making him seem more in the right. The footage of him pursuing the kid snatchers, however, somehow gave him a strange sense of unease and even eeriness. He looked over the footage a few times, yet the source of the strange sense still eluded him. Maybe it was the slightly red sky? Or maybe it was the bizarrely shaped shadows that lingered around some of the buildings, or was it the look of fervor and zeal on some of the locals¡¯ faces?


    ¡°Cai.¡± Just this moment, Detective Lance came to his desk with Kevin Loo: ¡°An update for you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Keryn, Kevin, what¡¯s up?¡± Marcus paused the footage.


    ¡°Just a quick update for you.¡± Detective Lance said, her face almost emotionless, with a slight hint of frustration and some weariness: ¡°Kevin and Dr. Flemmings have finished up the forensic examination of all of those bodies. Apparently, all of them drowned.¡±


    ¡°Drowned?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the killers are really trying to hammer this water and Lake Aqiu Theme.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ve checked our database of at-large serial killers, no matches.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure it¡¯s a serial killer, it¡¯s just a theory.¡± Detective Lance took a side look at Kevin: ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about the killer yet.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But there is surely some kind of pattern.¡± Kevin smiled at Detective Lance, then turned to Marcus: ¡°Wait, speaking off patterns - Detective Lance just told me about that Benson kid, I - I think this could be a useful intel - ¡±


    ¡°Just like the serial killer theory, it¡¯s not confirmed. We are still waiting to hear back from the 4th District.¡± Detective Lance sighed: ¡°There¡¯s rumor that - ¡±


    ¡°Word on the street is that before he crashed his car, he was hitting several clubs in the Northern District, and might have purchased some narcotics.¡± Kevin was so excited that he cut Detective Lance off: ¡°I think we might be very close to mapping out his trail.¡±


    ¡°Again, still waiting on confirmation.¡± Detective Lance sighed.

 Chapter 15. Scared Break

    The ¡°stew¡± of Sitch was already at the end of its second hour when Marcus finally gave up on trying to find the source of the eeriness from his police cam footage. Throughout the rewatches, he noticed a few strange details that he would have missed otherwise: first was that the sky seemed to have some red spots in the footage, and judging from the fact that they shifted in position, it did not seem like an issue with the camera itself; the second was that while he was pursuing Sitch, one of the other kidnappers seemed to have appeared for a few frames, which meant that even though they split up during their escape, all of them were still heading toward the same general direction, which should be close to the spot where Sitch was apprehended; and finally, a few of the mob who seemed to be most aggressive in inciting others to attack him seemed to have actually backed off when he was actually being attacked, which posed a rather unpleasant theory for the reason behind this whole incident.


    Marcus took another peek at the one-sided window of the interrogation room - Sitch seemed to be stressed and anxious, just like he wanted him to be. He kept trying to draw something on the desk to which he was chained with his fingers, but he was not able to do very much.


    Just this moment, something strange caught Marcus¡¯ attention, a man wearing a postal worker¡¯s uniform, carrying an almost empty mail bag was strolling around in the precinct near the entrance to the aisle near the interrogation room. This was not the usual postman who delivered mails to this precinct.


    Marcus stood up, and with his empty coffee mug in his left hand, and his right hand on his waist, ready to pull his gun from his holster. His Qi started coursing through his meridians, and he was ready to strike should this ¡°postman¡± try anything.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Stopping at a short distance, just enough for him to deliver a debilitating blow should he need to, Marcus asked.


    ¡°Oh! Oh - ¡± This ¡°postman¡± turned back and looked startled, and he had to push his thick frame glasses up a bit so that he could see Marcus clearly. But then he raised his right hand, with a big pile of envelopes of different colors and sizes clutched in his fingers: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know where to put these, you don¡¯t have a mailbox, and you don¡¯t have a reception¡¯s desk - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the desk was moved a few days ago, we don¡¯t have a reception¡¯s desk right now.¡± Marcus shrugged and put his coffee mug on a table beside him: ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can just hand them to me. I¡¯ll deliver them.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Thank you! That¡¯d be great!¡± The postman immediately shoved the pile of envelopes into Marcus¡¯ hand: ¡°Sorry about that, this is my first day - I¡¯m still getting used to everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Old Tom?¡± Marcus nodded as he took the envelopes, then asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s retired.¡± The postman said, his voice showed a genuine tone of relief: ¡°Health reasons, so he just went to stay with his kids.¡±


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    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Thank you for dropping by.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks!¡± The man adjusted his mail bag and gave Marcus a quick goodbye salute: ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you then, officer!¡±


    Marcus took another look around to make sure that this postman did not take anything away or left anything unwanted behind. Then, as he was about to put the envelopes on a shelf in the common area, he heard the sound of something falling and crashing from Sitch¡¯s interrogation room. The lights seemed to have flickered a few times, and there were some shadows flashing on the window.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Just as he went to check on the room, another loud crashing sound erupted, and right after that, came the weeping and whimpering of Sitch.


    Without a moment of hesitation, Marcus rushed in, knocking a chair to the side, almost sending it flying into the wall.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Ahhh! Get off me! Get off me!¡± Sitch cried and screamed as he tried to pull away from the desk, for some reason, dark veins were slowly crawling from his palms up his forearms, towards his elbow positions. ¡°Help! Help me! Please!¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± Marcus immediately took out the keys to the chains, and tried to unchain Sitch from the desk. The moment he came close to the desk, he felt a sudden, almost otherworldly chilling sensation radiating from his hands and forearms through his entire body. Once again, a faint, distant, and somehow grudgeful high pitched scream exploded and echoed in his ears, yet as hard as he looked, there was nothing to be seen.


    ¡°Get it off me! Get it off!¡± The chains rattled and the table bounced slightly on the floor as Sitch struggled and tried to pull himself away from the desk. The skin on his wrist became red and even a bit torn and fractured from both his violent and reckless movements. And maybe even from the crawling dark veins and the paleness that came along with whatever¡¯s ailing Sitch as well.


    ¡°Clunk¡± the moment the chains were off, Sitch¡¯s body recoiled and his back banged against the wall behind him. The origins of the dark veins turned out to be two holes just gushing out dark red and somewhat pungent blood. ¡°Medic! Medic!¡± Marcus immediately yelled.


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s gone! It¡¯s gone!¡± Sitch looked around the room, then his sight fixated on Marcus: ¡°You? You - how did you - ¡±


    ¡°How did I what?¡± Marcus asked with a frown. This was the second time already, only this time he was much closer to the actual strange, almost paranormal incident.


    ¡°Medic¡¯s out! I¡¯m here!¡± Kevin rushed into the room carrying an emergency medical pack.


    Kevin was the only forensic technician in the 17th Precinct, and the only one with the expertise to do forensics-related work. But other than that, he was also proficient in many other things, and emergency medical treatment happened to be one of them.


    In poison city, the funding of police departments was distributed in a trickle down pattern, where the ¡°peaks¡± were the northern center of the Northern District, and the central part of the South-Western District, and the further away a precinct was from those two peaks, the less funding and resources it would get. And because the 17th Precinct was located on the border between the South-Eastern and the South-Western District, its funding was for the most part quite lacking, though it was still better off than many others.


    ¡°What happened?¡± After bandaging Sitch¡¯s hands up, Kevin asked Marcus: ¡°How - ¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened, it has nothing to do with the detective, and nothing to do with other officers.¡± Sitch immediately said, while looking Marcus up and down: ¡°You know, Detective ¡­ Detective Cai, right? I am - I am ready to talk now.¡±


    ¡°Oh - and this is with the admission that you¡¯re not under any kind of duress - ¡±


    ¡°Yes - I am willing to talk now.¡± Sitch shook his head, his eyes shaking and flickering, the strange sense of burden and determination of his silence disappeared, as if something he once believed in deeply was just disproven and shattered, causing him to lose his faith. ¡°I will talk - under one condition.¡±


    ¡°Name it.¡± Marcus stood up.


    ¡°I want you to stay with me, while I go back to our place of gathering.¡± Sitch covered his face with his hands wrapped in bandages and his eyes closed in pain. When he put his hands down, his facial emotions became stern and somewhat revengeful: ¡°I want to go, tonight. And I will tell you everything you want to know on the way. I will show you.¡±

 Chapter 16. Tales

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d need more time and process for this kind of thing.¡± Sitch asked, while on a bus sitting beside Marcus, wearing a colorful hat with decorative feathers and a pair of sunglasses with a bright blue frame, while checking the bandages on his hands.


    ¡°There usually is more protocol to follow. But believe it or not, right now yours is a less prioritized case.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And - when are you going to start talking? And why the docks?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not any docks, it¡¯s the docks on Mud River.¡± Sitch poked the back of his left hand with his right index finger and gasped in pain: ¡°You know what¡¯s been going on there?¡±


    ¡°Some low level controlled substance trafficking activities, trafficking of controlled and restricted vegetation, seeds and livestocks.¡± Marcus nodded and answered: ¡°Also the occasional shipping of dirty money. Yeah, we know quite a lot about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all of it.¡± Sitch shook his head: ¡°That has been going on forever, everybody knows it¡¯s going on. And the community collective know about it. Hell, many of the council members have their hands in it. But recently something new has started - something more - well - more malicious, as it seems.¡±


    ¡°Okay, more malicious how? Are you saying they have been using the ships to traffic snatched kids? How did that get past anyone? And why can¡¯t you tell me that at the precinct?¡±


    ¡°They have people on the inside, and I mean both the collective and the police.¡± Sitch sighed: ¡°At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told - and that¡¯s how I know you are not one of them. If you were, you¡¯d let me go by now, or, you¡¯d have killed me on the spot instead of arresting me and bringing me in.¡±


    ¡°Okay - what happened to you in the interrogation room?¡± Marcus thought for a short moment, then asked: ¡°Did they place something on you? To make sure you won¡¯t be alive to talk in case you get apprehended?¡±


    ¡°No, they did not put anything on me. They took my hair and some of my blood, to locate me when needed.¡± Sitch shivered as if he was just blown in the face by a gust of cold wind: ¡°And it was with these they were able to unleash that - that thing on me.¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡± Marcus frowed: ¡°Are you talking about - some kind of spirit?¡±


    ¡°So you know? You know? You saw it?¡± Sitch looked to Marcus as if he just turned into a knight in shiny armor, his hand extended towards Marcus, trying to hold his arm but immediately retreated as he was met with Marcus¡¯ warning looks: ¡°Of course you know - how would you know how to get rid of them if you don¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°That was my guess. And no, I don¡¯t have any idea what it is.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Kevin would be the one who knows. And I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I didn¡¯t see anything. So why don¡¯t you explain to me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You couldn¡¯t see it? Then how could you - ¡± Sitch seemed utterly surprised, but then he shook his head: ¡°Nevermind - the thing is, they promised me that if we ever get in trouble like this, they¡¯ll get us out. And - and we¡¯re actually doing something for the greater good, if you could understand? ¡±


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    ¡°Greater good?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sitch scratched his head then looked up: ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? Haven¡¯t you heard? Terrible things started happening all around the city - horrible, unspeakable things - and it¡¯s only due to a curse that lies deep under, beneath us all. The only way to calm it, is to offer sacrifice - young blood, fresh flesh, as the ultimate sacrifice. I know that anything good I can say about myself would mean nothing to you right now, but believe this - I will be the final body on the pile.¡±


    Marcus stared into Sitch¡¯s eyes, and after a long moment of silence, he asked: ¡°Then why did you talk to us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because - they just tried to kill me, with that - that spirit, that monster.¡± Sitch shivered once again and answered with a trembling voice: ¡°That thing - I¡¯ve seen it kill, the poor man shriveled and dried up, like a deflated bag. I - I could still hear his screaming and crying - and all the begging for a quick end ¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. ¡± Seeing that Sitch started choking up and was barely able to speak, Marcus interrupted him: ¡°I get it. What more can you tell me about this ¡®curse¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I - I actually don¡¯t know too much about it. ¡± Sitch wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his right forearm: ¡°But I have seen it - well, at least from a distance. It¡¯s - it¡¯s in the Mud River, all those crying, cursing souls. Anyway, the curse has somehow become active, and it started consuming innocent people. And they told me, if I want to help prevent the entire city from falling into suffering and horror, I would have to help them find the sacrifices. ¡±


    ¡°Who are ¡®they¡¯ ?¡± Even having heard this reasoning a few times, Marcus still had to fight the urge to punch Sitch in the face or rip his throat out: ¡°Do you have names? Or do you know how to identify them?¡±


    ¡°I - I do - don¡¯t have any names.¡± Sitch stuttered, sensing the anger from Marcus: ¡°Which - which is why I am taking you to see for yourself. They have a meeting at the docks tonight - and I can take you there, maybe you can identify some of them, or remember what they look like¡­¡±


    ¡°You are a native to the South-Eastern District right?¡± Marcus asked: ¡°Can you tell if any of them are from the district as well?¡±


    ¡°Ye - yes.¡± Sitch immediately nodded: ¡°Around half of them are, but there are also some from the other two districts - you¡¯d be surprised, there are people from the whole city involved in the whole thing. And - and, can I ask you one thing? Just one small favor?¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°When you deal with them, and when you have gotten them under control, can I have my hair and my blood back? I know this is a long shot, but - ¡± Sitch tried to sound relaxed and nonchalant, but his arms were still trembling: ¡°One of them should have it, the leader of our group, a guy who likes wearing a mask.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Marcus sighed and nodded, then he stopped talking and sank into his own thoughts.


    In front of Marcus, sat a father and his son. The young boy seemed barely eleven or twelve, and was reading a thick paperback picture book, even compared to the size of Marcus¡¯ hands. Thus, the boy¡¯s father had one hand on the back of the book to help him hold it in place.


    ¡°Legend of the Burnt Queen and the One-armed Knight¡±, a fable, a fairytale and a heart-warming love story commonly told across the whole Poison City. Marcus once had a book of similar size, if not thicker and bigger. But it was lost somewhere at the center of Lake Aqiu, almost 15 years ago.


    ¡°You like that story? Or do you just like the book?¡± Sitch asked Marcus, since he noticed that Marcus¡¯ sight lingered on the well printed classic-looking cover for quite a while.


    ¡°Nothing, none of your business.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just be a bit curious?¡± Sitch shrugged: ¡°You know, for a cop in the South-Western District, you seem quite familiar with ours. Maybe even too familiar.¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business. You¡¯d better think about how you¡¯re gonna tell the DA when we¡¯re back. ¡± Marcus scoffed: ¡°Just because your case will be handled by us, doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re gonna get an easy charge and sentence. You just won¡¯t end up hanging by the street.¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time.¡± Sitch sighed and looked up, his eyes peeking through the top of his sunglasses: ¡°Now, I¡¯m just more worried about being alive¡­ And - listen, whatever you have with you, whether you intended to save me or not, I must still thank you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that reminds me.¡± Marcus nodded with a frown on his head: ¡°Tell me more, about this - this ¡®evil spirit¡¯ that attacked you.¡±

 Chapter 17. Not Ready

    A flying deformed infant, whose body was not human-like flesh and bones but an abomination of human arms, hands and legs, with eyes and ears placed in the gaps and crevices; it had four long arms, each was made from three sections of individual human arms chained together, and the two arms on each side were holding a long, slightly curved hollow needle, seemingly made from some kind of long bones. These were the descriptions given by Sitch about the ¡°evil spirit¡± that tried to kill him while he was in the interrogation room.


    Though Marcus found himself having a hard time taking Sitch by his word - there was not much he could do to actually refute it either. Just like he said, there were indeed terrible things happening, and there was no one in the interrogation room that could have attacked him, in that particular way no less. The cries and curses he heard when he entered the room could not have come from anyone in the precinct, which made the explanation involving a murderous evil spirit much more plausible.


    After a short moment of reflection, Marcus found that though he had not been too dismissive of the theories of the existence of supernatural evil and vengeful spirits and other unclean presences, he might be slightly evasive of the possibilities that they might be more involved in the horrible incidents as well. And the reason for this evasiveness, he reckoned, was because he actually had never seen anything paranormal. He had heard them, twice - but those signs were way too vague, and they were both heard under the relatively chaotic circumstances.


    The bus was almost at their stop, so Marcus had to clear his thoughts from his head for now. The day was already quite late, as the moon had shown its face high up in the sky, the stars were gradually revealing themselves and the last bit of sunlight was dwindling at the horizon. This bus stop was the third or second to last stop of its route, and they were already the last of the passengers. The bus sped away the moment they set foot on the ground.


    The docks were just one block away from the stop, Marcus could already see the masts of some of the small ships and boats floating up and down from the wave of the Mud River.


    The locals called it the Mud River because the water in the river almost always seemed muddy and even downright oily and dark in some areas, due to the pollution from waste water and other garbage. The river itself was not that wide, nor was it very deep to allow any bigger freights. There were two categories of ships that could transport cargo on the Mud River - the smaller ones were supervised by the local community collective, and the bigger ones were managed by the city, while the local community collective had certain auditing rights over them. The managerial mess provided plenty of room for illicit dealings, but it was only till today did Marcus hear about the kidnapping and trafficking of children.


    ¡°There¡¯s still time.¡± Sitch said to Marcus after checking the time from a wall clock by the street: ¡°They usually meet at around 10, sometimes even at midnight. Can we get something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Marcus sighed and grunted.


    Both of them had a silent late dinner. Sitch was constantly looking over his shoulders and out the window, and he almost jolted out of his seat twice when the waiter approached him with footsteps that were too quiet. Marcus, on the other hand, became more and more occupied with his thought of the paranormal. Master Liaoran did tell him that Ferocious Tiger Style, the secret of pride he kept mostly to himself, would infuse him with the power and aura to deter most of the paranormal entities, which could and should be the sole reason that he had never seen anything supernatural before.


    Thinking of this, Marcus reached into one of his inner pockets on his jacket, where he kept the talismans gifted to him by Master Liaoran, to protect him from ¡°the dark clouds over his head and shoulders¡±, and made sure that the pouch was still there. He considered for a brief moment whether he should give one to Sitch. And after half a cup of cheap, bitter and burnt coffee, the decision was that it would be better for everyone if this perp would be safe, or safer, from whatever invisible and corporeal threats out there.


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    ¡°Thank you detective - ¡± Sitch seemed to be genuinely grateful albeit surprised when he received the folded paper talisman: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d believe me.¡±


    ¡°Belief or disbelief, doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Marcus shook his head and finished the last of his coffee, leaving the unfiltered grind in the mug: ¡°You¡¯d better take me there and don¡¯t try anything funny. Then during your sentencing I can draft up something that could help with the DA and the jury.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡± Sitch shrugged with a wry smile: ¡°That is, if I¡¯m still alive then.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful and don¡¯t do anything stupid, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Hope that¡¯s true.¡±


    When time hit 10PM on the dot, both of them left the diner and headed for the docks. Tonight it was a full moon, yet for some reason coated with a faint orange-red color. There were only a few people on the streets, most of which seemed like they were just heading home anyway, others seemed like they just came out, carrying large bags and baskets with them. Probably night market vendors, Marcus thought to himself, as he could smell half-cooked buns and marinated meat from some of the bags and baskets.


    They headed to a platform behind a few warehouse buildings on the side of the docks overseeing a dark part below with some smaller, dirtier and more run-down looking warehouses. The overall placements of the warehouses seemed mostly unplanned, making the space and pathways for cargo transport winding and forking in almost every few steps¡¯ distance. There was very limited lighting in the area, which made the area look even sketchier.


    There was no one in the area yet, but Marcus still kept his breathing light and slow, while activating the stealth techniques he learned from Master Liaoran. Sitch was hiding behind a pile of old wooden boxes and carts, and he was checking out the area and Marcus at the same time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see clearly from here.¡± Marcus shook his head after waiting for a while: ¡°We need to move in closer.¡±


    ¡°No! No! This is the perfect spot!¡± Sitch immediately waved his hands: ¡°You can see multiple roads from her and you can actually see people coming, if you go in closer they can easily see and ambush you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t see shit here. Are you sure they are gonna gather here?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m sure! What - ¡± Sitch had no problem showing that he was frustrated, anxious and under tremendous stress: ¡°Just a little patience! They always send scouts to check the place before meeting, if you are spotted then we¡¯re all doomed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it another five minutes, if no one shows up, or if they show up and I can¡¯t ID them, I¡¯ll move in.¡± Marcus sighed.


    Just this moment, a thin, metal projectile shot down at Marcus from the top of the building behind him. He sensed it almost right away, and stepped to the side. Three more of these projectiles followed his movement, two were evaded, and one was caught by him with his right hand.


    It was a crude make-shift bronze bolt with a sharpened tip and two slightly asymmetrical blades. There were thin paper fletches on the tail, and the shaft had quite a few spots of rust.


    ¡°Hide!¡± Marcus shouted at Sitch, who seemed still oblivious to the situation because he was paying attention to the area they were watching.


    Sitch¡¯s body jolted backwards, then he tumbled to the direction opposite from where the bolts came and tried to get away. But two men dressed in dark clothes emerged from a corner and shadows and unleashed two kicks on his chest and stomach. The next moment, Sitch fell on the ground, writhing in pain.


    ¡°Stop right there! ¡± Marcus pulled his gun and badge on the two men to prevent them from beating on Sitch anymore: ¡°Police! Stop right there and hands above your head!¡±


    Before either of the men could answer, a short spear connected to a chain shot from the side aiming right at Marcus¡¯ arms. Marcus had to raise his arms to avoid being maimed, and following the chained short spear, a man with a snake head tattoo on his left face lunged at Marcus holding a gruesome looking hand scythe with a sharp spike on the back of the blade. The hand scythe was also connected to the chain. His charge was fast and brutal, even faced with a police officer who had a gun.


    Qi, Marcus sensed Qi from this man, thus he immediately activated his as well. The man pulled the chain to retrieve the short spear, and at the same time swung the hand scythe at Marcus as he was trying to repoint the gun.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± Marcus¡¯ left palm collided with the metal handle of the hand scythe, stopping the blade and preventing it from cutting into his left arm. The short spear whipped in the air and struck at Marcus¡¯ right elbow. This time, a slashing wound appeared on the back of Marcus¡¯ right forearm, and his gun was knocked off his hand and fell onto the ground, with a scratch mark left on its hammer and barrel.


    The man with a snake head tattoo on his face frowned - as that slash should have created a bigger wound, one that would expose deep muscles and even the bones, instead of the one now that was seeping blood like it was barely skin deep.


    ¡°Boom!¡± While the man hesitated, Marcus¡¯ left palm struck him on his chest - something made of metal on his opponent¡¯s chest caved in and cracked, and he flew back tumbling on the road, with his eyes bulging, tongue dangling, and blood spewing out from his mouth and nostrils.

 Chapter 18. Dishonor

    Marcus did not stop with this opponent being thrown back on the ground, injured and almost incapacitated. He rushed towards the direction of Sitch, as he was under attack from two of the perps that ambushed them, and Sitch did not seem like one that could fight.


    Another man in a gray hoodie and a pair of torn up jeans emerged from the side with a dagger in hand and charged at Marcus. The dagger¡¯s blade seemed to be made of a matte alloy with a line of text engraved along one side. For some reason, Marcus sensed grave danger from the mere presence of this dagger, and he had no choice but to face it with great caution and full focus.


    The man wielding this dagger seemed to have some experience and martial arts training, just like the previous one. But his forms were still quite messy, his stance was weak, and his rhythm of attack was all over the place. After a few jabs, this man¡¯s main arm with the dagger was grabbed by Marcus. And with a quick twist, the man¡¯s fingers loosened from the pain and the dagger dropped on the ground. Then Marcus stomped the ground with his left foot as he pulled this disarmed opponent in and threw him over the shoulder.


    One metal bolt shot from above at Marcus once again, and Marcus had but a moment to dodge it - the bolt went through his jacket and left a tear on his pants. But luckily it did not leave him with any wound.


    ¡°Thud! Stomp!¡± The two men ganging up on Sitch did not pull any punches, even though he was twitching and vomiting blood on the ground. When Marcus rushed to their side and knocked them on the ground, Sitch was barely conscious.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus cursed as he tested Sitch¡¯s breathing - it was very weak, on top of that he could hear this poor guy wheezing as he breathed, it appeared that unless he was sent to a hospital right away, he would have no chance surviving it.


    Yet another metal bolt came for Marcus¡¯ back from above - this time Marcus had to take it with his back - because if he was not in the way, the bolt would have landed on Sitch. The bolt tore a long slash along his jacket and slid off the left side of his back. The momentum and the bladed head of the bolt left a long cut on his skin, and blood started pouring out. Marcus pulled Sitch up and tried to run from the spot, but the man with a snake head tattooed on his left face jumped into the air, and with a loud grunt, he swung his chained hand-scythe downward at the both of them.


    Marcus pushed the ground with his feet once again to propel him and Sitch sideways. This brought them right over the edge of the platform, falling toward a wooden shack under it.


    The crumbled shack barely broke their fall, and Marcus had to change his position to land on his back so that Sitch would not sustain more injury from the fall. The cloaked figures on the buildings aiming their crude crossbows at them opened fire once again, and all of the bolts missed their marks due to the wood panels on the shack ceiling.


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± Marcus tried to infuse a little bit of his Qi into Sitch¡¯s body, it should provide some help for him to recover or at least not get worse, but Sitch¡¯s breathing was still weak and wheezing, and there seemed nto be o sign that he would wake up anytime soon.


    Before the shack broke down and collapsed completely, Marcus rushed out from the front door and started running the other way. But more armed mobs appeared around the roads and in a surrounding formation, some of whom even had similar snake head tattoos on their arms and necks.


    ¡°Back off.¡± Marcus ordered with a stern tone, while trying to reach for his phone in his back pocket.


    None of the mobs budged or responded, and almost at the same time, all of them started lunging at Marcus with their arms raised, showing all kinds of weapons: metal pipes, bike chains, crude hand axes and even long knives.


    Marcus chose a direction with the least amount of people and rushed towards it with full force. The two men in his way tried to stop him by blocking his way, but with his Qi fully activated, they were met with a kick on the chest and a shoulder bump, which sent them tumbling on the ground like a couple of rag dolls.


    But there was more ambush - another man with a snake head tattooed on his face wielding a long, coarse and curved sword broke through a dirty and corrupted wood panel wall and swung his sword at Marcus and Sitch. Marcus had to quickstep to the side and barely evaded this attack. But the next moment, this man flailed his left hand in the air, and a handful of metal spikes shot at Marcus and Sitch like pellets from a shotgun.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus cursed and jumped backwards to a corner. Some of the metal spikes poked through his clothes and skin, leaving him with tingling feelings on his chest and leg. But he was more worried about Sitch at the moment. Warm blood gushed out from Sitch and poured onto Marcus¡¯ arms and shoulders, coating half of his body in red.


    The metal shards, while not causing Marcus almost any harm or pain, had penetrated Sitch¡¯s left arm, his neck and his abdomen, even when Marcus was protecting most of his body. The man who unleashed these shards lunged at Marcus once again with his curved sword raised, and without even a hint of hesitation, he swung the sword down with his full might. His light blue Qi glowed on the blade, and left a trail of light in the air as the sword traveled. If Marcus was just any regular person, he would have been cleanly slashed in half.


    But Marcus was no ordinary person or detective, after realizing that Sitch was probably beyond saving, he stomped the ground and ejected himself away from the scene, where he could place Sitch gently down on the ground, temporarily away from the mob. The attack with a curved sword missed and struck the ground, causing pieces of cement to fly in all directions.


    There was a wooden bar he could not wrap his fingers around where he landed, so he picked it up with both his hands. The man wielding a curved sword leapt towards Marcus once again, and this time there was even more Qi infused on the sword. Marcus charged right at the man as well, with the wooden bar raised high.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Marcus swung the wooden bar downward at the ground before he could even collide with his opponent. Hi Qi was continuously pouring into the bar, so much so that the entire bar showed signs of crumbling before this attack.


    The tip at the far end of the bar exploded on impact. Splinters infused with Marcus¡¯ Qi splashed at the man at point blank range, a payback of bigger scale.


    The man yelled in pain from the splinters peppered all over the front of his body. His feet missed a few steps and fell down on his face due to his momentum. Marcus, taking advantage of this opportunity, immediately rushed forward. Before the opponent could come back from the pain, his right hand delivered a devastating palm strike onto this man¡¯s chest. His opponent was instantly sent flying backwards and crashed through the brittle wall of a wooden two-storey warehouse. The other members of the mob, who were chasing after Marcus flailing their weapons in the air earlier, were immediately shocked and deterred. Some of them slipped on the ground, others just started standing at a distance and staring at Marcus in silence.


    The tingling sensations from the metal shards seemed to have minds of their own - they crawled from their original position and expanded to the surrounding area, and even into Marcus¡¯ muscles. It was clear to him now, that these metal shards were laced with some kind of toxin. He did not know what this toxin was, but the main effect of it seemed to be muscle and sense numbing.


    ¡°How do you feel now, copper?¡± Just this moment, a hoarse voice came from somewhere behind the mobs. It was the first man with a tattoo on his face, who wielded the chained hand scythe and short spear. Now, with marks of blood on the corners of his mouth and below his nostrils, he walked slowly with a limp towards Marcus spinning his hand scythe: ¡°How does it feel? Enjoying our concoction yet?¡±


    ¡°Not good enough, not even gonna give me a hangover.¡± Marcus scoffed and stood up straight, pushing his Qi to flow through the meridians in an attempt to push the toxins out of his body.


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± The man smiled, then raised his right hand, pointing Marcus¡¯ gun at him: ¡°How about now?¡±


    Before this man could pull the trigger, Marcus roared and threw what was left of his wooden bar at the man and charged forward right after. The sound of gunshot echoed in the night, the bullet bounced on the wooden bar, destroyed a big chunk of it and grazed Marcus¡¯ shoulder. That was all the damage it did, as Marcus managed to knock the man down with his elbow.


    This man tumbled on the ground, then he immediately jumped back up. The gun flew to some place neither he nor Marcus could see, and he just put his left hand behind his back while wielding his chain weapon with his right.


    The fatigue and soreness from Marcus¡¯ arms and legs started pulling him down. With the shards completely removed from his body and his Qi following inside him, the effects of the toxins were wearing off - but not fast enough.


    The hopped left and right as he gradually approached Marcus. His snake head tattoo looked extra ferocious and venomous. It was clear he was taking the time to wait for the toxins to weaken Marcus.


    Marcus, however, could not afford to wait any longer. His Qi seeped through the surface of his body and blew his now slightly ragged clothes like night breezes, sweat started coming out of his pores, and his muscles tightened, ready for a strike.


    ¡°Boom!¡± A small dent was left on the ground as Marcus launched himself at the man, pebbles and debris flew from the dent made by his feet in the opposite direction. The man with a snake head tattoo swung his left arm and tossed the short spear at Marcus with full force in an attempt to deter his opponent. But this was what Marcus was waiting for - his left arm reached in front of him and grabbed the short spear by the shaft. With the friction decelerating the spear, his right hand managed to grab onto the chain. The short spear still had half an arm¡¯s length of distance before it could hit Marcus before its momentum was fully consumed. Then with a forceful pull, the feet of Marcus¡¯ opponent were lifted off the ground as he flew toward Marcus involuntarily.


    The man with a snake head tattoo collided with Marcus¡¯ shoulder and was sent flying once more with blood spewing from his mouth and nostrils. But this was not before he pulled something from his back and stabbed Marcus in the lower waist. Even with the protection of his Qi, the thing still penetrated Marcus¡¯ defenses and sunk into his flesh.


    It was a dagger, the same dagger with a matte metal blade and a line of text engraved along one side of it. A sudden coldness radiated from the wound on his waist and swept through the entirety of Marcsus¡¯ body, weakening him once more.


    For a brief moment, he felt that he needed to actually fight to keep his eyes open and his legs from noodling onto the ground. The grim sky turned red, and the chillness of the night wind became the objects of his focus - he must not fall down, or fall asleep for that matter.


    ¡°Blood Rainbow!¡± Someone¡¯s horrified scream jolted Marcus¡¯ muscles along with the hairs on the back of his neck and his eyelids: ¡°Blood Rainbow! Hide!¡±

 Chapter 19. Lights and Shadows

    Marcus had absolutely no idea what ¡°Blood Rainbow¡± was, but his gut told him it was nothing good, as the mobs surrounding him got into a state of panic and started scattering all around the place at the mere mention of it. Even the man with a snake head tattooed on his left face, injured and weak as he was, still ran like hell.


    Marcus looked up, against the complaints and protest from his neck muscles. The sky was coated in a bone chilling red, and almost right above the area of the docks, stood a blood-red arch. The body of the arch seemed to be made of thick, close to liquefied air, or some kind of slowly flowing steam, and the spine of it had most of the red - it was so concentrated that it became slightly dark, just like stains of blood after being left in the air for a while.


    Only a moron would stay in the open like this, even if one might not know from what the others were trying to hide. Following the footsteps of a few of the mobsters, Marcus stumbled and crawled into a dark corner he could not see clearly, and as it turned out, it was a dark tunnel full of garbage and reeking of a foul smell. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers, he had to muster up what was left of his energy and pushed himself in.


    His phone was not lost during the fight, yet it was not intact either - the screen was cracked, and the body was bent. Its screen flickered as Marcus¡¯ trembling fingers tried to dial the emergency number.


    Marcus tapped three pressure points near his abdomen using the last of his Qi to stop the dagger wound on his lower left waist from bleeding - he was not good at it, yet it worked. Probably it was because the wound was not that deep to begin with.


    The numbness and chill from the toxins brought to him by those metal shards and whatever that dagger was coated with seemed to have crawled deeper into his body - he could even feel it in his stomach and his guts. There was no pain, which was probably more dangerous, he thought to himself. Maybe he could use some right now, to wake him up.


    Marcus thought he was already at his wit and power¡¯s end, yet he managed to drag himself deeper into the tunnel. He finally got all three digits of the emergency number, and he muttered to the phone, using it like a handheld radio: ¡°This is Detective Marcus Cai from the 17th District, I am injured and currently hiding under a tunnel under the Mud River docks. Please come as soon as possible - ¡± The phone died before he could finish the sentence, and there was no way for him to know if the operator heard him.


    ¡°Fuck! I just heard something, did the cop follow us here?¡± A man¡¯s voice came from the deeper parts of the tunnel. A flashlight flashed around from there as the man spoke.


    ¡°Go check it out then.¡± This was a wheezing man¡¯s voice, sounded just like the man with a snake head tattooed on his left face, but Marcus could not be sure: ¡°And see if my brother came.¡±


    ¡°Why? I mean - how?¡± The first man asked, with audible fear in his voice: ¡°We - we should at least wait till the Blood Rainbow goes away - ¡±


    ¡°Get! Go now!¡± The wheezing man grunted.


    ¡°But - we only have one flashlight, and it¡¯s completely dark here - ¡±


    The wheezing man panted, then after a short moment he relented: ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go out when the rainbow¡¯s gone.¡±


    Though Marcus had absolutely no intention of getting anywhere closer to these two, he was still too close to the entrance, and anyone, or anything, could instantly spot him just by looking in from outside the tunnel entrance. With one foot at a time and his hands clutching the wall and his muscles not wanting to listen or move, he moved a tiny bit deeper, and deeper. Eventually he found a concave spot in the tunnel, where he could sink his body in to better hide from anyone else in the tunnel with him.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The beam from the flashlight lit up the wall on the right side to Marcus, and he could see enlarged shadows of an elbow and a leg on the edge of the circle of light projected onto the wall. He was close enough to these two men, so close he could hear the heavy breathing from the man whom he injured during the fight, and the anxious pacing of another.


    ¡°I - how long do we have to wait?¡± The uninjured man asked.


    ¡°Patience, what are you so uppity about?¡± The other man scoffed: ¡°You¡¯re not the one with injuries here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more - more worried about the traitor, hate to see him die just so easily - ¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead for sure.¡± The injured man said: ¡°The cop was carrying him, so he must have got hit by my brother¡¯s darts as well - even the cop full of Shaqi didn¡¯t stand a chance against our concoction. So even if the darts didn¡¯t kill him, the Blood Rainbow will.¡±


    The other man went silent, then after a short moment, he asked: ¡°Sir - how - how do we know it¡¯ll stop? You know, when - ¡±


    ¡°Where - where are they?¡± A hoarse, shaking and gurgling female voice echoed in the tunnel. Marcus felt that the skin on his arms, back and face tightened immediately, all of his hairs on his exposed skin stood up straight, and his fingers lost all feeling for a moment because he was clenching the wall and pushing his body against it too hard.


    ¡°Who - who was there?¡± The uninjured man asked with a trembling voice, but his voice was way too weak that even Marcus had a bit of trouble hearing him clearly.


    ¡°Sssh!¡± The injured man immediately signaled his cohort to shut up. His hand waved in front of the flash light and caused the giant spot of light on the wall to flicker.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± The female crying voice echoed once more, seemingly getting closer to their position: ¡°Where are they? I can¡¯t find them¡­¡±


    Marcus tried his hardest to push himself into the wall to minimize the chances of him being spotted. Something in his jacket felt warm, but he did not have the energy or heart to check.


    The sound of something dragging on the ground came from somewhere deeper in the tunnel, and the two men seemed to be holding their breath as well. ¡°Fucking morons.¡± Marcus thought to himself while holding his own hand over his nose and mouth and staring at the giant spot of light on the wall: ¡°Turn the light off! Turn it off!¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± The female voice came closer, seemingly right where the two men were. ¡°Where are they? I can¡¯t find them - where are they? My¡­ my eyes¡­ where are they?¡±


    One of the men by the flashlight dropped onto the ground. A shadow flashed across the ring of light projected on the wall, with the rough shape of a hand and an arm. Then came the muffled screams of a struggling man. The scream became louder and more desperate, along with the sound of clothes, flesh and tendon being torn, and wet, soft objects falling onto the ground and into shallow water puddles.


    Marcus¡¯ gums and jaws became sore from his grinding and clenching his teeth, as he watched the shadows of spilled liquid and organs flashed in the ring of light.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my eyes? My eyes?! Where¡¯s my eyes? ¡± The female voice sounded like she was crying while in a desperate search for something: ¡°My eyes - please¡­ give me back my eyes¡­¡±


    Just this moment, the injured man, for some reason, let out a whimper. Though extremely faint and barely audible, it still attracted whatever it was that silenced his cohort. He tried to make a hail mary attempt at an escape. But his body came only as far as the front of the flashlight, projecting his shadow on the wall.


    But that was as far as he could go - the shadow of an entity with the shape of a long-haired upper half of a female body and two slender arms appeared on the edge of the ring of light and grappled on to the man, one of its long arms penetrated his abdomen and the other went into his throat through his mouth. His body twitched and shook, then fell onto the ground on his back, leaving only the entity¡¯s shadow in the ring of light.


    ¡°My eyes - please, my eyes¡­¡± The female cry continued, as the entity pulled out different things from beneath it, held them up high and shook them in an attempt to sense and feel if something would drop from them.


    Marcus could not move a muscle where he stood. His entire body froze, though soreness was burning in every part of his body, he could not even connect to any part of it. Luckily, his breathing was still light, and his lungs and throat seemed almost frozen as well that he could not make any sound even if he tried.


    ¡°My eyes ¡­ my eyes¡­¡± The sound of dragging occurred once again, the shadow of that entity moved out of the ring of light, and to Marcus¡¯ relief away from the position of him.


    The cries went further and further away, while Marcus remained where he was. And when he could not hear it anymore, he finally inhaled through his mouth to fill his empty lungs. It was at this moment, all the pent-up exhaustion, fatigue, soreness and pain hit him all at once.


    When his bottom hit the dirty water, he saw someone walking toward him. For some reason, it looked just like Sitch.

 Chapter 20. Waters

    ¡°You really like this story, son?¡± Marcus¡¯ father asked as he gently stroked Marcus¡¯ hair: ¡°We¡¯re on a cruise, son, enjoy the view of the tranquil lake. Look how beautiful it is under clear weather. It¡¯s not everyday you can see something like this.¡±


    ¡°Just let him be, Elvin.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother chuckled: ¡°He likes reading, that¡¯s very good. You wanted him to be a lawyer, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Legends of the Burnt Queen and the One-armed Knight, a storybook.¡± Marcus¡¯ father shrugged: ¡°And - this cruise is expensive normally. It¡¯d be a waste if we don¡¯t get to enjoy the view of the lake and the beautiful weather.¡±


    ¡°Your father has a point, my dear.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother pinched Marcus¡¯ cheeks: ¡°How about we go read on the deck, Marcus? There will be better lighting there, it¡¯ll be good for your eyes. And you can enjoy the view when you¡¯re tired!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus finally agreed to leave the room.


    ¡­


    ¡°Thank you everyone for coming to our ship! What a wonderful day it is to be on a cruise through our beautiful Lake Aqiu!¡± The cruise guide, standing on the higher deck and talking down to the guests on the general deck area, announced with an excited voice: ¡°Now, let me ask this of all our beautiful, handsome guests, what¡¯s the old name of Lake Aqiu?¡±


    ¡°The Green Emerald!¡± ¡°The Lake of Great Eye!¡± ¡°Lake Ayi!¡± All sorts of different answers were thrown at the cruise guide.


    ¡°Did I just hear ¡®Lake Ayi¡¯?¡± The cruise guide pointed at the audience with one hand behind his ear, then moved his arm and finger around: ¡°If that¡¯s your answer, then you¡¯ll be correct! Now, raise your hand if you know who Ayi is!¡±


    There are around a quarter to one third of the audience that raised their hands. Marcus was one of them, while even his parents had no idea on the name.


    ¡°Good! And, looks like there are enough of you who know about this beautiful, touching and all the while tragic story of the past.¡± The cruise guid laughed: ¡°Now, let me give you a quick and loving retelling of the story:


    ¡°Long, long ago, during the ages of the kings, queens and old churches, before the rule of THE Burnt Queen, this lake was once a land of plains, deserts and hills, with several small streams flowing through. And Ayi, was a famous songstress of the Kingdom of Golden Flames. Her husband, the love of her life, was a royal knight of the king.


    ¡°One day, the devastating news hit the Kingdom - the king lost his battle against a disease that had been troubling him and the entire kingdom, leaving the throne unattended, and uninherited. Though the King and the Queen were much in love, and had been dutiful rulers all their lives, fate did not bless them with a son.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the story sounds familiar, isn¡¯t it? If you had the suspicion that it is somehow connected to a legend that we all know and love, theeeeeen you¡¯d be right! Yes! This story is connected to the story of the Burnt Queen and the One-armed Knight! And our beautiful songstress Ayi, with the voice that¡¯s said to have made even the angels cry, had to bid her beloved and honorable husband farewell, as he embarked on a journey to the church to be anointed, so that the only daughter of the King and Queen shall be the one inheriting the crown.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°And, just like we all know, the whole entourage of the queen lost their lives to the cursed flames of the foul desert dragon Shyurak - all, but one. The one-armed knight, who was still a squire then lost his arm in the fight, and wielding a shield that was melded with a broken sword from dragon flames, he and the Burnt Queen finally slew the dragon in the depth of the desert.


    ¡°But our beautiful songstress Ayi, she waited day and night, only to receive the terrible news that her husband fell to the dragon flame. So, with great sorrow, she sang her last song in the center of our lake, professing her love and loss, then drowned herself in the streams. It is said that her undying love had touched the heavens, and it rained for a whole month. The tears of heavens created this very lake. And the Burnt Queen, in remembrance of her lost royal knight and the songstress and their love, named this lake Lake Ayi.


    ¡°Legend has it, that if you come to the center of the lake, and you pay attention, you can still hear her sing. It may sound terrifying, but it¡¯s actually quite tranquil and touching.¡±


    ¡­


    The sound of metal creaking, wires breaking and flames burning filled the air. People were in a state of terrible panic, because the ship was breaking and sinking. And the body of the ship, made of alloy, rivets and bolts, had cracked into several parts. The moon was half covered by the dark clouds, the stars were hiding, and the night wind were mocking and sneering at the people struggling to find a way out.


    But there seemed to be no way out, as they were literally at the center of a vast lake, with no other ships or boats in sight.


    ¡°Marcus! Marcus! Hold on tight, son!¡± Marcus¡¯ father pulled Marcus by the collar and shoved him toward a piece of floating wooden debris, which seemed to be half of a broken chair. The cheap and unsturdy build of the chair now made it a perfect floating device, enough for both Marcus and his father.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡± Marcus coughed as he tried to keep his head above the cold, slightly salty and bitter water: ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡±


    ¡°Keep your hands on this. Don¡¯t let go. I¡¯ll look for her, alright?¡± Marcus¡¯ father patted his hand and said: ¡°I¡¯ll find her.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Get off my son! Get off!¡± They had already made it quite a distance from the original position of the sunken cruise ship, many of the floating passengers were still around them. Some of them, upon seeing that Marcus was floating alone on a large piece of broken wooden chair, immediately rushed over to his position and tried to take it from the young child. And just when two men and a woman whose hair and clothes had been a mess from being in the water for so long almost managed to push Marcus away, screaming and cursing, his father came floating on a plastic box with a piece of broken metal pipe in hand: ¡°Get away from my son! You fuckers get away! I¡¯ll fucking bash your heads in! I¡¯ll open a bloody hole in you!¡±


    One man still tried to throw young Marcus¡¯ hand away from the chair, which earned him a few swings against his right shoulder and right forehead. Several other swings missed and led to only a few splashes of water, but his bleeding forehead and painful cry from the strikes already served as a deterrence against any others who had similar thoughts in mind.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mom, Dad?¡± Water dripped down from Marcus¡¯ face, some of it was his tears and some of it was water from the lake: ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll meet us when we make it to the shore.¡± Marcus¡¯ father held onto him tight and started paddling with his arms and feet: ¡°Let¡¯s make it to the shore and meet her there, alright?¡±


    ¡­


    There was no part of him that didn¡¯t hurt when Marcus opened his eyes. He raised his head slightly from the pillow, and he saw that he was not wearing a shirt and had a few adhesive bandages on his chest and forearms. His waist was bandaged up by gauze. His bloody shirt was put on a small table, and his jacket was on the back of a small chair.


    There was a cup of water on the small table by his bed, and he took it and chugged it down with his sore and trembling arms and fingers. Though he could not be more welcoming to anything that could quench his burning thirst right now, he still realized a distinctive and familiar taste lingering on his tongue.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± A female voice came just when Marcus was looking at the water: ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t mind the water - it¡¯s only filtered once. We couldn¡¯t afford better things here.¡±


    Marcus looked up at the young woman with a tone and an attitude - it was none other than Gloria Lee, the one that stole some case files on the emergency reparation group from the precinct.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, better, even. Thank you very much, for saving me.¡± Marcus struggled to sit up on the bed: ¡°Where - where am I?¡±


    ¡°A temporary place I have for a hideout.¡± Gloria shook her head and threw Marcus a paper bag: ¡°Consider yourself lucky, the Blood Rainbow yesterday wiped out quite some dirt from the community. They¡¯re still cleaning up the bodies.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s - how¡¯s the man with me? Sitch?¡± Marcus caught the bag, though almost dropping it, and asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°They found his body on the docks. Why was he with you?¡±


    ¡°We had a deal.¡± Marcus grunted and tried to get up from the bed: ¡°Thank you, again. But I must get going. I¡¯ll think of a way to repay you some other way.¡±


    ¡°You were on that ship, weren¡¯t you?¡± Just this moment, Gloria asked.

 Chapter 21. The Stranded

    The entire room went silent with the question, and both of them looked each other in the eyes. Both were trying to read from each other¡¯s facial expressions, but neither seemed willing to show anything.


    ¡°... yes.¡± After a short moment, Marcus decided he should be the one to be more open: ¡°My father won the lottery, a family ticket for the price of one adult. So we went on this cruise. And then, you know, the accident happened.¡±


    ¡°¡®Accident¡¯.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s how you see it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the official story. My personal opinion has no bearing on that matter. ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°May I know how you knew?¡±


    ¡°You kept calling out to your mother and telling her to swim from the ship.¡± Gloria sighed and leaned against the frame of the door: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°My father and I made it out, basically floated and paddled to the shore on a piece of broken chair.¡± Marcus sat for a few seconds, then finally stood up with a charged push: ¡°She never made it. My father never told me what happened to her, if he found her at all when he swam back looking for her.¡±


    ¡°Did you try to figure out what happened?¡± Gloria asked, her eyes slightly narrowed, examining and observing like a predator in the dark: ¡°Only a complete fool would buy the ¡®official explanation¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Not important.¡± Marcus picked up his jacket from the desk beside him and put it on, while holding his torn shirt with his hand: ¡°Thank you, again. But I really gotta get going.¡±


    ¡°One more honest answer, cop, and I can provide you with one of my own.¡± Gloria stood straight and blocked the door: ¡°Trust me, however familiar you are with this district, you¡¯ll need my help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Shoot.¡± Marcus was indeed in a hurry, yet he did not find this offer upsetting at all. Maybe it was because he felt he owed this young woman his life, maybe it was because something about her told him that she was not malicious.


    ¡°Did you see anything, during the Blood Rainbow?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus immediately said, but then scratched his head and added: ¡°Not really - it was definitely something I could not explain ¡­¡±


    ¡°Try then.¡± Gloria nodded with a faint smile on her face: ¡°Whatever comes to your mind.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I - I saw the shadow of a woman, one with only half her body.¡± Marcus frowned and tried to grasp as much from the now fuzzy and dream-like memory as possible: ¡°In the tunnel, she attacked those two perps. It seemed like - like she was looking for something¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? What was she looking for?¡± Gloria¡¯s breathing hastened slightly, a sign that she might know more than she was letting on.


    ¡°Her eyes.¡± Marcus scratched his face and rubbed his temples: ¡°To be honest - I don¡¯t even know if that¡¯s real or not. I was attacked by those two men who put some kind of toxin on their weapons, so I wasn¡¯t seeing or hearing straight - ¡±


    ¡°What else happened to the men attacked by her?¡± Gloria cleared her throat and asked.


    ¡°From what I could tell, and what I can remember, they might have been torn ¡­ apart.¡± Marcus sighed then looked at Gloria: ¡°Do you happen to know what happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to know?¡± Gloria sighed, then slightly tilted her head.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Marcus was stunned for a brief moment, then shook his head and tried to head out the door: ¡°Sorry, my mistake. And please, if you have anything you could use my help with, please don¡¯t hesitate to find me. You know my precinct.¡±


    ¡°Do you want an honest answer or not?¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°I think I still need time to process.¡± Marcus shook his head then sighed as he approached the door of this tiny room with a small but clean sink and a portable microwave: ¡°I need to head back, I must¡¯ve stayed here the whole night, I¡¯ve gotta report back to my captain - ¡±


    ¡°Okay then. Consider this a freebie.¡± Gloria¡¯s voice followed Marcus out the door: ¡°It¡¯s been 15 years, Detective Cai. Try looking into what happened 30 years ago!¡±


    The sunlight outside hurt like a few dozen needles jamming at his eyes at the same time, and Marcus had to hold his left hand before his forehead. It looked like it was already almost noon, and the streets outside were full of pedestrians and vehicles.


    His stomach growled, so he took out his wallet and looked around for a street vendor or a clean-looking deli. There were a few bigger notes missing, but luckily, Gloria had left him enough to fill his stomach and catch a ride home.


    Thin pieces of ashes fell off from the inner pocket of his jacket - it was where he kept the talismans gifted to him by Master Liaoran. He did not remember burning them. But then again, he did not remember many coherent details from last night - assuming it was still last night and not anytime earlier.


    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re okay?¡± The taxi driver frowned and waved his hand before his face: ¡°You smell terrible. Don¡¯t dirty my seat, okay?¡±


    ¡°17th Precinct of PCPD, please.¡± Marcus grunted in pain as he sat down in the back.


    ¡°Okay, will do.¡± The taxi driver shook his head and adjusted his rearview mirror.


    The taxi ride took around 40 minutes, the traffic was more sparse than usual, just that there seemed to be more community watch team members patrolling the street. He was not sure if it was because of the ¡°Blood Rainbow¡± last night, and he hesitated on whether he should ask the taxi driver. He eventually decided not to - he needed to ask someone he could trust, and someone he could be more certain could provide him with more informative answers.


    ¡°Oh my god, what happened Marcus?¡± Kevin was just near the entrance when Marcus came in: ¡°You look injured - are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Forget about me, Kevin.¡± Marcus immediately grabbed Kevin¡¯s left arm and pulled him to the side: ¡°I have some questions I would like to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, about which case?¡± Kevin looked up and down at Marcus, still looking worried: ¡°You got injured - and you¡¯re wearing your jacket only, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Marcus insisted: ¡°Nonono, not about me. What do you know about the Blood Rainbow?¡±


    ¡°Blood Rainbow?¡± Kevin seemed quite perturbed: ¡°What - where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Cai!¡± Just this moment, Captain Ko yelled at Marcus from the deeper part of the precinct: ¡°My office! Now!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Kevin.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Will get back to you as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Kevin took a deep breath: ¡°Find me when you¡¯re done¡­¡±


    Marcus nodded, then dragged himself along the interior of the precinct and into Captain Ko¡¯s office.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for your report on the follow up visit, Marcus, and I heard that you made a deal with the perp.¡± Captain Ko sat behind his desk, frowning and staring at Marcus: ¡°Now, where¡¯s the perp? I thought he¡¯d come back with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s dead, sir.¡± Marcus sighed and slowly sat himself down in the chair to avoid the soreness and pain from his muscles due to excess movement: ¡°And before you say anything, I take full responsibility for what happened. I will put everything down in my report. I - ¡±


    ¡°No need to do that, Marcus.¡± Captain Ko shook his head.


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes opened wide: ¡°What are you saying, Captain?¡±


    ¡°This case will be out of our hands soon.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°Try to focus your energy on the case of the reparations team. Shrevas and Lance had made some progress, but not enough to keep the folks from the city off our backs. Plus the PIs hired by that Benson kid¡¯s parents are just snooping around harassing potential witnesses and acquaintances of the victims. We can¡¯t allow that to continue - ¡±


    ¡°But, what about the abduction of the kids, sir?¡± Marcus interjected.


    ¡°It is the city¡¯s position that any case involving serious crimes like murder, false imprisonment and kidnapping should be handled by law enforcement agencies.¡± Captain Ko pulled two folders from the shelf on his side and handed them to Marcus: ¡°But realistically, there¡¯s only so much of our resources and manpower. So, I think we can let the local community handle the case, can we not? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to stand by anyway. The only thing we can do right now, is follow up - ¡±


    ¡°But Captain - ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you know what happens next. For the time being, stay away from the case until further notice. This is an order.¡± Captain Ko looked at Marcus¡¯s face, then his shoulder and waist: ¡°You look injured - did the locals attack you?¡±


    ¡°Uh - no, Captain, just got into a small accident.¡±


    Captain Ko looked Marcus deep in the eyes for a short moment, then chuckled: ¡°The Steal Tiger still has his soft spots, huh? I don¡¯t suppose your police cam has any record of the accident?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t on at the time, sir.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then there¡¯s nothing we can do.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°Then don¡¯t jump into action until you¡¯ve recovered. I can¡¯t give you a time off, but I can let Shrevas and Lance know that you¡¯re gonna be - well, desk-bound for the moment.¡±


    ¡°... thank you captain.¡±


    ¡°And even if the case is not ours anymore, I¡¯d still need a report. It doesn¡¯t have to be too detailed. Just enough to answer any potential inquiries from the community collective should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±

 Chapter 22. Desk-bound

    ¡°Hi Kevin.¡± Marcus went outside and bought a cup of milk tea that he knew Kevin liked, then poured himself a cup of coffee and went into Kevin¡¯s small and slightly depressingly dim lab: ¡°I¡¯m back. So - what can you tell me about - ¡±


    ¡°Blood Rainbow?¡± Kevin raised his head behind his laptop screen: ¡°Marcus, I don¡¯t know where you heard that. But please tell me you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯m not so sure, actually.¡± Marcus sighed, then handed Kevin the milk tea: ¡°This I still remember though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Kevin sighed as well and took the milk tea with a smile: ¡°And, uh, I would like to apologize for - you know, not listening to you, for so long.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, thank you.¡± Kevin shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°I just hope it¡¯s better timing. And, in no way am I saying ¡®I told you so¡¯, the thing is, all of the theories I told you were all just theories, from my connecting the dots, some of which were pretty far apart, and reading a hundred too many folklore books. And we both know, forensic technicians and detectives need to deal with concrete evidence and not rely too much on just hunches and gut feelings.¡±


    ¡°Just - just tell me, Kevin, no need to sugarcoat it for me.¡± Marcus put down his coffee mug: ¡°Your theories seem to have served me more than my experience.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°To start off - Blood Rainbow, tell me you didn¡¯t see it. Because that¡¯d be - ¡±


    ¡°I saw it - it was a red rainbow in the sky, and a little like an arch - ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°But I was under the influence of some kind of drug or poison - I think it¡¯s wearing off now.¡±


    ¡°And here you stand.¡± Kevin chuckled then shrugged: ¡°Well what can I say. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Okay, here¡¯s the thing: Blood rainbow is a paranormal phenomenon - to be more precise, it¡¯s something that happens before actual paranormal activities. There are quite a few documented, well, relatively well recorded mass paranormal incidents in Poison City history, and all but one of the records mentioned the occurrence of the Blood Rainbow. So far, my conclusion is they bring about the hidden paranormality to a region somehow. I¡¯m not super familiar with it but I think there¡¯s not much of a pattern to the paranormality it brings. Some missing people crawling in the streets crying and shouting, brutally murdered victims taking revenge on their killers and the accomlices, and portraits coming out of their paintings, etc. But we haven¡¯t had reports on those for a while. Still, like I said. I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re okay. May I know what you saw? If you feel like it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Marcus rubbed his temples: ¡°To tell you the truth, I didn¡¯t exactly see it, what I saw was a shadow - casted by a flashlight.¡±


    ¡°That makes some sense.¡± Kevin nodded as he sucked on the straw of his milk tea: ¡°My theory - and I¡¯m pretty sure I am correct about this, ghosts and spirits can actually sense attention and gaze. So, if all you saw was just a shadow, it might explain - well, let¡¯s move on, please tell me more about this shadow.¡±


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    ¡°Well, okay.¡± Marcus took no offense from the implication and just treated it with a shrug and sip of coffee, even he did not know if it was because he felt he was indeed lucky or if it was because he was still kind of numb from the shock : ¡°It¡¯s, uh, half of a woman, I guess. At least that¡¯s what I heard from the voice. ¡±


    ¡°Half on the upper part or the lower part? ¡± Kevin asked: ¡°Or was it a sandwich situation?¡±


    ¡°Upper half.¡± Marcus scratched his forehead at Kevin¡¯s weird sense of humor: ¡°And she was crying for her eyes. Then - well, then she tore two local perps apart and - and - and started going through their innards.¡±


    Kevin almost wretched from the description, and then he sucked on his milk tea: ¡°Do you think - do you think she was looking for her eyes there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying not to think about that.¡± Marcus let out a long exhale, then continued rubbing his temples: ¡°And then I passed out, from the toxins and drugs used by a couple of thugs at the docks.¡±


    ¡°Wait, tell me everything from the beginning. ¡± Kevin scratched his head: ¡°At the docks? Thugs? Give me the whole picture here.¡±


    Marcus sighed, then proceeded to describe his experience last night. His memory was less than clear, and his recollection was incoherent and inconsistent at times. But with the patience and some helpful questions from Kevin, he was able to paint a relatively good picture of what happened. And for a few times, his attempts at describing and recalling the happenings were too eager, that his wounds started hurting again.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Marcus took out a few pieces of ashes still in the rough shape of paper talismans: ¡°I did not do this. I don¡¯t even know how it works.¡±


    ¡°Burning them is not the normal way for sure.¡± Kevin took some of the ashes, held it close to his eyes and said: ¡°You¡¯d better ask Master Liaoran then.¡±


    ¡°Will do, when I get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell, Marcus.¡± Kevin pointed at a wet spot on Marcus¡¯ jacket: ¡°You¡¯re bleeding. Come on, let me address your wound.¡±


    Marcus sighed for possibly the hundredth time today and unzipped his jacket. The gauze bandages on his waist were already soaked through by his blood, especially the part around his stab wound.


    ¡°This looks serious, you need to go to the hospital and get some stitches.¡± Kevin frowned as he pulled the medical emergency box from under his desk: ¡°Were you attacked?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Marcus grunted.


    ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, I¡¯m not at all interested in the politics behind this.¡± Kevin put on a pair of gloves, gently pulled the bandage up to take a look at Marcus¡¯ stab wound: ¡°And yes, this is between us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kevin.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Sure no problem. I¡¯d still suggest you go to the hospital though.¡± Kevin cut the bandages open and prepared some more gauze to clean the wound: ¡°I know you¡¯re super tough and all, but infection¡¯s no joke. It¡¯d be a shame if the Steel Tiger gets brought down by an infected stab wound.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll heat up a metal spoon.¡± Marcus chuckled while shaking his head, then he gasped through his teeth lightly from the pain.


    ¡°Not funny, sir.¡± Kevin dried Marcus¡¯ wound with a piece of sterilized cotton and applied some more pieces of sticky bandage gauze on it before bandaging his entire waist up: ¡°I have some oral antibiotics, but again, if you have a fever, just go straight to the hospital. And as little field work as possible, okay?¡±


    ¡°Captain Ko actually ordered me to stay behind my desk for a few days as well.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah. Good.¡± Kevin took the time to examine other wounds on Marcus¡¯ arms, then just took off the gloves: ¡°By the way, I think I might be able to find something on that woman you saw. I can try to pull some case files.¡±


    ¡°Who, Gloria?¡±


    ¡°No, the half of a woman.¡± Kevin handed Marcus a small box: ¡°And the docks of the Mud River - there are rumors about more and more crime activities going on there. But as you can imagine, it¡¯s a delicate situation.¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll take a look at some case files when possible.¡± Marcus zipped on his jacket once again: ¡°Let me know what you find.¡±


    ¡°I have some clean shirts in my locker. They might be a little tight, but better than this dirty jacket.¡± Kevin shook his head while staring at the wet spot: ¡°Remember, keep your wounds clean. And change the gauze after five to six hours.¡±

 Chapter 23. Sudden Warmth

    An afternoon in the precinct behind a desk proved more difficult for Marcus, not just because his having to put on a facade of not physically impaired so as to avoid his colleagues probing him about his "accident", but also because like many detectives especially in this precinct, paperwork was a bane he had to endure. Captain Ko was apparently very swift in his arrangement of keeping him desk-bound, as Sabrina Miller, Captain Ko¡¯s assistant, came by right after his meeting with Kevin and dropped off a pile of paperwork for him to finish.


    But the afternoon was not entirely wasted, as he also took the chance to read through some of the case files he didn''t get a chance to on the emergency reparations team. The current state of the investigation, at least according to the case files he read, was that none of the victims that lived in the South-Western District had any known enemies. Most of them, just like the stereotype about people who lived in that district, were somewhat boring, middle class individuals who enjoyed hiking, dog walking, doing volunteer work on the side and going on occasional wine tastings and had relatively small social cycles. The wife of the one worker who lived in the South-Eastern District actually came to the Precinct late afternoon the day before and identified the body. She did not say much to any of the officers or detectives, but she agreed to doing a follow up interview to answer questions.


    In short - they found almost no useful lead so far, which would be quite a bad thing for everyone in this precinct, with the city pressing on this issue and the precinct itself being strapped with all kinds of resources. But with the recent experience, Marcus started searching on social media about Blood Rainbows just on a hunch, in an attempt to see if there was any indication that the brutal massacre at the ill-fated substation was related to the paranormal.


    There was quite a lot of information about Blood Rainbows, apparently. But just as Marcus expected, the information could be found from various different but similarly gossipy sources, none of which seem authoritative at all; what was more was that a lot of the information seemed either copy-pasted with only a few alterations for clickbait, or overly convoluted and contradicting to information from other sources, sometimes even to the source itself.


    On the other end, the search for whatever happened 15 years ago turned out to be much more difficult. And the reason was simple, 15 years ago, neither the city or the then still newly founded community collective of the South-Eastern District had adopted wide digitization of files, which meant that should he want to look into it, he would have to head to the city and community collective archive and apply for access to these files, which in turn meant navigating through some time consuming hoops and red tapes.


    Detective Shrevas and Detective Lance ended up not returning to the Precinct by the end of the day like he had hoped, so Marcus had to check in with them another time.


    The bus ride home seemed more stressful, slower and for some unknown reason, more noisy than usual. It might have been due to the pain he was feeling, Marcus thought to himself.


    It took another 15 minutes for him to get back to his apartment - the usual road, which would only take him 10 minutes normally, became a lot more difficult to traverse with injuries and possibly toxic remnants in his body. By the time he reached the door, he was already panting like a dog.


    ¡°Son, where were you last night?¡± His father pulled the door open and asked with a relief and bags below his eyes: ¡°I called you a few dozen times. I called your precinct last night, and they didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad. Sorry for not calling earlier. ¡± Marcus walked into the apartment and sighed: ¡°I was caught up in a case and left my phone somewhere. And it ended up broken, so I¡¯ll get a new one tomorrow. Sorry to have worried you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, as long as you are fine, then I¡¯m good.¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°Come in, take a break, I¡¯ll heat up dinner. Being a detective really is stressful, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tell me about it.¡± Marcus chuckled and sat down on the sofa slowly: ¡°I need a break, my back¡¯s killing me with all the sitting.¡±


    ¡°On it. I¡¯ll bring it over in a big bowl.¡± Elvin nodded and rushed into the kitchen.


    Marcus paid additional attention to his father while he was in the kitchen, scrambling to reheat his dinner. It was not that he did not want to see his father happy, or active, or caring about him. But this change was way too sudden and had almost no prior indications. And now, with Marcus¡¯ being compelled to give the paranormal world more consideration, he could not help but be wary of the ¡°reason¡± for this change: his father¡¯s dreams, where he saw his mother for the first time in 15 years.


    ¡°Ta-da! Soft Drink Chicken.¡± Elvin put a large plate of chicken covered in thick, dark brown sauce along with a small bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks: ¡°Your favorite when you were a kid. I remember you fuzzing about it at least twice a week. I gave it some practice, and I believe I¡¯ve recaptured the magical recipe your mother had.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± Marcus picked a piece of the chicken and put it in his mouth - he still remembered this dish because like his father said, it was one of his childhood favorites, which should be cooked with a meticulously calculated portions of soy sauce and a dark, caffeine-infused soft drink and thus have a good mix of sweet and salty taste. And the taste this chicken had - was almost cooked to perfection, which earned Elvin an impressed look from Marcus. ¡°This is really good, Dad, how did you do it? After all - you know, it¡¯s been years.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, funny thing - I dreamed about your mother again.¡± Elvin scratched the back of his head with a wide and somewhat dorky smile: ¡°Just the night before the last, I dozed off when I was watching TV. And in that dream, we were just spending the weekend together, and your mother told me her recipe, even some of her tips and tricks - funny, huh?¡±


    ¡°Wait, Dad.¡± Marcus stopped his chopsticks and looked his father in the eye: ¡°Did you even know how to make it before this dream?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the magical thing!¡± Elvin almost laughed out loud: ¡°I don¡¯t! Not really! Or at least I think I don¡¯t - gosh, I don¡¯t even remember how to cook a lot of the things I used to. It¡¯s just - it¡¯s just so much - you know - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know Dad.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, then nodded: ¡°And enough about me Dad, how are you feeling? Did you eat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I ate earlier. You go ahead and finish it all.¡± Elvin shook his head: ¡°And when you¡¯re done, go to bed and rest, leave the dishes to me. I know how much back pain sucks. You need a lot of rest. Go to work later if you can, huh? Bad punks are still gonna commit crime even if you¡¯re on time all the time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Thank you, Dad. But I do have one question, if you have a moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, what is it?¡±


    Marcus hesitated with how best to bring this question up right now: ¡°Um, Dad, do you realize this is quite unusual? I mean, I¡¯ve never - ¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. I know, I know, son.¡± Elvin interrupted Marcus, shaking his head: ¡°I absolutely do. You know, son, I have been a useless and dreadful drunk for too many years. Even with my mind and intellect not as they used to be, I can tell that this is far from normal. But - I want to see where this goes, and I want to enjoy this very journey if I can. And I hope I can be more help to you through it.¡±


    ¡°Dad, believe me, I am very far from being an expert or even remotely qualified to talk about this.¡± Marcus put down his bowl and chopsticks: ¡°But I don¡¯t have to be, to know that this kind of thing could be dangerous. So, be careful, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course, son.¡± Elvin patted Marcus on the shoulder: ¡°I still have you.¡±


    His father¡¯s hand and arm were warm, steady and firm, unlike what Marcus expected from someone who had been drowning in alcohol for years. This could be a sign that Marcus was unnecessarily concerned. But, erring on the side of caution, he felt that he should still keep an eye out. He had plenty of time before he needed to go into actions anyway.

 Chapter 24. Circle

    Another day, time for another weekly session with Master Liaoran for Marcus. He thought his recovery from his injuries would be slower which might prevent him from going. But his years of practice of the Ferocious Tiger Style reminded him once again that the Qi flowing in his meridians, his muscles, tendons and even internal organs was not merely an energy used for battle.


    Maybe it was because the last three days of desk-bound paperwork had given his senses the rest they needed, or it could be because these days had put him in a state of hunger for action, during the bus ride over, Marcus had realized many more details from the passengers on the bus with him and the scenery he passed on the way.


    The Temple of Master Liaoran was located on the hilltop near the border between the Northern and the South-Western Districts, thus, the bus would have to go through a small part of the South-Eastern District and course along some streets and boulevards bypassing some neighborhoods in the South-Western District close to the shores of Lake Ayi.


    The South-Western District, the district that boasted its young, innovative, passionate and idealistic population and its many contributions to the technological advancements of the city. Along the way, more and more younger looking, flashier and more smiley people got on the bus, in bright colored clothes and carrying slick looking backpacks with labels of the companies they worked for on them and what looked like laptops and tablets inside.


    Today, there seemed to be more passengers in the bus than usual, and for some reason, people seemed more frustrated, and the bus seemed to have gotten louder because of it.


    Normally Marcus just tuned the excited conversations among other bus riders out, but today he decided that he would try to eavesdrop a little when he was close to his stop, because he thought he had heard some interesting words from these passengers.


    ¡°... oh my god! Your apartment¡¯s having power trouble as well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! We heard some dirtbag just vandalized another substation, and the power company had to reroute the electricity so that people don¡¯t get completely cut off. I couldn¡¯t charge my car at all. So here I am.¡±


    ¡°Why? Another? Isn¡¯t the first one enough? Why would somebody do that?¡±


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s time to move away from the substations and use more solar panels, huh?¡±


    Most of the passengers got off the bus before it reached Marcus¡¯ stop, which included all of the young people. The remainder of them seemed like they were heading to the same place as him - they were carrying long red and yellow paper bags that were typically used for incense sticks, which were what most people brought to the Temple of Forgetfulness. They went to light these incense sticks and place them in the burners and pray, sometimes they might drop a little bit of money as donation. This was slightly unusual as well, because though not completely obscure and one could even say somewhat famed, the Temple of Forgetfulness never had many visitors during this time of the day. Per his experience, most of the visitors came early in the morning or at noon and almost no one would come in the afternoon, which was the sole reason why his weekly sessions were all scheduled in late afternoons.


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    Marcus passed the passengers who got off at the same stop as him on the stairs leading up to the top of the hill, where the temple resided. It was partially because he was eager to meet with Master Liaoran and seek answers for all the questions he had, and also it was because he would like to test and see how fast he could climb this arguably long flight of stone stairs, in order to see how much he had recovered.


    When he reached the gate of the temple, the familiar smell of burning incense and traditional butter lamps welcomed him just like before. Only this time, Master Liaoran was not the only person inside, there was another person cleaning up the lanterns and incense burners alongside him, a younger monk, wearing a thin, pale and slightly dirty robe.


    ¡°Generous donor, welcome to the Temple of Forgetfulness.¡± The younger monk heard Marcus coming in, so he turned towards the door and gently bowed. But by the time he saw Marcus¡¯ face, he froze for a brief moment, then smiled: ¡°Detective Cai, didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    ¡°Bai Gu, is it?¡± Marcus froze for a short moment as well, but then he shook his head with a relieved smile: ¡°I see you¡¯ve taken on a new path. Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°And you have a part in it, detective.¡± Bai Gu responded with another gentle bow: ¡°Please, call me Wuzui.¡±


    ¡°Wuzui? To see through the sins? ¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°That¡¯s an - ambitious name.¡±


    ¡°I dare not attempt to understand and see through all the sins and crimes of the world.¡± Wuzui looked down at the ground before him and sighed: ¡°I can only begin to do so. Mine is a long and arduous quest. And I shall take every step with care and caution.¡±


    ¡°What about your other friends?¡± Marcus took off his jacket and hung it on a wooden clothing rack: ¡°You know - from before?¡±


    ¡°Each person has their own path they must tread alone.¡± Just this moment, Master Liaoran came before them: ¡°Marcus, you look tired. But I am glad the dark clouds are no longer troubling you.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡± Wuzui turned to Master Liaoran and greeted him with a low voice.


    ¡°We have more donors coming.¡± Master Liaoran responded: ¡°Wuzui, go and greet them, while I meet with the detective.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    ¡°When did Bai Gu become your apprentice?¡± While heading into the inner sanctum of the temple where they normally practiced and sparred when there were visitors in the main yard, Marcus asked.


    ¡°About a week ago.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°A really broken young man, tormented by visions and shame of his past. But with a heart of a true seeker of his own path and fate. There¡¯s not many like him. So I took him in.¡±


    ¡°I - can¡¯t say I recognize it.¡± Marcus scratched his head: ¡°I hope the city won¡¯t give you too much trouble - he¡¯s technically still under investigation, and he had a deal with them as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am fully aware of that.¡± Master Liaoran led Marcus to a small table on which sat a teapot and two small cups: ¡°But let¡¯s focus on you, shall we? Like I just said, I¡¯m glad that the dark clouds are no more, yet you still look worried.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I am here to express my gratitude as well.¡± Marcus sat down by the small table after Master Liaoran: ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but I believe your talismans saved me. But - too bad they couldn¡¯t save a perp - ¡±


    ¡°Show me your hand.¡± Master Liaoran poured tea for both of them.


    Marcus put his right forearm on the table, palm facing up, like so many times before. Master Liaoran put his right middle and index fingers on his wrist to feel Marcus¡¯ pulses. A stream of warm Qi flowed into Marcus¡¯ meridians along his forearm, it swept through his skin, his muscles and his bones, then slowly dissipated inside his body.


    ¡°Good.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°Like I told you before, your style, Ferocious Tiger, is one of high affinity for Yang, and not enough for Yin. This means that you will burn through energy more quickly, and you will be more blind and deaf to the environment around you if you¡¯re not paying attention. But looks like your Qi has become more balanced. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was attacked, and stabbed.¡± Marcus sipped his tea, then shook his head, his hand and his hand were both slightly trembling: ¡°I was investigating a case recently, and got ambushed by a group of thugs, two of them practiced martial arts and mastered Qi as well. They used some metal shards laced with poison, then later during the fight one of them stabbed me with a dagger - ¡±


    ¡°Show me the wounds.¡± Master Liaoran put down his cup.


    Marcus stood up and lifted his shirt to show Master Liaoran the thin stab wound on his waist, and around which, one could see weird root-like bumps extending outward from the stab mark. The skin around the wound was ashy and even cracked up.


    ¡°A poisoned and cursed blade. ¡± Master Liaoran nodded with a frown: ¡°Luckily for you, or as fate has a hand in it,  it was very crude, while your Qi is strong, and overly Yang so that they did not take much effect. Now, tell me everything.¡±

 Chapter 25. New Learnings

    ¡°That¡¯s quite an adventure.¡± Master Liaoran patted Marcus on the shoulder: ¡°I am very glad and grateful that you made it out alive. I am proud that you have acted with honor, bravery and wit. And I want you to know this, that man¡¯s unfortunate demise is not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, master.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°But I really wanna know: is my father gonna be okay? And is what I saw - real?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, for I wasn¡¯t there.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°But, it sounds to me that you are somewhat convinced that what you saw was real. If your heart is set on it, then you should go ahead and try to figure it out for yourself.¡±


    ¡°But, master. Can you help me understand this - ¡± Marcus tried to frame his question correctly, not only because he was trying to find the right and complete answer, but also because he was aware of the limitation and restriction imposed upon Master Liaoran by forces unknown to him - he could only provide very limited guidance to others, and he could not speak of anything concerning his undoubtedly complicated and mysterious past. ¡°Is there some kind of curse really cast upon the city? And does 15 years of time mean something special?¡±


    Master Liaoran opened his eyes wider than before, a bright smile appeared on his face, then he slowly uttered his answer: ¡°You know, Marcus, this is the kind of question that¡¯s gonna get you in trouble. And no, I cannot give you a definite answer on this one, not because I am prevented from giving it, but because I have none. I once tried to investigate this, but then a lot of things happened. But here¡¯s the answer I can give you: there are records of Blood Rainbows from the past, and your friend Kevin is right - it¡¯s an omen of bad things to come. And another way to think about it - don¡¯t think of it as just a rainbow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you Master.¡± Marcus nodded and finished his tea: ¡°Shall we begin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and one more thing.¡± Master Liaoran smiled and stood up: ¡°Actually, two more things. First, I gave Wuzui some talismans and told him to share it with the donors and visitors as he sees fit. Go and ask him for some if you¡¯d like. Second, today I am going to teach you something new - I know, I told you that because I am bound by some of my arrangements with other parties, there¡¯s only so much I can share with you. But what I am about to teach you is actually more of a theory about Qi, and some tricks I developed based on it so I believe this would be something I have total control over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s wonderful.¡± Marcus stood up and laid his jacket down: ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡±


    No matter how hard Marcus tried and practiced, he felt that there were still a lot of things he could try to learn from Master Liaoran, and it would probably take a while before he could even get close to where the master was.


    For example, right now he was trying to break Master Liaoran¡¯s defenses with a variety of attacks and tactics, punches, claw attacks and kicks, none of which actually struck true, even just the back of Master Liaoran¡¯s hand or his forearms when he was guarding. This old monk was dodging all of his attacks and tapping him on his back, his waist and his shoulders, reminding him of his weak points and lackings in forming a solid stance.


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    These taps were not strong, nor did they hurt. They just carried small traces of the master¡¯s Qi with them. And with these hits, the Qi seeped into his body and meridians, influencing and guiding Marcus¡¯ own Qi flows.


    ¡°This style of steps I am using is also something I developed.¡± Master Liaoran said as he backed off from the range of Marcus¡¯ consecutive claw attacks: ¡°Try to watch the way I move, Ferocious Tiger Style gives you a lot of explosive power, allowing you to move fast with impact. But it lacks grace and flexibility, and as you progress it will become even harder to control. So, try not to resort to brute force everytime you want to move. ¡±


    ¡°O - okay, let me try.¡± Marcus panted as he stood straight and recovered his poise after missing his attacks for another time. His Qi was almost at its end, and his muscles were burning with exhaustion and sore. The sparing and exercise he just went through was already lighter than before, it was his still lingering injuries that limited his abilities.


    The stab wound left by the ¡°cursed¡± dagger was not deep and no longer imposed the risk of fracturing or bleeding, but its ¡°curse¡± or toxin still made him more vulnerable to fatigue and weariness than usual. Yet, the thought of learning something new gave him some additional energy he did not know he had: ¡°Can you show me once again? Let me try to copy you - ¡±


    ¡°Focus your Qi on your knees, your ankles and your toes, push them gently instead of just stomping the ground. Different parts of your body should coordinate with each other and help you actually glide through the distance you want to traverse, instead of just jumping and hoping for the best.¡± Master Liaoran hopped toward his left side with a light tap against the ground, his body floating in the air slowly as if he was riding the wind. ¡°Remember, just like I told you before about engaging in battle, your Qi should be flowing inside of you, circling every corner of your body.¡±


    Following Master Liaoran¡¯s words and example, Marcus took a deep breath in, then slowly breathed out. His right foot tapped the ground, and let the last drops of his Qi course through his meridians. His body was lifted upwards and slightly to his left, and a very brief moment of clarity and inspiration, but soon it was interrupted by his fall - the soreness in his muscles and numbness of his nerves from his tiredness kicked in and he failed the landing and stumbled.


    Master Liaoran held Marcus¡¯ shoulders before he hit the ground and swiftly lifted him up, then he gently helped Marcus get into a meditation pose: ¡°Keep your mind clear, try to follow the light and let it speak to you.¡±


    Marcus felt that his energy level right now was too low for him to do anything. But it looked like there was nothing he needed to actively do - he felt as if he had fallen asleep and was pulled into a dream. And in this very dream, there was a single source of faint light hanging in the dark night sky in front of him. There was no ground under his feet, he was floating in a vacuum without gravity. Soft and gentle breezes brushed through his skin and floated the loose parts of his clothes in the air. He tried to fixate on the light above him, and though it appeared close, it still felt quite distant and somewhat unintelligible.


    His muscles felt soft and loosened and his entire body felt like it had undergone a thorough massage, because his soreness was suddenly all gone, and he had for a temporary moment fully regained his ability to move.


    The single orb of light in the sky above him shattered, and released more than a dozen more orbs of light around it, sending them into different trajectories. Each of the orb left a shining trail behind as it traversed the tranquil night sky. And before long, he realized that the trails of light all made up for one big graph, one showing some of the major meridians inside a human body.


    When the graph was completed, the orbs disappeared into their trails, all of which were connected with each other. Then, the trails of light started flowing like they were made of liquid, signifying the direction of the flow of Qi inside. It was the flow of Ferocious Tiger Style, one he already memorized by heart. But this graph also showed something dynamic - the flow of Qi had different paces along different meridians, and the concentration of light on different parts of the graph showcased where to focus his Qi on. The concentration and speed of Qi flow was different from what he was used to, yet they indeed presented him something new, and most important of all, functional and sound.


    There seemed to be a vague shadow of a tiger slowly emerging behind the graph. Its eyes got closer and closer. And the closer they got, the brighter they became. Then, as if in a hunt, the shadow of the tiger arched its body, then launched to the side, bounced off something standing vertically, then landed on a spot further in front of it.


    Marcus woke up with a soft gasp, then he found that he was alone in the inner sanctum. With two folded paper talismans placed on the ground before him with a note.

 Chapter 26. Occasions

    ¡°Detective: I was about to head out to buy some things for the temple. If I¡¯m not back when you¡¯re awake, please accept these two talismans as a token of goodwill and gratitude. Be safe and be well. - Wuzui¡±


    Marcus sighed as he folded the note carefully and put it in his inner pocket along with the two folded pieces of talisman. Bai Gu definitely seemed lost when he first met him, and with recent developments, he began to reevaluate how he handled Bai Gu¡¯s case as well. Maybe things seemed to have turned out okay, but as he just learned recently, maybe things could have turned out way worse for everyone.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Master Liaoran came into the inner sanctum, holding an incense burner with one unusually thick and unlit incense stick inside: ¡°It¡¯s quite a long meditation, did you learn something new?¡±


    Marcus sighed then shook his head: ¡°I - I think so, but I need to clear my head and think about it first. Is Wuzui back yet?¡±


    ¡°No, I think he might take a while. It¡¯s not far, just bad roads.¡± Master Liaoran placed the incense burner on a small wooden altar at the far right corner of the room and lit it up: ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I - well, good, actually.¡± Marcus tried moving his arms and legs, and felt that the soreness in his limbs had gone down by quite a bit. But then when he looked out the window, he realized that the sky had gone almost completely dark: ¡°Thank you very much Master, looks like I took way longer than we agreed ¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°Take care, and watch the road when you go back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Master.¡± Marcus was about to go, but was stopped by Master Liaoran.


    ¡°Sorry, detective, one more thing.¡± Master Liaoran handed him a red candle with a thin golden paper strip wrapped around it in a coiling fashion: ¡°When you feel the need to see something, try putting this in a corner that¡¯s furthest away from the door.¡±


    On his way home, Marcus was mostly drowned in his own thoughts about the revelations he might have uncovered from his meditative vision. He did not fully understand it, much less utter its meaning. Yet it seemed to have introduced a slightly different way of utilizing his Qi, one that was less Yang focused, less Shaqi, or in other words less aggression and brute force, and more finesse and acuity. It warranted some experimentation, when he got the chance.


    Marcus¡¯ father was already asleep when Marcus got back home. Again this time, there was dinner already prepared on the table, already sealed by plastic wraps. The sound of regular, peaceful snores was coming from the main bedroom, it sounded like his father was having a good dream.


    Marcus did not reheat the food at all for he worried that the sound of the microwave would wake his father up, also the food was not that cold anyway.


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    .


    After scrubbing and washing the dishes clean as quietly as possible, Marcus gently opened the door to the main bedroom. The dim lamp by the bed flickered a few times as the door creaked, which caused his father to mumble something and turn around in bed. But he was still asleep, with a smile on his face.


    His father''s breathing was steady and slow, with no signs of ailment or illness, not obvious ones, anyway. Marcus hesitated for a moment, then he crouched and sneaked to his father¡¯s bedside and placed his fingers onto his father¡¯s left wrist. He was no Master Liaoran, but he knew a thing or two about using Qi to examine someone¡¯s body - he may not be able to perform any detailed diagnosis, but he could still tell if one was generally healthy or not, especially if one was in a calm state of sleep.


    Marcus¡¯ Qi seeped into his father¡¯s meridians without facing much resistance. It flowed along his father¡¯s entire arm and a small part of his left shoulder before most of it dissipated and a tiny trace of it returned to Marcus. It seemed like his father¡¯s Meridians were relatively clear and uncongested. Again, better than expected, due to his many years of drowning himself in alcohol.


    Marcus thought for a while with Master Liaoran¡¯s candle in hand, but then decided to hold onto it for now. His father seemed happy, and relatively healthy, it would be more prudent to wait and see for now without doing anything to disturb the peace.


    The next morning, the sun was barely up, and Marcus noticed that his father had gone out and left him a note on the dining room table, with hot soy milk, steamed buns and fried donuts - his childhood favorites.


    ¡°I went for a walk. Got you some breakfast, have a good day at work.¡±


    The soymilk was steaming but not too hot for him, and the steamed buns were fresh and puffy. The fried donuts, on the other hand, were a little over-fried and thus too hard and dry for his taste. He could understand why he loved them as a child though - being over fried meant that they were oily and a little crunchy, which seemed to be more pleasant for kids than for adults.


    It was time for another desk-bound day, there were very few new developments in the investigations, yet there was still an endless supply of paperworks. He was looking forward to this day, however, not because of any work related reasons, but because today would be that time of the month when Kevin¡¯s mother cooked him a large box of fried shrimp dumplings, which he usually shared with the rest of the precinct. They were a homey delicacy rarely found in the city, especially in this area.


    ¡°Morning, Detective.¡± Just moments after sitting down by his desk, Kevin¡¯s cheerful voice came, and a small transparent plastic box was placed on Marcus¡¯ desk: ¡°Freshly fried, still hot. Oh, there are a few of them that are made with some crayfish mixed in instead of just shrimp. My suggestion. And feedback totally welcome. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kevin.¡± Marcus laid back on his chair and smiled: ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s gonna taste great. How are you?¡±


    ¡°Good, well, could be better.¡± Kevin shrugged while chewing his dumpling: ¡°The city lab¡¯s giving me all kinds of delay on the results on the bodies of the reparations team. They said it¡¯s due to higher priority cases and test backlog. Even Dr. Flemmings couldn¡¯t rush them for us.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good.¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°What can be more important than this case?¡±


    ¡°I asked, they wouldn¡¯t say.¡± Kevin leaned in a little and lowered his voice: ¡°But you know what I heard? There are some more brutal cases that occured, in the South-Western District, many victims, not that unlike the one we¡¯re looking into here.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, something weird¡¯s going on.¡± Kevin sighed, shaking his head: ¡°You know, I¡¯ve spent some time looking into the 15 year theory and found some really weird cases. But I will need time to confirm everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Thank you.¡± Marcus gave Kevin a thumb up: ¡°Great work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and another thing, unconfirmed.¡± Kevin lowered his voice even further: ¡°They found that Benson kid. Dead as dead can be, but found him.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay, where? And why the secrecy?¡± Marcus opened the box of shrimp and crayfish dumplings Kevin gave him and pulled out his pair of metal chopsticks he brought to the office for this occasion.


    ¡°All crushed and burned to a crisp and packed tightly into the car engine space. Kinda ironic because according to the witnesses in the bars and clubs, he was really into this - ¡±


    ¡°Cai!¡± Captain Ko yelled from the balcony above: ¡°Come on up! Got a new assignment for you.¡±

 Chapter 27. Chaperone

    ¡°Hi Captain Ko, how you¡¯re doing?¡± Marcus walked into the captain¡¯s office and stayed just where the frame of the door was.


    ¡°Sit down. I have an assignment for you.¡± Captain Ko appeared to be quite annoyed, pointing directly at the chair in front of his desk.


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡± Marcus complied and laid back on the chair to appear innocent yet still confident and ready to act on command: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Anything action-packed? Or is there some new breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Neither.¡± Captain Ko sighed and threw a thin folder onto the desk: ¡°Take a look at this file.¡±


    Strange as it was, Marcus still picked the folder up and opened it - it was the file of an officer, one that was young and on the detective track, from the 15th Precinct, which was located in the deeper parts of the South-Western District.


    ¡°This Officer Mick Cramer seemed like quite the young man.¡± Marcus nodded as he read through the final parts of the file: ¡°Three High Commendations, one Medal of Contribution to Local Community. This almost seems like a - well - ¡±


    ¡°A child from a connected family aiming for some kind of path into politics?¡± Captain Ko scoffed: ¡°Yeah, indeed. But as you might be thinking right now - why am I showing you this? Isn¡¯t 15th Precinct the perfect place to stay until this kid makes detective? Well, you see, this particular young officer finds this kind of path too safe and too - arranged. So he requested a transfer to another precinct, one that is more down to earth, which in rich well-connected family talk, means closer to where the actions are at. And guess which precinct is so lucky to have him?¡±


    Marcus almost jolted from his chair, and he immediately started shaking his head: ¡°Wait, captain - I might be desk-bound for now, but I am almost fully recovered, and I am fully caught up with all the investigation - ¡±


    ¡°Too bad, neither Pahaik nor Lance can spare the moment to mentor a new and up-and-coming young detective. And Sai is young as well, too junior to mentor anyone.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°And, to be honest, you are the most qualified detective to do so. I just ran the numbers to confirm it, and I believe my math is correct - you are the one with the highest solve rate on cases, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I thought Keryn was the one with the highest solve rate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, technically, but Lance is not much of a talker, is she? She¡¯s not gonna be a good mentor, at least not now.¡±


    ¡°What about Shrevas? His number couldn¡¯t be that far off, plus he has more experience.¡±


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    ¡°Pahaik is leading the investigation, he can¡¯t be distracted. Neither can Lance.¡± Captain Ko tapped his desk with his knuckles and stared Marcus right in the eye: ¡°Tomorrow will be his first day. He has to go through some onboarding process in the morning so you can meet him at noon. This is an order, don¡¯t screw it up. Got it?¡±


    Marcus sighed and looked up at the ceiling, then reluctantly: ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll babysit. But I want to get off desk duty.¡±


    ¡°Exactly what I had in mind. Bring him along with the investigation, but keep him safe.¡± Captain Ko pulled another folder and started looking through the documents inside: ¡°You¡¯re excused. And, uh, take today off if you need, consider it an additional injury day for taking one for the team.¡±


    Marcus went back to his desk full of frustration, he was almost ready to jump back into the action, and with the experience he had in the past few days, he felt like he was close to finding out the answer to all of this, or at least a lot of useful clues leading up to the final answer.


    After thinking for a short moment, he made a decision. He went to his locker room and the lost and found room to fetch some casual looking clothes, then immediately hopped on a taxi to head to the docks of the Mud River, where he failed to find anything useful last time.


    Because it was early in the morning, the taxi ride only took a little over half an hour. The docks were quite crowded now, with the local farmers and fishermen setting up produce and fresh fish stands and visitors from all over the city. The smell of barbecue fish, crab and shrimp dumplings and the slightly salty smell of raw fish steaks filled the air, and Marcus couldn¡¯t help but go and browse through a few of the stands, and he ended up with a paper bag full of skewered fried fish balls, one plastic bag of fried fish steak, and a paper cup of local rice wine. He needed to blend in with the crowd, he told himself.


    Strolling through the crowd, Marcus gradually approached the place where he laid Sitch. After these few days, the docks were already cleaned up. There weren¡¯t even traces of police tapes blocking the area off. The entire brutal fight and the subsequent occurrence of the Blood Rainbow, which ended up with at least one dead and many injured, now seemed to be well forgotten.


    The corner where Sitch laid and let out his last breath was now occupied by a meek and gentle looking old woman with a hunched back, standing behind a stand selling flowers. Even visiting at an early morning like right now, this was nowhere near a good spot for one to set up a stand.


    ¡°Do you want some flowers, young man?¡± The old woman looked at Marcus with an anticipating look: ¡°See, I have these fresh sunflowers, and roses and lilies, they are fresh off my garden, ones my old husband and I cultivated together with heart. Care to buy some?¡±


    ¡°Do you have Chrysanthemums?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry - but no - ¡± The old woman sighed and shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s hard to get the seeds these days. Rumor has it that they may get banned some day.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a rumor, because it¡¯s almost - ¡± The old woman was almost about to say something, before she shook her head once again and decided to change the subject: ¡°Anyway, do you want to show remembrance of a friend or a family member? I have some white roses and some lilies if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Give me a lily then.¡± Marcus sighed.


    After spending half a dollar on a white lily, Marcus put it down in the corner. Then, he thanked the old woman and moved on to other areas of the docks. After collecting his thoughts and calming the guilt inside him, he focused his Qi in and went into a quasi-meditative state, where his reactions would become slow but his senses would be enhanced so that he could hear and see more clearly.


    ¡°... it happened again, this time in the South-Western District.¡± The faint voice of a worried man creeped into Marcus¡¯ ears: ¡°I - I fear for my family, should we leave the city?¡±


    ¡°Then you should have started saving - the relocation tax is no joke.¡± The voice of another man responded: ¡°If you try now, you may be able to have a down payment after a few months if you work hard. When you have relocated, you can pay from your new place.¡±


    ¡°... it just makes no sense, why do I have to pay taxes for leaving? I swear, this city is sucking everything from us ¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­ be grateful that the community collective negotiated a lower number.¡±


    ¡°... yes, but they raised the prices for protection talismans again - how do we even make it through this?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stick together - and we may have to start hunting in the deep forest if we need to.¡±

 Chapter 28. First Day Trip

    Marcus tried to find the place where this conversation took place. But the direction he ended up looking pointed to a very busy loading area of local farmers, where waves and waves of people just unloaded their produce and then just vacated the area to leave room for others. There could have been more than two rounds of unloads when he reached the area, and the people who made that exchange could have already left.


    Just this moment, a chubby man wearing a strange full body light yellow cloth robe and a white and yellow headband walked through the area with two buff looking men in light gray clothes following him. In this chubby man¡¯s left hand was a bronze bell with a clapper that had red threads dangling below; and in his right was a short sword made of bronze coins bound together by red threads. Marcus had seen a fair share of coin swords, but none was like this - the coins were rusty, and the red threads were darkened and dirty. Poorly maintained, if anything.


    A local clergyman, Marcus surmised, and immediately walked to the side and gently bowed like the rest of the locals and some of the visitors. The local clergymen, who were usually in charge of local temples, were generally well respected by the locals. There are apparently more than 10 of them, Marcus recalled, that represented at least three or four different belief systems and therefore served different gods. And aside from managing the temples, they also had the ability and authorization to dispense talismans and even perform exorcisms and blessings for the locals. Before this week, he would just simply regard it as local tradition and even superstition. But now, he was not so sure. Yet one thing that remained unchanged was his assumption that not all of them were good, and in fact a number of them were quite corrupt.


    ¡°At ease, people.¡± This chubby clergyman smiled and gently rang his bell: ¡°I am just here to offer you my blessing and to cleanse the bad aura lingering in the area due to the unfortunate events that transpired a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± Some of the locals nodded and expressed their gratitude before going back to their normal business.


    ¡°And thank YOU, folks.¡± The chubby clergyman nodded and rang his bell one more time while waving the coin sword sloly in the air: ¡°Be at peace and be busy. I am here to serve and protect all of you.¡±


    ¡°What a pompous ass.¡± Just this moment, Marcus heard the voice of a young woman coming from the side.


    ¡°Yeah, so ignorant.¡± A young man followed.


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t anger the locals.¡± Another young man said with a lowered voice: ¡°They believe him, we better lower our voices.¡±


    Marcus looked over, it was a group of three, all wearing light-colored clothes and glasses with frames that were also in bright and young colors. One of the young men had a backpack with a big logo of a large company in the South-Western District.


    ¡°... let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± The young woman noticed the unfriendly looks coming from the locals around them, and immediately started rushing the two young men.


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    ¡°When are they gonna learn - ¡± They left the docks area with several bags of local snacks and one plastic bag of fresh fish steak.


    This little distraction did not affect the moods of the locals for long, as it took only a few minutes before they continued selling their produce, their fish steaks and their rattan baskets with smiles on their faces. No longer hearing or finding anything interesting, Marcus hopped on a bus heading back to the precinct. The time was still early, and he decided to go back to the precinct to do some paperwork, so that he would not feel that today had been wasted.


    After an afternoon of paperwork, Marcus went home slightly earlier than usual, so that he could spend more time with his father, maybe help him cook before he could start babysitting a newbie, and may end up doing a lot more paperwork and butt wiping than he normally would. Also, he did not believe his father had once tasted the fried shrimp dumpling from Kevin¡¯s mother, so he intended to bring the leftover back so that his father would not decide to eat before him and have no room or appetite for food.


    The dinner was pleasant but short. His father enjoyed the shrimp dumplings. Marcus checked his father¡¯s meridians one more time after he went to bed early like he did ever since he stopped over drinking. It still appeared to him that his father was quite healthy, and there was nothing too worrying. Though he did realize that his father seemed to be going to sleep earlier and earlier each day.


    The next morning, Marcus¡¯ father went out and bought breakfast for him just like he did yesterday.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus sat on his desk and started reading through the newbie¡¯s file, with full attention to detail this time. Mick Cramer, up and coming uniformed officer on a detective track, previously serving in the 15th Precinct, and was quite well decorated. In fact he doubted even the most senior detective of the 17th Precinct, Shrevas Pahaik, would have the same number of commendations as him.


    ¡°Morning, Detective Cai?¡± Shortly after Marcus¡¯ putting down the file of the newbie on the desk, a tall young man with a full head of well groomed blond hair and wearing a slick and meticulous uniform came to his desk: ¡°My name is Mick Cramer.¡±


    ¡°Morning, Officer Cramer.¡± Marcus was genuinely surprised: ¡°Don¡¯t you have some onboarding to do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, most of it is just paperwork, I finished most of them yesterday, so all I have to do today is drop them off, which I just did. So I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Mick Cramer responded, smiling and extending his hand at Marcus.


    Marcus shook hands with this young officer, his grip was strong but the skin on his fingers and palm were smooth and almost callousless.


    ¡°I¡¯m told by Captain Ko that you will be helping me during my transition and show me how things work.¡± Mick Cramer nodded: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. So what¡¯s the plan? What are we doing today?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re looking for action, then today¡¯s not the day.¡± Marcus sighed and stood up: ¡°Go change into civilian clothes, we¡¯re going to the South-Eastern District.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Now Mick Cramer was the one surprised: ¡°I thought we¡¯re going to look into the reparations team - ¡±


    ¡°There are other two detectives actively working on that, and all that¡¯s left for us now is just paperwork. ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Now, unless that is what you want - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono, I wanna come.¡± Mick Cramer immediately threw his cap onto his desk: ¡°Please give me a moment.¡±


    Marcus sighed - he was not exactly expecting Mick to really get down to paperwork and leave him be for the day, yet he had hoped he would, because it would make what he was about to do much easier.


    After less than five minutes, Mick Cramer came out from the locker room, wearing a T-shirt, a pair of knee high jeans and a cap. He had a small backpack with him as well, one with a logo of a semi-famous company in the South-Western District.


    ¡°You look like a tourist, Officer Cramer.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°But good.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Mick.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mick, let¡¯s go. And also, try not to be a cop.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Mick nodded: ¡°What will be our cover story?¡±


    ¡°We will not need a cover story, I¡¯ll just call you Mick, and you¡¯ll call me Marcus. We met at work.¡±

 Chapter 29. Noodle Talks

    ¡°So, uh, Detective Cai?¡± Uncomfortable on the bumpy taxi ride to the South-Eastern District, Mick asked: ¡°Where are we going, specifically?¡±


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Marcus shrugged and chuckled.


    ¡°Well, yeah, I could eat. But why?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t come here very often, do you Mick?¡± Marcus looked out the window as the taxi slowed down before a traffic light and a small group of locals rushed through the crosswalk before the green light was even on.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come here twice, maybe three times.¡± Mick looked out the window, with no intention to hide his curiosity: ¡°But I¡¯ve never been here on duty, so¡­¡±


    ¡°The entire South-Eastern District?¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You know how the parents in South-Western District are. They don¡¯t really like other districts that much, maybe just the central part of the Northern District.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°I¡¯ve spent more time in other cities than the other two districts. Maybe if I joined a technology or import-export company, I would have spent more time in the Northern District, but here? Yeah, maybe only for the occasional volunteer work and cultural touring. Well - at least that¡¯s my parents and their friends.¡±


    ¡°Sounds cozy enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s also boring, and - I don¡¯t know how best to describe this - ¡± Mick looked Marcus in the eye and shrugged: ¡°It¡¯s like everything is coated with sugar, and soap bubbles, you know?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I do.¡± Marcus also shrugged, and opened the door of the taxi when it stopped on the side of the road: ¡°But here¡¯s nothing but down and dirty for you. Hope you have a good stomach.¡±


    ¡°Hey! You forgot the cab fee!¡± When Mick got off the taxi, the driver yelled at him and Marcus: ¡°Pay up! Now!¡±


    ¡°Newbie?¡± Marucs smiled and patted Mick on the shoulder.


    About a five minute walk from where they got off the taxi, Mick followed Marcus into a pedestrian-only street with street vendors and humble snack and street food stands on both sides. This street looked better organized than many others, and much cleaner. And thus there seemed to be more tourists.


    ¡°Where are we heading to?¡± Mick was distracted by the wide variety of food offerings along the street and the homey and spicy smell: ¡°There¡¯s plenty of food here.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit ahead of us.¡± Marcus pointed forward: ¡°The best Noodle in the entire city.¡±


    ¡°Chef Shinzo¡¯s Ramen?¡± Mick asked: ¡°Didn¡¯t know they opened up a new store here.¡±


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    ¡°What? No!¡± Marcus almost laughed out loud as he led Mick into a wooden arch painted red with golden patterns and had red lanterns hanging on the side: ¡°Believe me, long lines and ridiculous prices don¡¯t always mean good food. Here we are - Chef Tang¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Marcus.¡± The middle-aged waitress led Marcus to a booth in the corner: ¡°The usual for you? And what about your friend here?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have a special request.¡± Marcus took out a folded note from his jacket and handed it to the waitress: ¡°It¡¯s a big favor, I know. But I believe it will be mutually beneficial.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll ask the chef.¡± The waitress nodded then turned to Mick: ¡°What about you, young man?¡±


    ¡°And I would like your signature beef hand-pulled noodle soup please.¡± Mick took a look at Marcus and handed the menu back to the waitress.


    ¡°I see, coming right up.¡±


    The waitress went back to the kitchen after pouring them some tea.


    ¡°Okay, so, this will be a doozy of a first day.¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°But here¡¯s my advice: be kind to the people in the South-Eastern District. Yes, our precinct is technically in your district, but the area we¡¯re responsible for spans across the border, and you¡¯ll be dealing with people from different crowds. And as you can tell, this is not just another noodle shop - they dabble in intelligence trading as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh - okay.¡± Mick seemed a little put off: ¡°So - the owner of this restaurant is a CI?¡±


    ¡°No, pretty far from a CI, nor an informant of any kind. But just intelligence dealers.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°I am not their handler, they don¡¯t have handlers. And they are not under our command by any stretch of the definition. The first thing you need to know when working with the local communities here is they have a different relationship to the city than residents of other districts.¡±


    ¡°I understand, is it because of the existence of the community collective?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s BECAUSE they have a different relationship to the city that they have a community collective.¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°Be ready for a world of headache if you think it the other way.¡±


    Mick hesitated, seemingly curious about what was on Marcus¡¯ note but he was not sure if it was a good idea to ask. Just this moment, the waitress came back, with a bowl of beef noodle soup and a bowl of thick soup with tofu, sliced wood ear and egg inside.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Mick¡¯s eyes opened wide as the smell from the noodle soup hit him: ¡°Oh my - this is incredible.¡±


    Yet Marcus looked at the soup with a frown, as he kinda knew what this bowl of soup represented - it was the soup of ¡°closed doors¡±, which meant rejection. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Chef said he doesn¡¯t appreciate dealing with cops like this.¡± The waitress bowed and answered in an apologetic tone: ¡°Especially now, things are a little - complicated. So it is not a time to trade intelligence like this. I¡¯m sorry, Marcus.¡±


    Mick sat straight and said to the waitress with an earnest, almost begging smile: ¡°Can you send a message to the chef, that this is pretty serious, and we would really appreciate it if he¡¯s willing to cooperate with the investigation, it would make the community a lot safer - ¡±


    ¡°Mick, don¡¯t - ¡± Marcus stopped him and turned to the waitress: ¡°What else did he say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just that.¡±


    Marcus sighed and sat back on his chair, then said to the waitress: ¡°Can you tell him this - you know, as he knows, I don¡¯t really care about the politics behind all of this. But I do care about the safety of the people here - especially the children. I was there at the docks that day, and I happened to know that these are not your usual traffickers. They are not trying to trade with some distant barbaric families or some city elites. These are a highly organized and even cultish group, and to combat it effectively we¡¯ll need to work together. At least, give me some lead to trace these crimes.¡±


    The table went silent, and the few noodles between Mick¡¯s chopsticks fell back into the soup.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let him know, please wait for a moment.¡± The waitress turned around and rushed back to the kitchen.


    ¡°Trafficking?¡± Mick asked with a frown on his face: ¡°Not that it¡¯s not important - but I thought we are chasing a lead on the reparations team?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re chasing both.¡± Marcus shook his head, ¡°We¡¯ll make another stop later.¡±


    About ten minutes later, the waitress came back with a plate of fried noodle, and a few pieces of paper - one of which was a page from a mini calendar with some dates circled, and the others were descriptions of missing children: their height, their hair color, eye color, skin color, clothing when last seen and rough age, but their names were redacted.


    ¡°Thank you very much. ¡± Marcus nodded at the waitress: ¡°Please extend my gratitude to Chef Tang.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The waitress responded with a bright smile: ¡°Now, is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°That would be it for now. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Have a nice meal, and please don¡¯t hesitate to call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±

 Chapter 30. Last Stay

    ¡°How was the noodle?¡± Marcus asked Mick when they stepped out of the noodle shop.


    ¡°Good - I think I¡¯ll come back next time.¡± Mick nodded, then chuckled: ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t think my first day with an S.O. would start with an information exchange over noodle soup.¡±


    ¡°Do come back on your own, when you¡¯re not in a rush.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going next? And - what kind of information were you asking that caused the owner to respond like that?¡±


    ¡°I just asked for information about the ongoing kidnapping cases going on here.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And I asked if the owner knew who was responsible for it, either a code name, a street name or the name of a gang. ¡±


    ¡°And why would they be hesitant to give you that information?¡± Mick scratched the side of his face: ¡°Sounds like something they would be happy to let you and the police know - because cases like this are technically under the jurisdiction of the city, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if you go by theory. ¡± Marcus nodded as he led the way to another direction: ¡°But on the other hand, do you know how many of the children snatched were actually found in the past few years? And how many of the kidnappers were actually found in one piece? It¡¯s the most hated crime in the South-Eastern District for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Hated enough for the local community collective to wage war and basically incited mass lynching and murder?¡± Mick sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe everything you read about what happened.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°That¡¯s all I can say. If you read or heard about it when you are in other districts, you would learn very different descriptions about it. It was a chaotic time, a time of grief, sorrow and incredible rage from the local communities. It would be quite dismissive just to categorize the event of as purely out of barbaric savagery.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still - still vigilante justice on a massive and - kinda fucked up scale, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I am in no way defending it.¡± Marcus walked past a few street merchants who tried to sell him food and cheap knockoff clothes: ¡°But, imagine losing your kid and finding him begging on the street with his arms and legs broken beyond repair, all because they didn¡¯t make the cut for adoption by the potential buying families.¡±


    Mick did not respond, and was silent til they made it to a plain house.


    ¡°This is where one of the unfortunate members of the emergency reparations team lived.¡± Marcus explained to Mick: ¡°Doug Evans, for many years remained a loyal employee to S&S Corp, no known enemies, liked keeping a low profile. No known unsavory hobbies and connections aside from light alcoholism.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re interviewing his widow - Emma Evans?¡± Mick recalled from the case files he read.


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    ¡°Correct.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Just a follow up interview to try to see if we can find something new. She didn¡¯t give us much on our previous visits. So, let¡¯s see ¡­¡± He then knocked on the door.


    ¡°Oh - detective - officer.¡± Emma Evans looked like she just had a big cry - her eyes were swollen and red, there were tear marks on her face, and she was sniffling. Behind her, Marcus saw half-packed luggages lying on the ground of the living room.


    ¡°Going somewhere?¡± Marcus asked with a soft voice.


    ¡°I - I need to leave.¡± Emma Evans wiped her nose with her forearm, and new tears poured down her face: ¡°I have to leave, I can¡¯t - even if I have to pay the damn tax, I have to leave - I can¡¯t stay here - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Marcus walked into the living room following Emma Evans: ¡°This is Officer Cramer, he¡¯s helping us with the case. And I hope - we hope, that you can share with us what¡¯s on your mind about it - everything that could help us find the perp and find justice. Don¡¯t hesitate or doubt whether we¡¯ll believe you, try us first.¡±


    Mick took a quick peek at Marcus, and upon seeing that Marcus was being genuine, he turned back to Emma Evans herself. It was not that unusual for the spouse or close family of murder victims to want to move to a new place, but he could count on one hand the ones who want to move almost right after the murder.


    ¡°Uh - um - okay. What - what do you wanna know?¡± Emma Evans wiped her tears with a piece of tissue paper, then asked: ¡°I don¡¯t remember what I told you - sorry - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono, no need to apologize.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°We totally understand - and believe me, we are trying really hard to find out who did it - ¡±


    ¡°We feel for your pain, we know how hard it is to lose a loved one like that.¡± Mick spoke, with an equally soft, but more empathetic voice: ¡°So - whatever you can tell us, will definitely be of great help - ¡±


    ¡°Okay - if you insist - ¡± Emma Evans rubbed her face and sniffled, then she let out a long sigh: ¡°Do you - do you know anything about the Blood Rainbows?¡±


    Marcus could not help but squirm a little, but he quickly collected himself and asked: ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re familiar with it. Can you tell us a little bit more?¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Emma Evans sighed, then hesitated, seemingly struggling trying to find the right description: ¡°It¡¯s um, a rainbow, but smaller, and looks creepier and has only one color: red. I¡¯ve only seen it twice - once from afar, and once slightly closer. But every time I saw it, something happened right after. The first time I saw it, I was still a child. And the second time was about a few weeks ago. And recently, I¡¯ve started to hear more and more about it - how it just appeared in different places of the city, even the places outside of the city, I - ¡±


    ¡°When you said you were a child when you first saw it - ¡± Marcus interrupted Emma Evans: ¡°How many years ago was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh - I don¡¯t - I can¡¯t really remember now. At least twenty years - uh - ¡±


    ¡°Twenty? That long ago?¡± Mick asked, then he took a look at Marcus: ¡°I - I think I¡¯ve heard about Blood Rainbows before, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it - do you know detective?¡±


    ¡°How about thirty? Thirty years ago?¡± Marcus sighed and asked.


    ¡°Hmm - let me see - ¡± Emma Evans counted with her fingers for a moment, then she nodded: ¡°Yeah, yeah, you''re right. It¡¯s almost 30 years - and - ¡±


    ¡°What happened the two times you saw it? If you could tell us, that¡¯d be great.¡± Marcus took out his notepad.


    ¡°Hrm - let me - let me think about it.¡± Emma Evans sniffled and wiped her nose once again: ¡°There was - there was this girl missing, and uh - her whole family found dead in their house, even his little brother. And there was this young boy - he snuck out of his house and they found his hand just outside of a public park. And, and - there was this group of girls that went missing - I remember maybe only a few years back the community patrol found their remains buried under a tree somewhere. ¡±


    ¡°My god.¡± Mick muttered.


    ¡°Can you tell us a little more about what happened last time? The one you saw recently.¡± Marcus wrote down some rough notes on his pad.


    ¡°Um - well - ¡± Emma Evans scratched her head: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know exactly, but - I heard there are children and even young people in their early twenties being taken away and even brutally murdered - ¡±


    ¡°Murdered?¡± Marcus and Mick asked at the same time.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah - ¡± Emma Evans seemed to have become tired just by recalling these pieces of information. But then her body jolted, as it seemed she was just reminded of something, and she stood up: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry officers - I think I might have spoken too much - I - can you leave? I still - still have a lot of things to pack.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Evans, if I may - ¡± Marcus still tried to push some more.


    ¡°GET OUT!¡± Emma Evans raised her voice: ¡°GO!¡±

 Chapter 31. Late Investigation

    ¡°Detective, there¡¯s something I might need some clarifications on.¡± After leaving the residence of Emma Evans, Mick asked after a short moment of silence and hesitation: ¡°What did you ask her about this - this Blood Rainbow? Why not ask her about her husband and the team?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one, she already told us everything she was willing to about her husband and her potential enemies.¡± Marcus sighed and looked up at the gradually gloomy sky: ¡°And I was just trying a different angle.¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s not all you¡¯re asking about, was it?¡± Mick looked at Marcus with a frown: ¡°Detective, you were concerned about something else and you thought you could get some related information out of her, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me? Tell me what it is you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus shook his head, then he added: ¡°At least not right now. ¡±


    ¡°I want to help. That¡¯s why I came here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but there are things you need to know and understand beforehand.¡± Marcus scratched his eyebrows and sighed: ¡°And I mean this with no disrespect. This is the South-Eastern District, things are quite different than they are in yours. You cannot just tell people that you are the police and ask them to cooperate. We¡¯re lucky she¡¯s even willing to speak with us.¡±


    ¡°But we came with good will - ¡±


    ¡°Good will might just be the easiest thing you can offer to try to convince another in this district.¡± Marcus waved his hand and interrupted Mick: ¡°It¡¯s not just that people here hate us because we¡¯re police, they hate us because our badges represent the city.¡±


    ¡°And they hate us more than the corrupt community collective?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And if you want to actually find out any beyond surface level information, you¡¯ll either need to trade, like what I just did; or you¡¯ll have to learn how to walk the thin line between situations. It¡¯s never easy.¡±


    ¡°... thank you, detective.¡± Mick sighed after a short moment: ¡°What should we do next?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we can go back to the precinct but by the time we get back it will be over work hours. You can go home if you want and we can regroup later.¡± Marcus sighed and took a look at the crowded streets: ¡°I¡¯m going back to the precinct, I want to confirm something.¡±


    ¡°Then I am coming with you.¡± Mick nodded: ¡°I know I have a lot to learn, Detective Cai, and I agree with you - if I want to help I need to first understand how things work. So if you want to check on anything, even if it¡¯s just a hunch, please involve me.¡±


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    Marcus stared into Mick¡¯s eyes for a brief moment, his genuinity did not seem fake at all, so he sighed and said: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s catch a bus and see if we can get back sooner.¡±


    ¡°Bus? Wouldn¡¯t a taxi be quicker?¡± Mick smiled and asked with relief.


    ¡°You see, when you¡¯re dealing with this kind of traffic in the South-Eastern District, certain buses might just be slightly faster than taxis.¡±


    And soon the reason was revealed to Mick that the reason buses were the better option was because there were certain paths and roads reserved for buses in the district - though one could still see the occasional asshole drivers that drove into them, the buses were still able to travel through the often jammed traffic somewhat faster than a normal vehicle.


    Still, the bus ride took more than one hour, not to mention both Marcus and Mick had to endure the bad circulation, the sweaty co-passengers and standing side by side by them for extended periods of time. And by the time they got back to the precinct, it was just a few minutes after the end of their shift, and some day shift officers were already on their way out.


    ¡°Detective Cai.¡± Just when Marcus got to his desk, a young and newly enrolled officer came to his desk: ¡°Two men from the community collective came to see you -¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Marcus was just about to sit down, but immediately stood up straight when he heard the officer mention ¡°community collective¡±: ¡°Did they say what for? How long were they here?¡±


    ¡°No, but they did say it¡¯s something important.¡± The officer shook his head: ¡°They just got here about five, six minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Shit, can¡¯t they just call beforehand?¡± Marcus shook his head, beyond annoyed.


    ¡°They said they would wait, and told us not to call you.¡± The officer answered, looking confused and uncertain as to what to do: ¡°And we tried to ask Captain Ko and the other detective - but Captain¡¯s in a meeting, and we couldn¡¯t get a hold of any of the detectives, so we¡¯re not sure what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°.. it¡¯s fine. Okay.¡± Marcus sighed, he was frustrated that none of the officers would have thought to call him directly, but situations like this were always tricky, so he had to stomach the frustration for now and just deal with it.


    ¡°Do you want me to come? Detective?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°No - you stay here and deal with the paperwork. I was off from field work for a while so there are a lot of them plus case files for me to do. Just help me organize them.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment then said: ¡°Try to find cases in the past few decades that mentioned the ¡®Blood Rainbow¡¯. Any witness testimony or interview records, anything related, try and find them to see if there¡¯s any pattern. And, uh - put in a query for the city¡¯s case archive if you can, and let me know what you find. If you are unsure where to start, ask Kevin Loo, our forensic technician.¡±


    ¡°... okay, got it.¡±


    ¡°Gentlemen.¡± Marcus followed the young officer into one of the meeting rooms of the precinct, ¡°Hope I haven¡¯t kept you long, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Detective Cai. Now we finally meet.¡± The investigator who extended his hand first was one that looked slightly older and shorter. The other, younger investigator stood straight and up tight behind him, staring Marcus in the eyes as if he was trying to read something out of him: ¡°My name is Pai Nguyen, and this is my partner Tak Le. We¡¯re investigators from the community collective.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, what brought you here?¡± Marcus shook hands with the older investigator: ¡°If you called earlier, I¡¯d have my reports and documents for you - ¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Pai Nguyen shook his head: ¡°We¡¯re just here to ask you some very simple questions. So no formalities needed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus let out a short and barely noticeable sigh. It was always the ¡°simple questions¡± that turned out to be the hardest to properly answer. He was sure that these investigators would be here eventually, because per the agreement between the city and the South-Eastern District community collective, they were entitled to all information and even secret intelligence regarding any investigation conducted on cases that happened in the district, even cases that were under the city¡¯s jurisdiction. ¡°What do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°First, we would like to know about one Ling Mei.¡± The older agent took out a picture of a woman and showed it to Marcus: ¡°Can you tell me a little about her?¡±


    ¡°I - I actually don¡¯t know.¡± Marcus recognized this woman right away - she was the one who begged him for help while he was in the district about her missing son, and who later seemed to have killed herself. ¡°I tried to help her - but I was not able to the first time we met because I assumed Bulu Wang would have people handle it. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault.¡± Pai Nguyen nodded: ¡°We did try to help her. We are still trying to find her son. Did she say anything to you?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you this as well. What happened?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Pai Nguyen sighed: ¡°All signs point to the theory that it was just suicide.¡±

 Chapter 32. Burnt

    ¡°Suicide?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°This was - too easy, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°It is not your place to judge the findings of the community collective.¡± The younger detective said: ¡°We¡¯re here for your information - ¡±


    ¡°What we mean is - ¡± Pai Nguyen cut his younger colleague off: ¡°We¡¯re still looking into it, that¡¯s why we would like to hear from you. There¡¯s certainly something not right going on. We haven¡¯t ruled out the possibility of foul play. But I¡¯d be lying if I told you there¡¯s any credible lead or evidence supporting this theory.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus sighed. Such was the common affair of the entire city most of the time, unfortunately.


    ¡°We¡¯re also here to learn about what happened at the docks.¡± Pai Nguyen put the picture back into his pocket and asked with a smile: ¡°We issued a query into your official report. But it was - please forgive me when I say this, not very detailed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t really know much about the gangs that ambushed us at the docks. Still don¡¯t.¡± Marcus scratched his nose and said: ¡°And the community collective was already aware of our narcotics investigation involving Mr. Bai Gu.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and thank you very much for the detailed intelligence report, we really appreciate that.¡± Pai Nguyen smiled: ¡°One can see why Mr. Bulu Wang trusts you that much, even for someone who has lived for an extended period of time in our district. How¡¯s your father, by the way?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting better now, thanks for the concern.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°But - what else do you wanna know? I already wrote everything I can recall in the report. So unless there¡¯s other things I missed.¡±


    ¡°This is why we came here in person instead of putting down an official query.¡± Pai Nguyen stared at Marcus with a curious and inquiring look: ¡°When our team cleaned up the bodies at the docks, we found the bodies of one very famous, or infamous member of a local gang. It was one of the Jiao brothers, have you heard of them, detective?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have, but I am not super familiar with them.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°They are infamous because they are, get this - ¡± Pai Nguyen smiled and nodded: ¡°They are martial, they practice a mystic martial art nicknamed the Serpent Style, it¡¯s ferocious, cunning, even to the point of vicious. Not many have survived encounters with them. Not to mention, you know, injuring the man to the point of incapacitated.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you meant.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes for a quick moment, then shrugged: ¡°You know, as police officers we receive regular combat training, so - ¡±


    ¡°Combat training, huh?¡± Pai Nguyen looked around the room, his smile grew wilder: ¡°I gotta say, detective, of all the unregistered martial persons, I¡¯d figure someone that could take care of the Jiao brothers would best be someone that¡¯s friendly, or at least not hostile to our district. But all things considered, I would be lying if I were to say that I am not worried, if such a person is under the employment of the city. Because, as you and I both know - the humble and down to earth people from our district fought long and hard, with blood and tears to be where we are today. And I can¡¯t allow anyone from the city to jeopardize that. Should I be worried?¡±


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    ¡°... no.¡± Marcus thought for a while, then answered after a long sigh: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Pai Nguyen nodded: ¡°And you know, the community collective is always a welcoming place. Unlike the city, run by the greed driven, ruthless barons and those always smiling but forever hateful technology socialites. We are a place of love, shared struggle and faith. So, should the city fail you, the community collective would happily catch those down on their luck, just like we¡¯ve always been.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    The moment Marcus walked out of the room with the two investigators, he was hit with a strange sour, slightly rotten smell. Though it was a big building with not so bad ventilation, the smell was still quite disturbing, especially to Marcus.


    ¡°Who puked?¡± The younger investigator, Tak Le, asked with a heavy frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was me.¡± Mick emerged behind them holding a mop and a bucket, obviously embarrassed: ¡°My apologies - I¡¯ll clean everything up right away.¡±


    ¡°No matter, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± Pai Nguyen took a look at Mick, then nodded and smiled with only his mouth but not his eyes: ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch, detective. Thank you for being a friend to our people.¡±


    ¡°Just doing my job. Thank you gentlemen.¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes followed Mick as he ran over to his desk and cleaned up the floor with a mop and some paper towels. There was an open folder on his desk, one that Kevin Loo liked to use.


    ¡°Ha, detective, that phrase meant very different things coming from different people.¡± Pai Nguyen waved his hand at Tak Le, signaling him to leave the precinct: ¡°Have a good night.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll be in touch.¡± Tak Le nodded at Marcus before he left with Pai Nguyen.


    ¡°What happened there?¡± Marcus walked over to Mick. Then he noticed a picture sitting on the opened folder. It was one of a body - a terribly mangled one, covered in red, brown and black marks and tar, stuffed inside of a tight space among some pipes and machine parts and under a hood.


    ¡°Kevin, uh, Mr. Loo.¡± Mick wretched one more time before continuing with his cleaning: ¡°I asked him for some more files so that I can help you - and he gave me this. He said it was related to a very strange case, so - ¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, Carl Benson?¡± Marcus picked that picture up and examined it closely. This was the body of someone with short hair, and a pair of blue-green eyes, one could barely see that it was a male body due to it being almost crushed into a small cube with one of his hands protruding upward with almost all of its fingers broken. ¡°He¡¯s right, this dude¡¯s really into his car.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°And you - you vomited because of this?¡±


    ¡°... yes.¡± Mick appeared to be more embarrassed and slightly ashamed, ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°... it¡¯s okay.¡± Marcus thought for a short while, then said: ¡°I didn¡¯t handle it as well the first time I saw something like this either.¡±


    ¡°Is this - is it a typical case here?¡±


    ¡°No, thankfully. This one¡¯s quite the gruesome one, even by South-Eastern District standards.¡± Marcus put the picture aside and picked up the entire folder to look at the files, which mentioned some details about several bars Carl Benson went to before this happened. And there was an additional note: ¡°this information was not released to the public yet¡±.


    Checking on other pages of files in the folder, Marcus found more pictures of this poor rich kid, and the further ruined luxury sports car. It was indeed the engine room, right under its rear hood. His body was somehow stuffed into a small gap among the engine parts, obviously with many parts of the body completely broken or crushed.


    According to the preliminary forensic report, judging from the conditions of his skin, it was theorized that his body went through horrendous physical trauma and heat, so much so that all the flesh became thoroughly cooked and there was almost no bodily fluids leaked out. It was only because of the smell did the examiners of evidence realize that there was a body packed into the engine room. A sign of negligence from the evidence handling department, one could argue, but sadly, according to Marcus¡¯ experience, it was not that uncommon, even for semi high profile cases.


    Also, the identity of the dead young woman was found: Lydia Mu, waitress and drink promoter of a nightclub named Emerald Starlight.


    ¡°Okay. Good to hear.¡± Mick sighed and continued with his clean up.


    ¡°Kevin you tricky dude.¡± Marcus thought to himself and shook his head and took a peek at Mick, if this information made it out somehow, then he would need to re-evaluate how much he could trust this young detective-to-be. ¡°Mick, just go home when you¡¯re done. We need to go for some field interviews tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 33. Flaunt

    ¡°Morning, detective!¡± The morning of the second day since Marcus was assigned to partner with Mick, a future detective, he was greeted with an enthusiastic and smiling face the moment he set foot in the precinct.


    ¡°Mick, you¡¯re very - very early.¡± Marcus sighed and then smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just here to tune something, I want to have your paperwork organized as soon as possible. ¡± Mick pointed at a small pile of printed paperwork on his desk, marked and put into different folders: ¡°And yeah - these are the organized files. I chose only the first three pages of each file so that I wouldn¡¯t need to waste paper, but still have enough information for you.¡±


    ¡°You did that with this little time?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s still pretty preliminary - I just used a script my buddy from college wrote to analyze the files.¡± Mick nodded, but then immediately waved his hands : ¡°And no! It doesn¡¯t send the files to any outside place, it just processes the file and does some kind of syntactical analysis and carves out keywords.¡±


    ¡°A script, huh?¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Yeah, I understand. But do talk to me and have someone read that script next time, okay? I know you think this is a faster way to do it, but as your S.O, I and the captain will need to know what¡¯s in it, to make sure it doesn¡¯t constitute a security risk. So, maybe talk to Kevin about this. ¡±


    ¡°Understood, detective.¡± Mick thought for a quick moment, then immediately nodded: ¡°My apologies - we used a version of the script back at my old precinct, but I remember it went through a vetting process as well. Won¡¯t happen next time, and I - I will talk to Mr. Loo next.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of him. He¡¯s just eccentric and a bit of a troll.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the thing we do next, we have a few bars to hit.¡±


    ¡°For the Carl Benson case?¡± Mick sounded confused: ¡°Aren¡¯t we gonna deal with the reparations team case first?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get to that later.¡± Marcus showed Mick a text message, sent to his phone late last night. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we already have Detective Pahaik and Lance dealing with it.¡±


    It was a text from Captain Ko. ¡°Prioritize the Carl Benson case for now, the kid¡¯s parents are making a fuss and are bothering Shervas. Go check it out with the kid. ¡± The text read.


    ¡°The kid?¡± Mick seemed somewhat unhappy about the word.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse Captain Ko.¡± Marcus shook his head and put his phone back into his pocket: ¡°He might not look it, but he¡¯s old as fuck.¡±


    ¡°Really? I was thinking that when I met him.¡± Mick chuckled: ¡°I heard he was on the force for more than two decades, yet he looked - maybe just a little bit over my age.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t ask him how he did that. He hates that question.¡± Marcus tossed the rolled plastic breakfast bag into the bin by his desk: ¡°So, you¡¯re ready? Let¡¯s go and visit a few bars. Then if we have time we will go check out some drug dealer turfs.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mick nodded: ¡°How should we go? Taxi? Bus?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the South-Western District, so I¡¯ll drive.¡± Marcus went into the record room of the precinct - it was still early, so there was no one on duty. But Marcus just took one car key from the wall and wrote his name and current time on the checkout form hanging on the door.


    ¡°Which bars are we going to?¡± Mick asked before Marcus pulled away from the precinct¡¯s parking lot.


    ¡°Here.¡± Marcus handed Mick a piece of note, with five names on there - all of which were of high end or semi-high end nightclubs and bars.


    ¡°We might need to hurry.¡± Mick browsed through the list and drew up a rough route using an app on his phone: ¡°They might be completely closing up for the day soon. Here, use this route, it might be faster.¡±


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    ¡°Thanks.¡± Marcus took a quick look at the route on Mick¡¯s phone, then continued with his driving.


    Marcus only went with part of the route pointed by Mick¡¯s app, for his usual habits and experiences with these roads led him to familiar routes instead of faster ones a couple of times. And eventually he did arrive at the location on the top of the list - the nightclub Emerald Starlight, where the unfortunate young woman Lydia Mu worked, whose body in a red dress was found at the electrical substation.


    ¡°So this is the Emerald Starlight.¡± Marcus looked up at the dark green arch with golden edges, tall semi-transparent dark green glass doors, dark marble stairs and flooring on the entrance. The whole place had a dark green theme echoing its name, and one did not need much clue to tell it was a nightclub of exclusivity and higher class.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been here before?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Once or twice, college parties.¡± Mick scratched his head: ¡°It¡¯s a cool place if you have money to spend - ¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all nightclubs?¡± Marcus smiled and walked right into the front door.


    The floor inside was nowhere as clean and exquisite as the outside. The air reeked of spilled alcohol, vomit, smoke and sweat, Marcus could even smell the after scent of certain narcotics. Aside from glass shards from broken alcohol bottles and glasses, there were marks on the ground that indicated heavy objects being dragged outside, maybe some kind of merchandise, or drunk people. Two cleaners in overalls were cleaning the place up, neither of whom responded to Marcus and Mick.


    ¡°Is this place always like this?¡± Marcus asked Mick.


    ¡°No - at least I don¡¯t remember so.¡± Mick frowned: ¡°Looks like there was a big party here last night - I don¡¯t think people here just break things like this.¡±


    ¡°Gentlemen.¡± Marcus called out to the two cleaners: ¡°We¡¯re officers from the PCPD, may I ask who¡¯s in charge here?¡±


    The cleaners exchanged looks, then both pointed at a door at the back of the central dance floor with a golden plaque. There was nothing written on the plaque, just some flowery and shiny patterns.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Marcus and Mick nodded at the cleaners and walked in.


    ¡°What?!¡± When Marcus and Mick pushed the door open, a man with messy blonde hair in a slightly glistening suit covered in crumbs, alcohol stains and marks of stretches and folds looked up from his table. His eyes were bloodshot, drool was dripping from the corners of his mouth, and there was some kind of light yellow powder on his nose. Mick was almost about to whip out his badge, but Marcus stopped him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, I know this is a terrible time.¡± Marcus raised both his hands barely over his shoulder: ¡°But - we have some questions to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck - who are you? What are you doing here!?¡± The man seemed to have taken a short minute before he realized Marcus and Mick were not his staff. And the moment he realized, he almost jumped out of his chair. His hand started ruffling through his pockets.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Marcus stared right at the man¡¯s red eyes, raised his voice while extending his left palm at the man with his right hand behind his back: ¡°We¡¯re not here to hurt you, but if you keep searching like that, there¡¯ll be no guarantee.¡±


    ¡°Who - who the fuck are you?¡± The man finally calmed down but kept his body at the wall, his body was shaking: ¡°You guys cops?¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to be cops?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes and gently tilted his head.


    ¡°... what do you want?¡± The man let out such a long sigh that almost made him shrink in size.


    ¡°Lydia Mu.¡± Marcus pulled out a picture of the unfortunate young woman and put it on the man¡¯s table, one of her smiling happily in a white dress under a tree: ¡°She was a waitress and drink promoter here. We wanna know - ¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fired.¡± The man shook his head: ¡°She skipped out on work one night and stopped coming in.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°How the fuck should I know?¡± The man shrugged and threw himself back into his comfortable looking chair: ¡°She asked some other girls to send me a fucking message, didn¡¯t even have the courtesy to speak to me face to face. Boy, I was even planning to save her a spot later¡­¡±


    ¡°Save her a spot?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°She wants to sing! ¡± The man spun in his chair with his head resting on the back looking up at the ceiling: ¡°Always bugging me, always - and then just when I finally cleared it with upper management, she ditched work on a Friday night to go drive around with some trust fund prick who just could, not, shut, up, about, his fucking car.¡±


    ¡°What else can you tell us about that night?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°What? Something happened to her?¡± The man looked both Marcus and Mick in the eyes: ¡°What? What?!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, then just dropped the truth on the man¡¯s lap.


    ¡°What?¡± The man shivered: ¡°How? Where? Did that bastard - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡± Marcus¡¯s voice got colder, his eyes even glowed a little: ¡°What do you remember from that night?¡±


    ¡°I - I -¡± The man still wanted to ask something, but the stern and slightly dangerous aura radiating from Marcus got him stumped. Maybe it was because his mind was not in the right state, maybe it was because Marcus¡¯ eyes became too terrifying for him, he eventually relented.


    When Marcus and Mick left the nightclub, they had a pretty clear picture on what happened that night, though not much of it was very useful, and there was barely any guarantee that any of it was accurate.


    According to the man, the night shift manager of Emerald Starlight, the night Lydia Mu left work early, she was driven away by a rich young man, who claimed that he was a fan of her music and would like to ¡°introduce her to his connections and friends in show business.¡± And apparently, when they left, neither the young man nor the unfortunately young woman were in conditions to drive. The sad thing was, there was no security footage to corroborate it, or so the man said, even after some pushing from both of them. ¡°I can¡¯t access the security footage, if you¡¯re cops, just arrest me. I still can¡¯t do it.¡± These were his own words.


    ¡°So, Carl Benson, in a truly South-Western fashion rich kid fashion, tried to pick up a girl with false promises and fake grandeur.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°This part seemed like an open and shut case to me. But - who the fuck killed him? And why? I mean - what do you think, detective?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ask a few of the girls.¡± Marcus thought for a moment, then answered.

 Chapter 34. Corners

    ¡°So, what do you think of that?¡± When they were driving away, Marcus asked.


    ¡°About what, exactly?¡± Mick was busy writing notes on his phone.


    ¡°About that guy.¡± Marcus took a quick look at the rearview mirror: ¡°And about the club and the whole situation.¡±


    ¡°The autopsy report of Lydia Mu said she died of asphyxiation from vomit.¡± Mick thought for a moment then answered: ¡°So - what I am thinking now is a bad combination of speeding and drunkenness killed her. And because she was in a drunken state, she was not able to call for help or anything. Her body was thrown out of the car, without any lashes or bruises from the seatbelt, which means she might have been too drunk to know what was going on, or she could be forced into the car. There was a piece of Carl Benson¡¯s shirt in her hand, which indicates some kind of struggle. The skin fragments under her fingernails were also evidence for that. But the notes by Dr. Ayer Flemmings said the amount is not that high, and there was no blood, and no bruises on the victim¡¯s body that indicate heavy struggle. Combine these with the fact that her blood tested positive for high alcohol concentration, I¡¯d think she struggled a little but was not able to do anything because she was too intoxicated.¡±


    ¡°Okay, good. I was thinking along this line.¡± Marcus nodded:  ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t explain what or who killed Carl Benson.¡± Mick raised his head then looked out the window: ¡°That kind of brutality just screams revenge, but there were almost no signs of struggle at the scene, right? The only clues that there were any third parties there were those footprints, presumably female footprints, but there was nothing else. I don¡¯t understand¡­ I - I don¡¯t mean to question the security of our evidence storage facility, but ¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking someone put the body in after the fact?¡± Marcus let out a few laughs: ¡°Good thinking - we can check the security footage and see. I would say it was probably not that possible, and not because I have that much faith in the security of the evidence storage. But because the report said that the skin, muscles and soft tissues were burnt onto the parts in the engine room. It would be harder for anyone to do that while inside the evidence storage facility because they¡¯d have to deal with the temperature control alerts along with the cameras.¡±


    ¡°I - I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still an angle worth pursuing. Dr. Flemmings and Kevin¡¯s notes said that they thought there was some alcohol based fuel used to burn the body, and not just from engine heat, so revenge seems pretty likely.¡± Marcus checked the blindspots before making a turn: ¡°And if that is the case, we¡¯ll have some serious questions for the Bensons - this would be no ordinary murder.¡±


    ¡°What kind of potential scale are we talking about here?¡± Mick took a look at Marcus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t really care either.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°To be honest, this one just stinks of a permanent cold case - ¡±


    ¡°A Blue Envelope case?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Marcus nodded, then took a surprised look at Mick: ¡°How did you know about Blue Envelope cases? If I remember correctly, it¡¯s the level of information for detectives with five or more years on the force. And mostly need-to-know as well.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s because of my father.¡± Mick shook his head then answered with a tired and annoyed tone: ¡°He, uh, has connections, and he was at some point in charge of aggregating and analyzing some of these cases, so I kinda got some early access to some of the related files. There was actually one in the South-Western District just right before I joined. I¡¯ve always dreamed of solving one.¡±


    ¡°If you want you can talk with Kevin, he¡¯s also keen on looking into some of those.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°But you will have to endure his taste for strange gore and the supernatural.¡±


    ¡°Seems like I will need to get used to it anyway.¡± Mick apparently appeared still embarrassed about the fact that he vomited at the sight of Carl Benson¡¯s body: ¡°But I do have a question about Mr. Loo - is he the only forensic technician in our precinct?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so - our precinct is not as well funded as some other precincts. And we are also on the border of two districts, which means that we are far enough from the central parts of South-Western District to be underfunded, but not deep enough into South-Eastern District to receive special funding, even though we have to deal with crimes in the South-Eastern District and the politics around the community collective just the same. And since the city is basically going through a shortage of forensic talent, Kevin would be the only one for us at the moment. The guy has been doing great work, regardless of his eccentricities - one may argue it¡¯s because of them.¡±


    ¡°If so, why can¡¯t he just apply for a forensic scientist certificate? This way he could expedite lab orders and could even receive stipends from the city - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good in theory and all. But who the fuck has a few hundred dollars lying around for a roughly fifteen to twenty percent pass rate?¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°We did try to pitch in at one point, but he just would not accept it. ¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡± Mick thought for a moment, then wrote something on his phone.


    The apartment building where the young women working for Emerald Starlight was not very far, if on foot it would be around a half an hour to 40-minute walk. With the morning traffic and Marcus¡¯ driving, it was just about 15 minutes.


    This apartment building was just like what Marcus had expected - it looked dirty, cheap and crowded from the outside, and it was indeed dirty, cheap and crowded on the inside. The walkways were cracked, sticky and even reeking of urine in some areas. All the apartment doors had stainless steel frames and see-through outer doors. There were even simple shacks made from plastic wraps, wooden sticks, old towels and old newspapers at the corners of hallways and empty storage areas. There appeared to be people living in these shacks, even though currently they were empty.


    ¡°What the - ¡± Mick looked around in shock: ¡°How could anyone live in a place like this?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just find them.¡± Marcus shook his head, he had some experience visiting de facto slums like this place before, it was never a pleasant experience: ¡°Also, don¡¯t disclose that we¡¯re police unless the situation calls for it. Things could get really hairy if they know.¡±


    The higher up they went, the condition of the environment got slightly better. They were looking for two young women living on the fourth floor, named Tanya Su and Eve Kim, which would most probably be fake or stage names.


    The fourth floor for sure was much cleaner than the three floors below, and somewhat surprisingly, there was no sign of anyone squatting in open areas. And some of the apartment rooms seemed to be empty.


    The creepy yet not strange chilliness came back to Marcus, the same kind of chilliness from the substation scene, and the tunnel below the docks.


    ¡°Careful.¡± Marcus immediately warned Mick while looking around: ¡°This place doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Mick had his hand on his gun holster, but still asked Marcus with a low voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what for sure. But empty apartments and hallways like these typically mean gangs or some kind of drug operations here. Stay sharp.¡± Marcus also had his right hand on his holster while slowly moving forward.


    The apartment they were looking for was 404, a rather unfortunate number by any means. There was no one in the hallway, and it seemed that they could just slowly walk down without any trouble.


    They were starting at 401, then 402, 403. When they almost got to 404, the door opened, and two young men with colorful hair and tattoos on their arms and shoulders strolled out from inside. The young man on the left, with green, blue and red hair on his head, had a metal pipe in his hand; the one on the right, with yellow, orange and red hair on his head, held a long bike chain connected to a metal ball.


    ¡°My my, what have we here?¡± The young man with green and blue hair holding a metal pipe laughed out loud: ¡°Never thought someone would come to our floor like this.¡±


    ¡°What can we help you slick gentlemen with?¡± The young man with yellow and orange hair spun the metal ball with his hand and fingers: ¡°But I¡¯ve gotta tell you, this is no place for classy folks like you.¡±

 Chapter 35. Weasels

    ¡°We''re here to find Tanya Su and Eve Kim.¡± Mick answered: ¡°Do you happen to know where they are?¡±


    ¡°Tanya Su and Eve Kim, huh?¡± The young man with green and blue hair nodded: ¡°Yeah, I might¡¯ve heard of them. What¡¯s their info to you though? You seem too serious and by the book for a place like this. Things work - they work differently here, you know?¡± He spoke while gently rubbing his fingers.


    ¡°Get lost. We have no time for you.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes and was about to push through the two young men.


    ¡°Woah woah woah. ¡± The young man with yellow and orange hair backed off, but still keeping his position, blocking the way of Marcus: ¡°Why the rush, good sir? You know in this part of the building, being rushy and impatient can get you many things, dead being one of them.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where these two young women are or not?¡± Marcus shook his head, still putting some effort into maintaining his patience, while getting prepared to forcefully push these two annoying, slimy fellows to the side: ¡°If not, step to the side we¡¯re not interested in your help.¡±


    ¡°Hey, bro, you think we¡¯d let some outsider talk to us like that?¡± The young man with green and blue hair looked at his friend with orange and yellow hair.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± The young man with orange and yellow hair exchanged looks with his friend, then started spinning his chained metal ball rigorously. And his friend started twirling his metal pipe and made a few gestures of swinging it at Marcus and Mick.


    ¡°Okay, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Mick¡¯s hand on his holster held tighter, and he was about to pull it out any moment, the only thing stopping him from doing so right now was that Marcus still remained in his stance.


    Marcus chuckled and almost laughed out loud: ¡°What the heck, it¡¯d be much easier for all of us if you¡¯d just start with that. Now we¡¯re talking.¡±


    ¡°Clap clap!¡± The two young men fell on their butts with red handprints on their faces. Marcus sent them onto the ground with two lightning fast slaps to their faces. Mick barely saw what Marcus did, all he saw was that Marcus¡¯ hands became blurry for an extremely short moment.


    ¡°Now, will you help us, or will you stay out of our way?¡± Marcus clapped his hands as if he was cleaning up the dust from his palms: ¡°And let¡¯s not forget, we know where they live, so we don¡¯t really need your help that much - ¡±


    ¡°Eve! Tanya! Run!¡± The young man with green and blue hair looked back and yelled.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Marcus exchanged looks with Mick and rushed towards room 404.


    Maybe it was the two young women trying to look out and see what was going on, or maybe it was them already going somewhere, or maybe it was because of some other reason but the door to 404 was actually not locked. And Marcus was able to just pull it open.


    Inside this very small but tidy apartment, they saw two young women standing by the window and ready to climb out of it. One of them had fading dyed blonde hair and had a nose ring, the other had long straight black hair and was wearing a necklace. The entire apartment seemed to have a theme of red, with red threads and knots hung on the walls and ceiling, with some old looking paper talismans in the middle as well.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Mick immediately raised his voice: ¡°We¡¯re not here to hurt you! We¡¯re not here to do anything do you! Please!¡±


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    ¡°Who are you!? Why are you here!?¡± The young woman with long black straight hair was holding a long kitchen knife and pointing it at both Mick and Marcus.


    ¡°Okay, can we calm down a bit first?¡± Marcus raised both his hands and said: ¡°Eve Kim, Tanya Su, right? We¡¯re here to investigate the death of Lydia Mu, but - but we would rather not say who we are out loud right now.¡±


    The two young women looked at each other, then the one with blonde hair and nose ring asked: ¡°What did you do to them?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Our friends.¡±


    ¡°Just a quick slap on the face, nothing they can¡¯t handle.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°We thought they were just local punks, so we bypassed them to get to you. I didn¡¯t know they were your friends, my apologies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Just this moment, the two young men appeared right outside the door, holding their weapons while being alert: ¡°This is a tough dude. But - what are you doing here? Are you cops? You¡¯ve gotta be cops.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus sighed and took out his badge and showed it to the four: ¡°My name is Marcus Cai, I am a detective from the PCPD 17th District. This is Officer Mick Cramer, we¡¯re here to look into the death of one Lydia Mu. We heard that you two used to work with her, so we¡¯re here to ask you a few questions about her - nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± The girl with the blonde hair took at her friend holding the knife at Marcus and Mick: ¡°Tanya, maybe we should tell them¡­¡±


    ¡°... why are you looking into it NOW?¡± Tanya, the girl with long black straight hair stared at Marcus and asked: ¡°Why now? You guys didn¡¯t care at all earlier.¡±


    ¡°We care now. And we¡¯re trying to get to the bottom of it.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°And we will find her justice.¡± Mick nodded with a smile: ¡°We will find out what happened.¡±


    ¡°You already have a conclusion, don¡¯t you?¡± Tanya stared into Marcus¡¯ eyes and said: ¡°You¡¯re just here to confirm it. If so, then let¡¯s hear it. If you¡¯re here just to put more dirt on the cover up, then there¡¯s nothing we can tell you to change your mind.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t really tell you that.¡± Mick frowned, then took a look at Marcus.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, we can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Marcus sighed and nodded: ¡°Can you just tell us what you know? Whether we¡¯re here to do some cover-up, fake interview or real investigation, what do you have to lose either way?¡±


    The two young men squeezed through Marcus and Mick to stand between them and the two young women, still holding their weapons.


    ¡°I could appreciate the loyalty and heroism.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°But it¡¯s just some simple questions, so - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just some simple questions for you, but it could be dangerous for others, for us.¡± Tanya said, her eyes still staring at Marcus.


    ¡°... so you saw Carl Benson taking her away.¡± After a short moment of silence and staring back at Tanya, Marcus sighed and nodded.


    The temperature in the room just dropped by a few degrees, and all four local residents of the apartment complex became instantly on high alert. The two young men, even though knowing that they were no match for Marcus, still held their weapons high pointing at them.


    ¡°And Rick Benson had his people harrassing you, didn''t he?¡± Mick tried asking from another angle.


    ¡°He did. ¡± Eve nodded and answered with a shaking voice: ¡°First is some kind of private investigator, then it¡¯s people driving around watching us - ¡±


    Tanya tried to stop her friend from speaking: ¡°Eve¡­¡±


    ¡°No! Tanya! I don¡¯t see the point!¡± Eve raised her voice, her eyes turned red and her voice almost broke: ¡°If they meant us harm, they wouldn¡¯t even ask these questions! Maybe it¡¯s time we tell someone about this - ¡±


    ¡°My silly girl ¡­ if they work for the Bensons, they could have killed us!¡± Eve sighed, shook her head then held the kitchen knife closer while watching for any potential movement from Marcus and Mick.


    ¡°So it is true. Carl Benson did take her away.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And the Bensons¡¯ sending their goons over would indicate their knowledge of what their son did. And you said there was a private investigator?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± It appeared Marcus¡¯ statement provided the young women with some relief, and they answered at the same time.


    ¡°Is it this guy?¡± Marcus pulled up a picture of Brooklyn Payne, the private investigator said to be hired by the Bensons.


    ¡°Yes.¡± A sense of disgust and fear flashed through Tanya¡¯s face: ¡°He¡¯s the leader of the goons. Following us, watching us and - ¡±


    ¡°We need to leave.¡± Marcus just realized that he and Mick¡¯s entrance might have been noticed by the goons hired by the Bensons: ¡°We should leave together, and then we can go for protective custody - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono, we can¡¯t. ¡± Tanya shook her head: ¡°We can¡¯t. The Bensons have people in the system, we¡¯d be in more danger.¡±


    ¡°I suspect they might have seen us when we came in. If they did, then you¡¯ll be in greater danger.¡± Marcus insisted.


    ¡°No, no.¡± The young man with green and blue hair said: ¡°They saw cops come here before. We¡¯d be fine.¡±


    ¡°Plus. That private investigator is afraid to set foot in here.¡± The young man with orange and yellow hair snickered: ¡°Who would have thought, a superstitious goon?¡±


    ¡°Please, we insist.¡± Mick said: ¡°I know you have your concerns, we can assign someone we trust to keep an eye on your, or just transfer you to a safer place - ¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t feel safe anywhere else.¡± Eve shook her head.


    ¡°... okay, fine. We can check back here from time to time. We¡¯ll keep in touch¡± Marcus relented and turned to Mick: ¡°We¡¯d better leave now and discretely.¡±

 Chapter 36. Superstition

    ¡°What¡¯s with this floor? And why would a slimy PI like Brooklyn Payne back off from this place?¡± When they left Apartment 404 and headed towards the direction of the backdoor, Mick asked Marcus: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s not gonna be just the number four, right?¡±


    ¡°Beats me as well. I know that Brooklyn Payn was superstitious, but he¡¯s also quite a dedicated stalker when he really sets his mind on it.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw as he gradually lowered the concentration of Qi around the exterior of his body, and at the same time, he tried to suppress the aggressiveness of his Qi like he practiced a few times before after that long meditation at Master Liaoran¡¯s.


    The air grew colder, and the surroundings became slightly but still noticeably dimmer when Marcus went into this state. He looked around trying to see what difference this would make, but all he saw was Tanya, the girl with long straight black hair, running towards him and Mick, without a kitchen knife in her hand.


    ¡°Detectives, wait!¡± Tanya called out to them just when they reached the door to the safety exit: ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Mick smiled and took a look at Marcus: ¡°We can spare a quick minute, right detective?¡±


    Marcus shrugged. If he had to voice his opinion, he would still urge them to go into police protective custody. He understood why they would not feel safe, but all things considered, it still seemed like a safer choice under the circumstances.


    ¡°We DID see Lydia going away with the guy - Carl Benson.¡± Tanya spoke with a sense of rush, and her facial expression told both Mick and Marcus that she was not as calm and collected as before while she was in her apartment: ¡°He spent a lot of money, bought a lot of booze, talked shit to almost everyone, just being loud and obnoxious about his new car with his friends. Then he got Lydia drunk and left with her. We tried to stop it, but there are too many of them, and even our manager did not want to piss him off - ¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Marcus nodded, it was always nice that a theory could be corroborated from multiple angles, though he was still worried if there was no physical proof of some kind: ¡°Would you be willing to testify this? And do you happen to know if there was security footage of what happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s footage. As far as I know, even the managers don¡¯t have access to it.¡± Tanya shook her head: ¡°But yes, when you can put the Bensons on trial, or when you¡¯re ready to show the world the truth, I promise you now I will be there to testify.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Leave now, before it gets late.¡± Tanya looked at the sky: ¡°You¡¯d think it¡¯s still early, but it¡¯s already kinda late here. And you don¡¯t wanna be wandering on this floor when it¡¯s late. There¡¯s a reason this floor is mostly unoccupied.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Mick couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I know that you cops don¡¯t usually talk about this, or you may not even know this, because you work for the city, and people who work for the city, especially cops have a certain kind of - aura.¡± Tanya shook her head: ¡°But there¡¯s something lurking here, on this very floor. And it could mean great trouble if you¡¯re not careful. Those who could have already fled.¡±


    ¡°But, why don¡¯t you leave?¡± Mick scratched his head.


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    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± Tanya stared at Mick as if he just uttered the most foolish thing, and she instantly lost all desire to say anything more: ¡°Go now. Don¡¯t come back here unless you¡¯ve found something or ready to bring down the fucking Bensons.¡± Then she just turned around and ran back to apartment 404.


    ¡°What - what¡¯d I say?¡± Mick looked at Marcus.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go first.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And keep it low profile.¡±


    Both of them made it back to their car after going out the building through the back door and circling around the neighborhood. Both of them were reasonably certain that they did not catch the attention of any unsavory folks. Because neither saw anyone keeping eyes on them. After settling down, Mick finally mustered up the courage to ask Marcus: ¡°¡°What did she mean by a certain aura?¡± ¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Perhaps she¡¯s had bad experiences dealing with cops. Who hasn¡¯t at some point in their lives.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°She was referring to something specific. And what do you think she meant by ¡®something lurking¡¯ on that floor?¡±


    ¡°The red threads and talismans in their apartment should tell you enough.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Spirits? Or ¡®the unclean¡¯?¡± Mick shrugged: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know. I mean. I guess it¡¯s pretty textbook that people in danger and in these - these challenging and distress-inducing environment, believing in the supernatural could be a way to cope with hardships - ¡±


    ¡°What is the most gruesome case you¡¯ve dealt with?¡± Marcus thought for a short moment and asked: ¡°Not including Carl Benson, before you came to the 17th Precinct.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Mick appeared to be slightly embarrassed, and finally gave an answer after about one minute of silence: ¡°... yeah, I¡¯ve encountered a case, where a mother kinda went crazy and drugged then burned her entire family. Including her husband and three children.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay, I remember that case, about three years ago right¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°How¡¯d she end up?¡±


    ¡°Insanity plea, probably out in a few years.¡± Mick sighed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus nodded and went silent, then just after he made a turn at a local crossroads, he told Mick: ¡°During my first year as detective, Detective Pahaik and I were handed a case that eventually became a Blue Envelope. It was on the edge of South-Western District as well, close to the rails. Three men missing for over a month and nowhere to be found. Finally pieces of them were discovered, wrapped in plastic bags shoved in the water towers. There were almost no suspects for the case. The only suspects, if you ignore the fact that they were dead, were the victims themselves - all three of them had a well known grudge against each other. They had no other enemies aside from those who died with them.¡±


    Mick shivered. Then he sighed and did not say a word even after Marcus had parked the car at another bar in the general area - the second place they came to check out, one of the many places Carl Benson went to before the accident.


    Basically the same story, just repeated at different places: Carl Benson went to a bar or a nightclub, flaunted his car and his money and tried to get lucky, but he had no luck nor patience. So he left, angry, rowdy and more drunk. It appeared that the Emerald Starlight was the final spot precisely because he was able to ¡°score¡±. And it was because of this unfortunate turn of events that led to the accident.


    Not all of these places were as uncooperative as the Emerald Starlight, three of the nightclubs actually showed Marcus and Mick their security footage. But it was for a good reason, the footage showed basically nothing, just that Carl Benson remained at the bar for a bit, tried to hit on a few girls and got turned down, then eventually left. Mick became a bit quieter this time, and Marcus was thinking maybe his question about his most brutal case was indeed too harsh.


    By the time they finished their visits and interviews, the time was already late. When they got back to the precinct, most of the officers on day shift were already gone. Aside from Kevin, who was lying on a table, reading a piece of report with a picture on it.


    ¡°Hi Kevin, what¡¯s happening?¡± Marcus threw his jacket onto the back of his chair.


    ¡°Weird shit.¡± Kevin sat up, his eyes slightly bloodshot and there were visible bags under his eyes: ¡°I don¡¯t think normal Blue Envelopes are gonna cut it. I¡¯m entertaining that the emergency reparations team and Carl Benson are connected - somehow. I just need to figure out why.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me your theory?¡± Marcus smiled and went into the kitchen to grab a coffee mug and some snacks, then tossed Mick a nut bar.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m allergic.¡± Mick scratched his head, then put the bar back and picked out a piece of dark chocolate after checking its ingredients: ¡°Why are you still here, Kevin?¡±


    ¡°Evidence doesn¡¯t sleep.¡± Kevin took a bag of gummy worms and bears from Marcus: ¡°Shrevas and Keryn were busting their butts off, yet there¡¯s still no meaningful leads. I just want to help. How¡¯s your case with Carl Benson?¡±


    ¡°Not good.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°The guy hit a few bars trying to pick up girls, then finally landed with the poor girl. And was very likely driving while drunk.¡±


    ¡°Carl Benson¡¯s parents hired Brooklyn Payne.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And that slimebag¡¯s watching the two young women¡¯s place with his goons. The girls used to work with the victim and may know quite a few things. I am going to ask Captain Ko for some help on this.¡±


    ¡°Did they even want our help?¡± Kevin chewed on his gummy worm while his eyes were fixated on the report.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡±

 Chapter 37. Shadow of Closer

    ¡°So it¡¯s gonna be real-tricky then.¡± Kevin flipped back a few pages of his report and frowned even harder: ¡°Okay, folks. Do you know anything about electrical substations?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a little bit.¡± Mick shrugged as Marcus shook his head: ¡°What do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Okay, here¡¯s what I found - ¡± Kevin pulled out an empty page from the report and started writing on it: ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been tracking some other cases in the city as well. And there was recently a surge of violent crimes, almost all homicides, even in South-Western District. And here¡¯s the weird part - a lot of them seemed to coincide with damages to local electrical substations.¡±


    ¡°That - I don¡¯t really know anything about that.¡± Mick raised his brows: ¡°But it sounded like an unfortunate coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and do you know if our substations are special? You know, compared to the substations from other cities?¡± Kevin turned and looked Mick in the eyes.


    ¡°Well, I have a couple of college buddies who have family members that are higher up execs in these electrical companies. They were quite proud of the ¡®revolutionary infrastructure¡¯ of our city¡¯s electric grid system.¡± Mick thought for a while, then answered: ¡°Apparently they had some kind of high tech and extra sturdy transformers deployed in those substations. And they are not deployed anywhere outside of the city because it was a collective trade secret of the entire city. That¡¯s about it, I don¡¯t know any further details though.¡±


    ¡°Special transformers, hmm¡­¡± Kevin scratched his jaw, then sighed: ¡°Yeah, enough about me. How¡¯s your investigation otherwise? Any leads aside from having to deal with Brooklyn Payne?¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Marcus tried to formulate his thoughts and pose a few not so orthordox questions. But before he could do it, Mick¡¯s cell phone rang and interrupted him.


    ¡°Sorry, I need to take this.¡± Mick took a look at his phone, then went out of the precinct to take this call.


    ¡°Okay, while Mick is away. Kevin, here¡¯s where I would like your semi-professional opinion again.¡± Marcus took a quick look at Mick then turned to Kevin: ¡°I know - I don¡¯t usually talk to you or anyone about this kind of stuff. But let me ask a hypothetical question first: is it true that according to legend, if a woman dies wearing red, she¡¯ll turn into a vengeful spirit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, according to legend. But I¡¯ve gotta ask - is there something that led you to approach the case this way?¡± Kevin nodded, but then asked Marcus with a frown: ¡°You know, I for one am glad that we could see more eye to eye on this, but there¡¯s no way Captain Ko would go along with this theory.¡±


    ¡°Nonono, I am not planning on it.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°I want to find out the truth first, and then we can think about how to handle the Bensons. And if we¡¯re going by the testaments of the people Mick and I interviewed today, things looked pretty bad for our rich boy Carl. Before he got in that car and probably started driving drunk with Lydia Mu, he actually hit several bars trying to pick up girls. From what the girl¡¯s coworkers told us, he might have lied to take the victim with him. And they were likely both drunk at the time of death.¡±


    ¡°She was indeed drunk.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°The autopsy did find signs of her being intoxicated - she died of asphyxiation due to vomit. So - let¡¯s say, if things did you as you suspected - ¡±


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    The lights in the officer flickered a few times. Both Kevin and Marcus stopped for a moment and looked around, but there was nothing anywhere.


    ¡°She killed him, because she was wearing a red dress.¡± Marcus scratched his forehead, then sighed: ¡°But the main reason was that he lied, got her drunk, probably and very likely took advantage of her, and eventually got her killed. The burning of him was actually some kind of just desert, because Carl Benson was, according to multiple witnesses, very boastful about this new car.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve gotta say I¡¯m liking this new Marcus.¡± Kevin smiled: ¡°That sounded - actually pretty likely. ¡±


    The lights in the precinct flickered some more, and a gust of cold wind came out of nowhere and blew through them. A faint weep came from the inner parts of the precinct. Marcus immediately jumped up and stood before Kevin with his Qi coursing through his meridians and concentrated on his eyes and ears. This would not be like the last time, he promised himself.


    The world grew dimmer in Marcus¡¯s sight, yet this time, he actually saw things that were not there before, things he never saw before, things he still had doubts about, but of which he had become more accepting.


    The lights in the hall leading towards the evidence rooms flickered the most. Some kind of dark mist flowed from the inner rooms. At the end of the hall, a shadow started to emerge. And as the shadow gradually took shape, the hairs on the back of Marcus¡¯ neck stood up straight and he could feel the chills radiating from his extremities throughout his entire body.


    This was the shadow of a young woman, in a dress that was literally dripping red. Pools of blood formed as more and more droplets of blood fell from her dress. Marks of tears of blood crawled down on her face, originating from her eyes, and ending at the edges of her chin. Marcus¡¯s hands clenched tight as he stared at this shadow right at the eyes. Yes, it looked just like Lydia Mu, but there was no way he could if this shadow harbored ill will.


    After a short while, seemingly all of a sudden, white spots started appearing on her dress, not many, but visible. When Marcus was staring at the shadow, the shadow was also staring back at him and Kevin as well. Before long, the lights flickered once again, and for but one extremely quick instant, Marcus saw something wrapped around the shadow¡¯s left arm and wrist, then violently pulled her away.


    ¡°Marcus?¡± Kevin asked from behind him with a curious and worried voice: ¡°Wha - what happened?¡±


    The lights stopped flickering, and Marcus felt that the back of his shirt was wet from his cold sweat.


    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Marcus asked, still looking around just in case something else would appear.


    ¡°See what?¡± Kevin appeared confused, then his eyes lit up: ¡°What did you see? Did something just happen?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Just this moment, Mick came back into the precinct after taking his call.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus quickly gathered himself, then turned to Kevin: ¡°So, Kevin, when you have time, please continue looking into the things I mentioned to you last time. To be honest, I am still unclear what I saw, but I¡¯ll come back and explain everything, okay? I need to check on something.¡±


    ¡°Detective, do you want me to come with you?¡± Mick asked, confused but slightly embarrassed: ¡°I can¡¯t if it¡¯s too far, I¡¯ve gotta ¡­¡±


    ¡°No need, I need to go in alone.¡± Marcus opened up his drawers and shuffled through some files before he pulled up a map with Kevin¡¯s drawings on it: ¡°Kevin, if you are working here til late, be sure to prep more of those talismans, okay?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°Okay, let me know if you need some technical support.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later!¡± Marcus picked up the squad car keys again and ran towards the garage. On his way, he sent a quick message to his father, informing him that he would be late tonight again and there would be no need to wait for him.


    The map he had in his hand was from more than a month ago at this point, it was one that was marked by Kevin. The marked area on the map, was the old turf of Bai Gu, the ¡°junior¡± drug dealer of one of the crews under the local drug lord Carl Strong. Per his knowledge, that area should be abandoned right now due to some of the recent crackdowns from the city police forces, which would be beneficial for what he was about to do. Visiting an unsafe area at this time of day was not a good idea, but he could not help the urge to check the area out and could not wait till next morning. Bai Gu cried about a woman wanting to kill him, he did not believe him then. But right now he just wanted to try and see for himself.


    One good thing about this time of day, at least to Marcus, was that traffic everywhere had mostly subsided. The drive was only about half an hour, and he was able to reach the area before the sun completely went down.


    Under the dimming orange and red clouds, Marcus parked the squad car in a relatively secure corner away from the actual turf, then walked to the area and started looking around.


    If it was before, Marcus would have no idea what to look for or even where to start. But now that his Qi controlling technique proved effective, he could revisit everything with literally a fresh new perspective.

 Chapter 38. Buried and Hidden (Pt.1)

    With his Qi concentrated once again, the surroundings started getting darker just as Marcus expected. But as he looked around him, he found that he might have made a gross miscalculation - he was expecting some barely noticeable traces of ¡°the unclean¡± before he came here, but the moment the surroundings dimmed as the sun went down, he was almost shocked by what he saw.


    Dark mist lingering in the air, not dissipating, barely flowing along with the wind, like ribbons or tendrils made of grouped particles. Hand prints seemingly made of some kind of mud and dirt appeared on the trees and buildings on both sides of the road. And most worrying, even terrifying of all, were the human-shaped shadows hanging on or dangling from some of the trees at a distance from him. He did not get a clear look at those shadows, nor did he want to - he had a weird instinctual perception, that if he fixated his sight on them for too long, they would notice him as well.


    Marcus took a quick look at the map and looked around for street signs - he needed to confirm the area in which Bai Gu operated first, then he could possibly find out where Bai Gu got the attention of ¡°her¡± and needed a room full of talismans to protect himself.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and had his eye on a run-down house to his left. According to the markings made by Kevin, this would be the center of Bai Gu¡¯s area, which at maximum would not extend beyond this very block. He expected the area to be relatively empty, for Bai Gu was only a new dealer and he could only get the less lucrative areas first. Lucky for him, he saw only some handprints on the walls and grass around the house, and there were no human-shaped shadows from where he could see. At this point he could pretty much conclude that Bai Gu was an unlucky new guy set up by his gang and thrown to a bad turf.


    Nevertheless, he remained cautious when he approached the house. The windows to the house were almost all broken, the front door was dangling on the upper hinge, good indications that the house was completely abandoned and empty.


    Marcus looked around once again, then peeked into the house before he went in. The inside of the house still felt empty, there was a lot of garbage and waste on the floor, and signs of termite infestation all over the walls and ceiling. The wooden floorboards creaked as he set foot on them, even when he used his Qi to lighten his footsteps.


    The interior of the house was not as dark, probably due to the broken windows and a hole on the side of the ceiling that allowed some moonlight to come in. The sun had set at this point, and the glow in the clouds mostly faded away. The moon hung high in the sky and chilly breezes blew through the windows and door.


    Marcus turned on his flashlight to look around - there were more handprints inside the house than it was outside, and he could see the tendril-like dark mist floating inside. Though ominous and chilling, he could not see anything that was imminently dangerous, nor could he find anything that could point directly to the reasons as to why Bai Gu was haunted.


    The living room, just like Marcus expected, was quite a mess. Empty boxes and plastic bags everywhere. There was one slipper covered in dust, some tinfoil, and some broken off wood panels on the kitchen floor. The backdoor was visible from the living room leading right to the backyard.


    Step by step, Marcus walked out of the backdoor and came face to face with a tree. The reason for this, was that the short, dark, crooked tree in the middle of the backyard had a face carved on its thick trunk. It was the face of a crying man with five horns scattered on his forehead. There were two dark tear marks on this man¡¯s face, which from afar seemed to be the result of concentrated weathering and corruption instead of deliberately drawn or carved on; the five horns, when Marcus came slightly closer, appeared to be some kind of really new offshoots.


    Though somewhat demonic looking, Marcus did not see much if any dark mist around the tree and the face carving. So he inched closer and closer towards the tree, while evading all the dark mist tendrils in the air.


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    There was very limited lighting around him, and he could not shake the feeling that there was something curious about this tree - it was not just the face carving, but also the dark and somehow smooth looking, barkless surface. There were absolutely no leaves on the branches, maybe some former residents or occupying dealers peeled off the tree barks and killed it?


    There were absolutely no signs of anyone around. And from the backyard, Marcus just noticed, even the neighboring houses did not have lights on, and the only one that had their lights on was an unfinished looking three-storey concrete building about one block away. Was the entire neighborhood emptied out at this point? Marcus shook his head, this might be another item for further investigation.


    Marcus got to about an arm¡¯s length away from the tree, and the beam from the flashlight shone upon the surface of the tree and the face carving once again. He finally got a clear look at what contributed to the smooth look of the tree - it was not that its bark was peeled off, but instead had a thick, dark layer covering its body. And on top of that, the layer was not still, but moving - like some kind of alien entity, slowly moving from low to high, from the roots to the crown.


    ¡°Shit.¡± An immense sense of danger exploded from his stomach, Marcus immediately started backing away. But it turned out too late, as he felt that his attention and his gaze had triggered something and put it into a state of alert.


    ¡°Crack, crack¡± The face carving on the trunk of the tree moved and turned, and the darkened eyes on the crying face seemed to have focused on Marcus. The next moment, the black outer layer of the tree opened up from the position of the face carving like it was a curtain of black waterfall being divided from the middle, exposing a hollow trunk hidden underneath. The face carving had a body, a crooked root-like wooden humanoid body, with two long arms, the right even longer than the left; the left hand had a bigger wrist and thicker fingers while the right hand had three long and sharp claws.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Without much thinking, Marcus immediately backed into the abandoned house behind him. But before he could go very far, the monster had already let out a high pitched, echoey and multi-toned sharp scream and lunged at him. Without breaking a sweat, it broke through the already fragile wooden wall. Debris, dust and broken paint burst everywhere from the hole made by the its entrance.


    Marcus might be surprised, but he was pretty far from being in a state of panic, and the moment the monster burst into the room, he took advantage of the element of surprise and unleashed a quick kick against the monster¡¯s wooden waist.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The wooden monster stumbled back a few steps, then swung its right arm aiming at Marcus¡¯ head.


    Marcus lowered his body and backed off some more, in an attempt to gain more distance between him and the monster. Another giant chunk was missing from the wall due to this wooden monster¡¯s attack, and Marcus unfortunately found himself pushed into a corner in the abandoned living room.


    The monster screeched one more time and swung its relatively shorter but thicker left claw at Marcus. Marcus took a quick step forward with his Qi more activated and battle ready. He grabbed the monster¡¯s left arm to stop its attack. Before it could do another move, he launched another more forceful kick onto the monster¡¯s lower abdomen.


    The monster was thrown backwards and its arched back went through the wall. But it still pulled its left claw closer to Marcus in mid air. Its sharp nails tore through Marcus¡¯ clothes and left a claw mark on his left shoulder.


    Marcus gasped in pain, and immediately concentrated a big portion of his Qi on the three gashes, trying to push some of the possible toxins out. His instinct proved correct - a numbing yet simultaneously burning sensation started gradually seeping from the wounds to his entire left arm and even his chest and neck. It was halted and pushed back in time by his Qi. Dark blood was pushed out through his wound and stained both his clothes and the floor.


    The monster screeched and broke away from the broken wall, while Marcus ran towards the front door with his left hand reaching into his pockets inside of his jacket - the two talismans from Wuzui, or Bai Gu, he had had them with him at all times since they met in the Temple of Forgetfulness.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± Somehow, as the wooden monster tore down the walls in the house, it spoke with a voice that had multiple tones, some higher, some lower, some female sounding and some male sounding: ¡°You can¡¯t escape me!¡±


    ¡°Crack!¡± The wooden monster burst through at least two walls and landed on the ground outside right beside the main roa. Yet it was not able to see Marcus anywhere.


    ¡°Bang!¡± A bullet landed on its back, splinters flew and several chunks of thick, liquid dripping wood was ripped from its already slender body. Before it was able to stabilize its body from the impact, its wooden legs were hit with a sweeping kick from behind, fully infused with Qi.


    The monster almost face planted on the cracked concrete floor, its head turned 180 degrees to stare back at Marcus. But its sight was promptly blocked by two paper talismans, delivered with a palm strike full of Qi.


    The monster¡¯s head and then the entire wooden body shook violently as if there was a motor inside it. Orange and red light crawled from its forehead towards the rest of its body, like a wooden log exposed to high heat. As the orange and red light covered more parts of its body, the more violent it shook.


    Marcus jumped back while having his eyes on the monster. Countless cries and moans gushed from the burning wooden monster, and they eventually stopped when it completely went up in flames. Something inside of the monster exploded, tearing it apart.


    Marcus sat on the ground, panting and tried to relax. But out of nowhere, he felt something pulling his jacket, his pants and his collar.

 Chapter 39. Buried and Hidden (Pt.2)

    Marcus turned his head to his left, his exhales turned into puffs of fog. Pale, eyeless and lipless faces growled at him. Boney fingers with nary an intact piece of flesh on them held his clothes tighter and closer. Marcus felt a jolt of disgust in his stomach, the hairs on his back bristled and his skin crawled at the sight of moss, moldy leaves and fungi in these faces¡¯ eye sockets and nostril holes.


    With a heavy thud, Marcus launched himself from the ground and stood on his feet. The slender humanoid creatures that emerged from the ground were blasted away by a forceful burst of Qi originated from Marcus¡¯ body, some even dissipated into dust and cinder just upon impact.


    Tens if not hundreds of curses and screeches came from the general direction of the tree behind the house and the ground under it. More and more of these eyeless, seemingly incorporeal humanoid creatures burst out from the dirt and wooden floors. Their flesh was rotten, their bones were covered in mold and even fungi, and their spines and rib bones on their backs were tied up by some kind of dark ropes and chains, connecting them to something deeper underground.


    Three of these creatures closest to Marcus lunged at him from the ground, but they were met with Marcus¡¯ fist infused with his Ferocious Tiger Qi. A small crater appeared on the ground as the energy concentrated on the fist exploded. They were instantly obliterated with one hit. Marcus still felt that this strike had hit nothing but air, and even though the creatures were turned to ashes. More of them still flooded toward him like hungry ants out of their nest crawling towards him, howling, crying.


    There was no other choice but to run towards the squad car and get ready to drive away. While he was running, more of these creatures appeared from the empty buildings and dark corners on both sides of the road and tried to overwhelm him from his flank. He had no talismans left, and his Qi was being expended in an absolutely unsustainable way. He needed to go to some place where he would be safe from them, and at the same time would not bring these creatures upon others.


    When he got into the squad car, a humanoid creature leapt out with its arms extended forward from the passenger¡¯s seat. It took a bite out of Marcus¡¯ left forearm before he bashed its head into ash. The bite mark felt cold, the skin seemed to go dry and cracked up and quickly became itchy like many mosquito bites piled together.


    Marcus tried to get the car started - luckily it worked, and immediately began driving towards the Temple of Forgetfulness. The creatures were many, but their speed was still lacking.


    Marcus kept accelerating even though the horde of creatures were already quite far behind him. The lingering sense of danger told him that he was still not safe, not until he got to Master Liaoran.


    He might have sped a little along the way, but luckily, there were no officers on the road watching for traffic, nor were there traffic cams or much traffic to be careful about. It did not take long before he reached the main road, where he could speed up even further.


    The road ahead was wide and empty, he could finally relax a little. After letting out a long exhale, he took another look at the rearview mirror, just to make sure that the horde of humanoid creatures were far enough behind him.


    It was a move he should not have made, one that almost caused him to swerve out of the road and crash - just with this quick peek, he saw that his back seats were somehow occupied. Four pale individuals were sitting there, without any hint of flesh and blood or any sign of them being breathing, living beings on their faces. Instead, spider web-like veins were crawling all over their faces and other areas of exposed skin. Aside from their raggedy clothes, there were dark branches and roots covering their skin.


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    Marcus immediately parked on the side of the road and jumped out of the car. The four individuals turned and followed him with their eyes at the same time, emotionless. But just as Marcus refocused his Qi and was ready to use force to either drive the four individuals away or annihilate them, their figures turned transparent and disappeared completely in mere seconds. Even as Marcus tried harder with the Qi technique he used before, he could not find them anywhere.


    It was still quite a long way to get to the temple, and there was almost no traffic on the road right now. And knowing Poison City, no one would actually give him a lift at this time. So with extra caution and reluctance, he got back into the car and continued driving.


    The four ¡°passengers¡± did not come out again, but their one time appearance did get Marcus to be less hasty and drive at a safer speed.


    ¡°Master Liaoran! Wuzui! Please open the door!¡± Marcus banged on the wooden door of the temple: ¡°Please wake up! I need help!¡±


    The night air seemed to become warmer around the temple even though it was in a higher up place than where he parked the squad car. And the presence of the temple itself seemed to have some kind of calming and mind clearing effect.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Wuzui opened the door to the temple.


    ¡°Let him in, my child.¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice came from behind Wuzui.


    ¡°Wuzui, Master, I need help.¡± Marcus came into the temple, exhaustion and stress finally caught up to him and he had to sit on the ground.


    Master Liaoran took a look at the wound on Marcus¡¯ shoulder, his face and the top of his head, then he turned to Wuzui: ¡°Go get the medicine kits, a bucket of warm water, and bring me the beads as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡± Wuzui took a quick look at Marcus, bowed towards Master Liaoran and rushed to one of the inner rooms of the temple.


    ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± Master Liaoran helped Marcus up and put him on a soft cushion: ¡°You just came into contact with something really unclean, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus panted, shaking his head: ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to explain. But - I had a sudden inspiration earlier, and I went to check out Wuzui, I mean Bai Gu¡¯s old territory - ¡±


    ¡°And? What have you found?¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°What attacked you like this? And you¡¯ve brought some of them back - do you know them?¡±


    ¡°What - no!¡± Marcus immediately shook his head: ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the four, well, spirits that followed me here somehow, I don¡¯t know them at all. They just appeared in my car.¡±


    ¡°Okay, since this is Wuzui¡¯s old territory you¡¯re talking about, let¡¯s wait for him to come back, and tell us everything.¡±


    It did not take Wuzui long - he brought over two medicine kits, one was made of metal and had a very modern design, the same kind one could find in police precincts and fire departments; the other was made of oiled red peachwood. The bucket with steaming water inside was also made of red peachwood. The same with the twelve wooden beads chained together with a red circular thread.


    ¡°Wuzui, help the detective clean his wound. I think you have some experience addressing wounds, right?¡± Master Liaoran asked as he opened up the peachwood medicine kit to find some dried leaves and flower petals to put into the bucket.


    Marcus took off his jacket and tore the left sleeve on his shirt. The gashes left by the monster had stopped bleeding, but his shoulder was still swollen and his skin showed a shade of purple when examined under sufficient light. And Wuzui immediately turned to Master Liaoran the moment he saw it: ¡°Master - I don¡¯t think this is normal, looks like poison.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is. But no matter.¡± Master Liaoran placed his fingers on the top of Marcus¡¯ left shoulder and let loose a little bit of his gentle Qi into Marcus¡¯ skin and muscle: ¡°You Qi is already fighting it, it just needed a little push. ¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I pushed most of it out. But it still kinda burns.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Fight fire with fire.¡± Master Liaoran picked some dried leaves and tree barks from the peachwood medicine kit, crushed them with his right hand then blew the powder right upon the gashes. His Qi ignited the powder in mid air, and when it hit the gashes it was already red hot cinder.


    The contact between the exposed wound and the burning powder made Marcus gasp, his arm twitched and trembled as his muscles spasmed. Some more darkened blood seeped from his wound, and Wuzui immediately wiped the wound clean using medical gauze.


    ¡°Now, before we start.¡± Master Liaoran smiled, his right hand lit up in a faint golden light, and swung it at the top of Marcus¡¯ head with the middle and index fingers extended out like a sword.


    ¡°Shoop¡± Marcus felt something above the top of his head cut loose, making a sound not unlike a rubber tube being sliced. And with this single change, half of the stress, anxiety, panic and fear that he was feeling earlier was instantly swept away.


    ¡°Looks like you have found the way to see them.¡± Master Liaoran pointed his right middle and index fingers at the bucket on the ground, and stirred the water sprinkled with dried leaves and flower petals using only a beam of his Qi, a move that made both Wuzui and Marcus open their eyes wide and in awe.


    ¡°Okay. First, put your head in.¡± After stirring for a while, more steam rose from the water, along with a special fragrance that could have only come from a well mixed medicinal concoction.

 Chapter 40. Buried and Hidden (Pt.3)

    Without any doubt or hesitation, Marcus knelt on the ground and dunked his head right into the bucket. The temperature of the water would cause any normal person¡¯s skin to get burned, blister and even swell, but it just fely slightly hot for him.


    With his entire head submerged in the water, Marcus started hearing faint voices whispering in his ears. It was not the normally muffled conversation he would hear when one was under water, but clear voices of normal tones and speed.


    ¡°Where - where are they taking us? ¡± One of the voices asked while sniffling, it sounded like a frightened child.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, stop crying, you¡¯re making them upset. They¡¯ll hit us. They¡¯ll whip us!¡± This was another voice, also a child, but maybe slightly older.


    ¡°I want my mom¡­ I want my mom¡­¡± This was a third child, crying, inconsolably.


    ¡°They¡¯ll bury us. They¡¯ll bury us below the trees¡­¡± A fourth child, calm but full of despair.


    ¡°Detective, are you okay?¡± When Marcus finally pulled his head out of the bucket, Wuzui asked, with a worried look on his face: ¡°You were in there for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good. Thank you.¡± Marcus took a deep breath as he wiped his face: ¡°Yeah, I have some questions for you. Hope you can help me.¡±


    ¡°Wash your hands with the water.¡± Master Liaoran walked behind Marcus, with the beads on his right wrist: ¡°Relax, I¡¯m going to help push your Qi and get them circulating. The poisons in your system actually provided a good opportunity for you to have a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Oof!¡± Marcus grunted and almost coughed as the master landed his gentle, warm palm on his back and streams of warm Qi poured into his back and flowed towards his heart, his spine and shoulders. His Qi was somewhat ¡°asleep¡± before due to his overexertion and physical exhaustion during the fight, but now it became invigorated and ready to mobilize once again. Following the guidance and direction of Master Liaoran¡¯s Qi, Marcus concentrated and pushed his own Qi to flow through his meridians. The remainder of the poisons seeped into the body was broken down, isolated and gradually burnt away.


    Steam started rising up from Marcus¡¯ exposed skin, and droplets of light green sweat started appearing as well - containing toxins, but neutralized.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Took me a minute there.¡± When Marcus opened his eyes again, he nodded at Wuzui, who was patiently waiting by his side: ¡°But the short version is this: I went to your old turf to check out a few things. Because I did not believe you when we first met, untilI I came into contact with something.¡±


    ¡°You went to that house?¡± Wuzui seemed slightly surprised.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± When Master Liaoran pulled his palm back, Marcus knelt down to wash his hands in the bucket: ¡°The house with a tree in the backyard, and the tree had a face carved on it.¡±


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    ¡°How - how¡¯s that place now?¡±


    ¡°The place is completely deserted. ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t see anyone even if I tried. The nearest place with a light was a building a couple of blocks away. And this wound on my shoulder was thanks to the tree as well.¡±


    ¡°The tree came alive, didn¡¯t it?¡± Wuzui¡¯s lips trembled, and his eyelids shivered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus nodded as he sprinkled the water on his forearms: ¡°Really tough son of a bitch, I hit it with two kicks, enough to dent a steel plate but just barely cracked its skin. Eventually it was burned to a crisp by the two talismans you gave me. So, my gratitude for that.¡±


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± Wuzui put his palms together and said a prayer: ¡°My gratitude for you as well. Though I could not be certain, I believed that some of my close friends in the gang were lost to this creature. Now they could finally rest.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. Sorry.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The detective is right.¡± Master Liaoran also sighed: ¡°The evil, unclean being that left their marks on him, it couldn¡¯t be satiated just by the taking of lives. We should go there and see for ourselves. For now let¡¯s wait, then we¡¯ll visit the guests the detective brough first.¡±


    While Marcus continued washing his hands and forearms with the water, he explained to both Master Liaoran and Wuzui what he saw in full, including the conversations he just heard when he dunked his head in the water. And through the conversation, he got to know about the full story on Wuzui¡¯s side: he was indeed assigned the cheap and dangerous block and used the house as a temporary hideout. Initially everything seemed fine for everyone in his crew, other than them having nightmares when they spent the night in that house, until one morning, where one of the members of Wuzui¡¯s crew was found dead in the backyard.


    The death seemed gruesome, Wuzui shuddered even as he mentioned it now. Yet the higher ups in the gang just quickly and quietly disposed of the body and told them to keep their mouths shut. He and his crew became worried, naturally. But things only started from there - another member of the crew suffered a similarly horrible death a few days later, and this time causing a few of the members to run away and into hiding, leaving only Wuzui and one of his friends. He was told by one of the crew who ran away that the tree would kill them if they stayed. They then decided to not spend the night in the house anymore, but what remained in the house did not stop haunting them. For days after, Wuzui started dreaming about a faceless woman with a few faceless babies hanging on to her body, and even started seeing visions of the woman in real life. Then when he finally gathered enough talismans to go safely into hiding, he was arrested by Marcus.


    ¡°Thanks to Master. I am finally safe, and on a path to find peace.¡± Wuzui bowed.


    ¡°We¡¯re done now. Let¡¯s greet our guests.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°Detective, can you bring the bucket with you?¡±


    The water in the bucket had become darker, with traces of ink-like substance flowing inside, yet even after Marcus¡¯ stirring with both of his arms, the substance still had not blended in with the rest of the water. The bite mark on Marcus¡¯ hand seemed to have been cured, and he no longer felt the numbness or itchiness coming from it.


    Master Liaoran pulled out one paper talisman from his robe as Wuzui opened the front game to the temple. Marcus followed the master forward, down the mountain road and to a place where there was one wooden pole on each side, both of which had some bells and pendants made of red thread knots hanging on them.


    ¡°The Temple of Forgetfulness welcomes all guests and donors. It is but a place where all can pursue peace and tranquility.¡± Master Liaoran stood firm, raised his right hand with the talisman tucked between his middle and index fingers and spoke with a stern voice: ¡°But all guests need to show themselves before entering.¡±


    The talisman went up in flames, and its ashes were lifted into the air then scattered on the surface of the road by the night breezes. Four pale figures, all wearing different clothes but had the same kind of tree roots wrapped around their bodies appeared at the same time on the road, kneeling down and kowtowing to Master Liaoran.


    Wuzui squirmed, then covered his mouth and started weeping silently while his eyes lingered on two of the four pale spirits kneeling on the ground.


    ¡°Namo Amitabha. I see now, the suffering of tanglement almost made you completely earthbound.¡± Master Liaoran walked around the four spirits and said gently, while rotating the prayer beads in his hand: ¡°It¡¯s nothing short of cruel torment, I¡¯m sure. But it¡¯s probably fate that brought you here. ¡±


    ¡°Can you - can you help them, master?¡± Wuzui sniffled and asked with a shaking voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I must.¡± Master Liaoran stood behind the four spirits: ¡°Detective, before we start, you may want to take a look at this.¡±


    Marcus and Wuzui immediately ran to the master¡¯s side and focused their sight along the master¡¯s finger.


    Dark rope and chains, connected to these poor spirits¡¯ back, tying up their spines and rib bones and shackling them to something beneath the ground.

 Chapter 41. Buried and Hidden (Pt.4)

    ¡°I - I saw this on the other - the other spirits.¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°What is this? Some kind of spiritual chain?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°And it was present on the others as well?¡±


    ¡°As far as I could tell yes.¡± Marcus sighed and scratched his forehead: ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to look at them all, but it appeared so. Only they were more - more rotten, more decayed. And they attacked me, unlike them here.¡±


    ¡°They were still new.¡± Wuzui said, pointing at the two spirits on the left: ¡°These two, they were my friends - they were lost to the tree - ¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Master Liaoran sighed, then said to Marcus: ¡°Detective, can you pour the water on the ground behind them? Make sure to cover the ground and chains.¡±


    When Marcus splashed the darkened water from the bucket around, Master Liaoran raised his right hand, with middle and index fingers pointing upwards and the tips of his fingers glowing in golden light. Then he swung his hand at the ground, a golden arc shot down at the ground, instantly severing the dark ropes and chains.


    The spirits trembled as if a breath of cold air just blew through them. Then as they felt the absence of the chains, they stood up, turned around and bowed towards Master Liaoran once again. Their bodies started getting more transparent, and parts of them started going up into ashes and smoke.


    The two spirits that were once Wuzui¡¯s friends waved to him with faint smiles on their faces. As tears flowed down from Wuzui¡¯s face, he waved back to say goodbye to them one last time.


    ¡°Wuzui, let¡¯s do some preparations tonight.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°And detective, why not spend the night here. And we can get to the house before first light tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, master?¡± Wuzui asked with a frown, concerned.


    ¡°As long as we¡¯re quick, it¡¯d be fine.¡± Master Liaoran signed: ¡°And I am worried about things like this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, master.¡± Marcus nodded, then asked: ¡°I hope - I wish this wouldn¡¯t bring you any trouble.¡±


    ¡°If this kind of thing is happening to the city and it goes unnoticed, then my breaking some minute clauses of my past arrangements would just be something that needs to happen.¡± Master Liaoran looked up at the sky: ¡°Rest up, Wuzui, Marcus. It¡¯s not going to be easy.¡±


    During the next three hours, Marcus almost did not get any sleep, instead, he just rolled on the hay mattress and looked at the night sky. It was a clear night where he could see both the stars and the moon, and the night breezes helped calm his worries and anxiety down to some extent. Before tonight, he was still in some level of denial about the supernatural, and right now, he realized it was time that he faced the fact that this kind of things not only do exist, they could be really dangerous, homicidally and murderously so.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± At about four o¡¯clock in the morning, Master Liaoran came and tried to wake Marcus, only to find him lying awake: ¡°You should have rested, detective.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll rest when this is all over.¡± Marcus sighed, smiled and jumped up.


    The night became darker than before when Marcus drove Wuzui and Master Liaoran to the lone house. Without using any of his Qi technique, the streets and abandoned houses looked just as they were. But when he turned it on, he could see the hundreds if not thousands of hand prints and dirt marks left on the ground and all over some of the roadside buildings. These were all the spots where a lot of the spirits once crawled and stayed.


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    This time, he was driving right towards the house, and since Master Liaoran did not object, he just kept going. Wuzui became more visibly nervous and anxious the closer they got, and he kept looking at Master Liaoran for assurance.


    Marcus parked the squad card right before the location of a pile of charred wood and ashes. It was the very site where the wooden monster crashed and burned under the effects of the talismans. It was immensely encouraging and assuring to see that it was still dead. All three of them got out of the car, Master Liaoran started walking directly towards the house, while Wuzui and Marcus picked up the things they brought over from the trunk before catching up.


    ¡°Good job, detective.¡± Master Liaoran picked up a chunk of wood with a cracked dent and examined it for a brief moment: ¡°This creature, whatever it once was, had been destroyed fully.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all thanks to the talismans.¡± Marcus nodded while keeping an eye on the surrounding area, while instinctually guarding Wuzui from angles not covered by the master: ¡°Do you know what it is, master?¡±


    ¡°A construct of corruption, curses and some kind of evil ritual.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head and led the way into the abandoned house, now almost collapsed due to its several walls being almost completely knocked down.


    Marcus and Wuzui followed Master Liaoran into the house, then out of the backdoor and into the backyard. There were less dark tendrils floating in the air, possibly due to the battle between Marcus and the wooden humanoid creature earlier. But on the other hand, there seemed to be some kind of dark ashes floating in the air, and the faint and distant cries of the spirits still haunted the walls and the glum air.


    The tree, still covered by the thick dark substance but no longer had the face embedded in ist trunk. Master Liaoran stopped and stood in front of it, then raised the sleeves on both his arms. In his left hand, he had a string of wooden prayer beads, and in his right, he held a bronze Vajra. The Vajra had some green rust on it, but its surface was still polished and clean.


    ¡°Wuzui, Detective, ready your swords.¡± Master Liaoran checked the time and said with a stern tone: ¡°I might be occupied for a moment when I start this. Detective, please take care of Wuzui, as well as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Marcus opened up one of the backpacks they brought and took out two swords made of copper coins and red threads, one for him, and one for Wuzui. Wuzui put the backpacks down on the ground and opened them up, in an attempt to be ready for everything.


    Master Liaoran looked up at the sky, chanted a short spell, then let the sharp blade on the Vajra run through his left palm to coat it in his blood. The Vajra made a gentle humming sound and glimmered in golden light.


    ¡°Crack!¡± A flash of golden lightning exploded from the Vajra as Master Liaoran raised it above his head, then as the golden energy solidified around the sharp end of the Vajra, he thrust it at the trunk of the tree.


    The ground shook, a distant cry of some kind of gigantic creature came from underground. Marcus helped Wuzui stand firm in place and covered his back while keeping an eye on the master.


    Something exploded inside of the tree, the shockwave from which tore up the dark substance coating the trunk and threw droplets and tiny pieces of wood everywhere. An invisible wall of energy and Qi appeared around Master Liaoran, blocking off all the splatter around him as well as Marcus and Wuzui.


    A few spirits with fungi and grass in their eye sockets and nostrils emerged from the ground around the tree and tried to lunge at Master Liaoran. But they could not even get close, for their bodies were instantly melted and turned to ashes and smoke when they touched the invisible wall.


    The ground continued to shake, and several large cracks appeared on the ground. Cries and screams came through the cracks. Countless hands and arms tried to extend and claw upward but were not able to reach very far before they were burned away.


    More eyeless spirits with rotten flesh on their exposed bones emerged from the further locations and started coming at the tree. Marcus was not sure if Wuzui could see them, and he did not have the chance to ask right away because a few of them had crawled out of the house and were lunging at him from different angles.


    A pleasant and calming ringing sound came from the bronze coin sword in Marcus¡¯ hand, and unlike other weapons, it absorbed the infusion of Qi quite smoothly without almost any hindrance or friction or additional burn on the Qi itself. When three of the spirits rushed at Wuzui, he stepped forward with the coin sword raised.


    ¡°Poof!¡± The coin sword glided through the three spirits just like a sharpened katana cutting through floating balloons - Marcus sensed that he sliced something, but there was so little resistance that he felt he could slice through many more with no additional energy.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Wuzui asked in a panicked voice.


    ¡°They came!¡± Marcus looked back at Wuzui and Master Liaoran: ¡°Can¡¯t you see them?¡±


    Wuzui appeared confused at first, then he was reminded of something, and he took out two pieces of green leaves in his pocket and brushed his eyelids with them. Marcus had only a rough idea on what that could achieve. Yet, he had no time to confirm, for more and more spirits were coming from the direction of the house.


    ¡°Detective! Careful!¡± Wuzui yelled from behind while he took out some triangle red flags with golden patterns on them and stuck them to the ground: ¡°Let me set the array out now!¡±


    Marcus leapt back after catching a few spirits trying to flank him, and with another swift swing of the coin sword, all these spirits were turned into ashes.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve done this earlier.¡± Marcus sighed as he backed into the array made of nine red flags with golden patterns on them: ¡°How will this work?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what we¡¯re dealing with. ¡± Wuzui shook his head, then took a bamboo stick with a red thread wrapped on it and raised it to the air: ¡°Here, cover me!¡±


    Marcus quickly stepped out of the array and swung his coin sword once again, another four spirits dissipated in the air.


    ¡°The Gods of one and nine, lend me thy power and watch over me!¡± Wuzui pointed the bamboo stick at the sky and chanted. Nothing of significance happened. Two spirits bypassed Marcus and tried to ambush him from the side. They were blasted away by another invisible wall of energy created by the red flags.

 Chapter 42. Buried and Hidden (Pt.5)

    On Master Liaoran¡¯s side, he remained in his position, in the same pose as he was. The Vajra¡¯s blade was buried deep inside the trunk of the tree, with his Qi pouring into the tree through it. The master¡¯s left hand kept rotating the string of prayer beads on his left hand, his fingers clenching the beads harder and harder, so much so that some of the beads even began to crack.


    Marcus lost count how many spirits the invisible wall of Qi had blasted away. The weaker ones were even burned to ashes just by approaching. Yet there were others, stronger ones with darkened, twisted bones and even some kind of hardened exoskeletons that could withstand the burn. And even though fire and smoke burst out of their bodies, and the energy from the wall was igniting, crushing and obliterating more and more of their body parts, they still tried to reach for Master Liaoran in attempts to stop him.


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Seeing the claws of these stronger evil spirits gradually making their way through the wall, Master Liaoran said a prayer, still standing straight and unperturbed.


    ¡°Make it work, Wuzui!¡± Marcus jumped over the red flag array and swung his coin sword at the spirit with a crumbling exoskeleton and extendings arms pointing at Master Liaoran. This time, Marcus felt the coin sword cutting into something solid - the flesh and bones on this spirit resisted the force and impact of the coin sword like a piece of bread would a sharp knife - the flesh was sliced, the bones cracked and caved in with the almost completely edgeless blade. Dark smoke gushed out of the wound where the forearm once was, and the spirit took a step back while screaming at Marcus. The severed arm turned into sparks and cinder before it even hit the ground, and the entity missing an arm fell on the ground, squirming and twitching in pain. The energy from the wall seeped into its body through the wound, and in an instant it burst in flames from inside.


    Seeing that this attack worked, Marcus immediately charged at the other spirits that were closing in on him and the master. Even though these spirits appeared to be much more dangerous and durable than the rest.


    ¡°The Gods of one and nine, lend me thy power and watch over me!¡± Wuzui chanted one more time with his bamboo stick pointed upward at the sky, the red flag array glowed in a faint orange light and pushed back some spirits that tried to gang up on him. But nothing else happened.


    At the expense of being scratched and clawed, Marcus sliced the head off another eyeless spirit with an extra long and slender physique, a dark exoskeleton and similarly dark nails. The disconnected head flew off and landed on the ground to the side, still screaming at Master Liaoran and Marcus, even with the black roots and branches protruding from its eye sockets Marcus still felt like he was being grudgingly and vengefully stared at.


    Two of these spirits switched course and targeted Marcus instead. When Marcus swung his coin sword at one of them, it raised its two forearms and tried to tank this attack head on, while the other tried to ambush Marcus from the left, even risking at getting closer to Master Liaoran and getting burnt more harshly by the invisible wall of Qi.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The sound of metal clashing together exploded from the collision between the coin sword and the hardened arms of the spirit. The red threads holding the coin sword together tore and broke from the impact. The coins scattered all around Marcus. At the same time the outer shells on the spirit¡¯s arms were cracked and shattered, and its right forearm was almost cleanly sliced off.


    The other spirit lunged at Marcus, grabbed onto Marcus¡¯ left arm and crashed onto the ground with him. Before he could even see what hit him or try to get up, Marcus felt a source of danger coming right at him. Purely out of instinct, he infused the coins still in his right hand with his Qi and threw it in the direction of the sense of danger.


    A spirit, with its mouth wide open and black, crooked teeth ready to tear into Marcus¡¯ flesh was blasted by the coins at a point blank range. The spirit¡¯s face and chest area, though mostly covered with shells and black, hardened roots, was instantly covered with scratches, cuts and even coins embedded into its flesh and skull. The Qi on these coins burned this screeching spirit, making a cracking and sizzling sound as smoke rose.


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    Marcus felt that his left waist and parts of his left arm had become numb again - possibly due to the attack he took from this very spirit and others. But he had no time to check on his wounds - more of them were closing in on him. Since he landed on the outer wall of Qi around Master Liaoran, he became the easier target.


    ¡°Wuzui! Is it ready yet!?¡± Marcus yelled as he swung his hand in a half-circle in front of him like a knife/sword, the Qi concentrated on the edge of his palm cutting through three spirits, turning them into ashes and smoke in the process.


    ¡°I¡¯m on it! Stop rushing!¡± Wuzui yelled back with a trembling voice.


    Marcus crouched down and side stepped to evade one charging spirit and to grab some more scattered coins on the ground. Once again he threw his whole handful of coins along with dirt and pebbles at the spirits that came close to Master Liaoran. This time, only three spirits with exoskeletons were pushed back by this attack. As a result, in order to prevent the master¡¯s action or ritual from being interrupted, he had to rush over and try to fight them with his bare hands.


    A spirit with protruding black roots in its eye sockets and mouth swung its right claw at Marcus, and more spirit burst through the wall of Qi and grabbed onto Marcus¡¯ shoulder from the back. Marcus had no choice but to block the incoming attack with his arms crossed before him, while pushing his Qi in his body to strengthen his defenses.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Marcus was thrown in the air and involuntarily flipped a whole circle before he hit the ground. The same numbness creeped into his back and shoulders due to one more spirit grabbing onto him and trying to chew through his skin and flesh.


    ¡°The Gods of one and nine, lend me thy power and watch over me!¡± Wuzui tried his chant once again after no one knew how many failed attempts. Finally it seemed to be working - the red flags flapped in the air along a circular wall of wind. Some kind of golden lightning started flashing and appearing between the flags. Wuzui laughed out loud in excitement and relief, and immediately chanted the next part of the spell with his bamboo stick still pointing upward: ¡°The Lords of Six and Eight, turn your eyes of justice my way and rain down your fury upon the wicked!¡±


    ¡°Kabang!¡± A bolt of golden lightning descended from the sky, forked into nine thinner bolts in the mid air and landed on the tip of all nine red flags around Wuzui. The wind circling around the red flags turned into a powerful tornado, with golden lightning sparks and arcs shooting out in every direction. The sudden lightning strike also brought about a powerful explosion, the shockwave released from which instantly blasted the spirits around him into barely recognizable smoke and ashes.


    The shockwave swept through Marcus¡¯ body as well, yet it did not inflict direct impact to him like it did the spirits. Instead, it just flowed through his body, halting the flow of Qi in his body for a short moment, taking away the cold numbness left by the spirits on his body, and leaving him with a sensation like he was just electrocuted.


    Master Liaoran grunted from the impact as well, yet he remained standing in position, his hand still holding the Vajra firmly in his hand. Many of the spirits trying to break through his wall of Qi were instantly vaporized by this shockwave, and those who survived ended up being burned away mere moments later by his wall of Qi.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Another explosion happened, this time somewhere deep underground.


    More cracks appeared on the ground, some of which merged together, fell apart and caved in, revealing some kind of underground tunnels underneath. Marcus tried to hold onto some solid ground, but it was never solid ground to begin with and he fell through the collapsing debris.


    ¡°Detective! Are you okay?¡± Wuzui asked from the edge of the irregularly shaped sink hole.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! Check on master!¡± Marcus struggled up and checked his body the moment he was able to. The electrocuted sensation did not linger for too long, now all he felt was a little bit of tingling feeling in his muscles. The numbness from the attacks of the spirits came back, but much weaker than before.


    The ground shook once more, and foul smells started coming from deeper parts of the ground. Marcus looked around, covering his nose and mouth with his left sleeve. Aside from the debris, rocks, pieces of dirt and grass, he could clearly see things that did not look like they belong - bones, rib cages and skulls, with roots of trees, grass and fungi crawling all over them.


    Marcus was about to alert Master Liaoran and Wuzui, when he heard a surprised and startled gasp. He immediately stomped on the ground and launched himself back on the surface, just in time to see Master Liaoran¡¯s palm strike landing on the chest of the dark shadow of a humanoid monster with a wooden and root-covered body. This menacing looking shadow did not even get a chance to growl, before the golden palm mark on its chest consumed its whole body. The remainder of the tree in the backyard was completely gone at this point, all that was left was a hole on the ground.


    ¡°The cleansing is done.¡± Master Liaoran coughed and greeted Marcus and Wuzui with a smile, then took a look at the morning glow behind them: ¡°The sunlight should cleanse what¡¯s left there. The rest will be left to you, detective.¡±


    ¡°Of course, master.¡± Marcus bowed.


    ¡°Wuzui, leave the rest of the talismans to the detective.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°The earth, the air and the vegetation is still tainted. It¡¯s not much, but still bad omens for civilians.¡±


    ¡°The bones under there, what happened?¡± Marcus looked down at the biggest sinkhole, the one he just fell into, and asked.


    ¡°The light is here.¡± Master Liaoran raised his right hand, seemingly to touch the beam of sunlight piercing through the edge of the clouds and gradually moving towards the depths of the sinkholes: ¡°Time is of the essence, detective. We¡¯ll leave you to it. Take care.¡±

 Chapter 43. Buried and Hidden (Pt.6)

    ¡°Hey, Kevin, do you have some time right now?¡± After trying to convince Master Liaoran to let him give them a ride but was eventually turned down, Marcus had to stand beside the sinkholes and dialed the number of none other than the only forensic technician in his precinct: ¡°I¡¯m at a scene here and I¡¯d like you to take a look at it first before calling others.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what do you want me to bring?¡± Kevin asked after but a very short moment of silence.


    ¡°Do you have something to date human bones?¡± Marcus hesitated then asked: ¡°I remember, you have some kind of test paper right? Would it work?¡±


    ¡°That is not super reliable but can serve as some initial clues. Only a few labs in the city can run clear diagnostics to date them. But we could ask Dr. Flemmings for help.¡± Kevin sipped on some tea and said: ¡°I think I could call her for help, but she might be asleep at this moment. Do you want me to call her?¡±


    ¡°That - ¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, then decided to support this idea: ¡°That would be a great. If you could, Kevin, call her for help as well. There¡¯s plenty for both of you. But please, just you and her for now, I¡¯ll call for backup later. Oh, yeah, bring some talismans with you. I¡¯ll text you the address.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Kevin asked with a curious tone.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta come here to see for yourself. But it¡¯s bad.¡± Marcus shook his head as he carefully stepped into one of the sinkholes and looked around with his flashlight. The bottom of the sinkhole still felt loose, there might be more bones hidden underneath, so he had to be careful. Though Master Liaoran had confirmed to him that this place would not be dangerous anymore, he would still rather be safe than sorry.


    The sinkhole he was in right now had barely enough room for him to look around without much hindrance, and with just a quick sweep around, he spotted more than ten pieces of human bones around him, including three skulls. There was another thing that had been on his mind ever since the first time he encountered the spirits, and now only seemed more bizarre and ominous to him now that he had a chance to look closely at the bones: there were roots of vegetation wrapping all around the bones, and some traces of fungi on them, most disturbing of which was the fungi and roots in the skulls. Just like many of the spirits, the three skulls also had vegetation and fungi growing in their eye sockets, all of them looked like some kind of dark, round mushroom or crooked roots with a wooden texture and reflective exterior. This was a strange pattern, one that needed explanation.


    There was a cracked rib cage beside Marcus¡¯ left foot, and inside it there were once again dark, hardened roots intertwined with the rib bones. Marcus slowly knelt down and tried to pick the rib cage up. The entire rib cage was lifted off the ground for a short distance, before the three rib bones clutched by Marcus¡¯ fingers broke off and the rest of it fell back on the ground, cracking into a few dozen paper light pieces.


    Confused, Marcus took a look at the broken bones that remained in his hand - these bones were thin and brittle, and upon close inspection, full of small holes. They just remained mostly in the shape of bones, yet were already heavily weathered and weakened. This was strange to Marcus, because the exterior of these bones did not look heavily corrupted, and if not for his failed attempt at grabbing them, they would probably just stay in shape under ground for much longer.


    He knelt down once again and picked the dark roots from the now crumbling rib cage. These roots, unlike the bones, were quite dense and hard. Marcus held the biggest piece of the roots closer to his eyes and pointed his flashlight right at it. The piece appeared to be semi-transparent under a bright enough close-by light source, and inside of it there appeared to be some kind of vein-like patterns. It gave off an unsettling aura after Marcus had it in his hand for a prolonged period of time. He could not tell what it was, but he somehow felt that this piece of roots had something deeply unclean and disturbing about it.


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    Before Kevin came, Marcus had already circled around the area - all the fighting, lightning strikes and explosions in the area seemed to have raised the alarm of no one. The houses around seemed to be in similar states of abandonment. The only house that showed signs of being recently occupied stood alone in a corner, with its backdoor dangling and some water marks and littered garbage indicating that the squatters living here had escaped, probably due to the noises of their fight or just simply the flooding spirits.


    Kevin arrived at the site along with Dr. Ayer Flemmings, who seemed to be in a not-so-friendly mood but somehow agreed to come anyway.


    ¡°This¡¯d better be good.¡± Dr. Ayer Flemmings yawned then stared at Marcus: ¡°And like I told Kevin here, you¡¯d better call in support soon. ¡±


    ¡°Of course, Doctor. But I¡¯d like to show you everything first.¡± Marcus nodded and pointed at the sinkholes behind him: ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand why I did this soon.¡±


    Dr. Flemmings shrugged, then looked at Kevin, who responded also with a shrug and said: ¡°I told you I trust Marcus. So I¡¯m just gonna look into it here before calling anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kevin.¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°And Doctor, I believe you¡¯ll agree with me. Kevin, did you bring what I asked you to bring?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Here¡¯s one for you.¡± Kevin took out a red cloth pouch and handed it to Marcus, but Marcus just pushed it back, while showing Kevin that he had many talismans on him.


    ¡°Doctor, do you have one?¡± Marcus turned to Dr. Flemmings.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Dr. Flemmings turned on her flashlight and pointed it down one sinkhole that was closer to her: ¡°Wait - are those - ?¡±


    ¡°Human bones, yes.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Possibly up to hundreds of them.¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± Dr. Flemmings was in disbelief at first, but just when her flashlight shone upon some of the skulls, rib cages and shin bones, she finally started to take things more seriously: ¡°How could this be possible! For this many deaths, you¡¯d think we¡¯d at least heard about it?¡±


    ¡°Which is why I wanted you to come here first.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°If we have some forensic testimony or early reports, things would be harder to cover up. Sorry, Doctor, and sorry to you too, Kevin.¡±


    ¡°Meh, if they want they¡¯d still cover it up.¡± Kevin shrugged and jumped into another sinkhole: ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want Mick to come? He seems like the righteous type. Aaaand he¡¯s got the connections.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. I don¡¯t feel like I could trust him with this.¡± Marcus shrugged. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°These bones are - abnormal, to say the least.¡± Dr. Flemmings shook her head while looking at a piece of bone in her hand: ¡°Their brittleness indicates to me that it has been buried for quite a while, but bones that are buried for long wouldn¡¯t look like this. Not buried in normal earth, anyway. ¡±


    ¡°Can you date them? Maybe just a rough date?¡± Marcus asked while standing on the edge of a sinkhole.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try. But I¡¯ve gotta say, don¡¯t expect too much on the accuracy.¡± Kevin shook his head as he grind a small piece of bone to powder and put it into a vial of clear, transparent liquid, then swirled the vial a couple of times: ¡°Just like Dr. Flemmings said, the situation and condition of these bones are not normal, and this kind of test is far from accurate as it is.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen these weird roots, Kevin?¡± Dr. Flemmings asked while still keeping her head down in the sinkhole: ¡°What do you think they are?¡±


    ¡°Seems to me like just normal roots of trees, grass and maybe some ferns. But they seemed to have somehow become ambered.¡± Kevin raised one piece of root up higher in an attempt to see things more clearly under the moonlight.


    While Dr. Flemmings was writing things down in her personal note, Kevin took a look at the vial of liquid, the liquid seemed to have become dark, with some particles floating inside. Then he took out a strip of testing paper with some red lines on it from a small bag and dipped one end of it in the liquid.


    After about five minutes, Kevin climbed out of the sinkhole with the help of Marcus and started examining the testing paper strip under the light. Doctor Flemmings also came over and waited by their side.


    The lines were not equally spaced, the closer they were to the end of the testing paper the more sparse they were. A strip of pink crawled up from the dipping end of the paper, and stopped just a hair¡¯s width under the sixth line.


    ¡°About thirty years.¡± Dr. Flemmings nodded: ¡°Judging from the pigment around the line, error range could be give or take five to six years.¡±


    ¡°Probably 30 years then?¡± Marcus and Kevin asked at the same time.

 Chapter 44. Tomb Keeper

    After bidding Marcus goodbye, Master Liaoran insisted that he and Wuzui leave on their own and not bother Marcus. Wuzui was confused, but he had no choice but to go along with his master. Slowly but steadily, they walked away from the scene, heading towards a more crowded and lively part of the area, where they could hopefully catch a taxi to take them back.


    Wuzui looked back and checked on Marcus, who jumped into a sinkhole once again, seeming to investigate some more. To be honest, he was not certain what the scene was, or what happened in the area as to have buried so many under the ground. But he did not care that much either. What he went through when he was still a member of the drug dealing gang still lingered on his mind and filled him with fear, a fear even when by the side of his master could not be fully put to rest.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried.¡± Master Liaoran smiled as he walked along the empty road: ¡°About the detective, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, a little.¡± Wuzui sighed: ¡°And - and about us. Master, you¡¯re sure we don¡¯t want Detective Cai to give us a ride? That was a hard fight, and thanks to you and Detective we¡¯re able to get out alive. But you must be tired - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Wuzui. I¡¯ve had harder fights during my younger years.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°And that would probably be the second hard fight for the detective tonight, if he¡¯s unlucky. And remember, we keep this to ourselves, unless it is the time for us to reveal this secret. The detective would be wise to not involve us, and we would be wise to not involve him.¡±


    ¡°But - what are you hiding from, master?¡± Wuzui struggled for a brief moment, then still decided to pose this question that had been bugging him for a while.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡± Master Liaoran looked up at the gradually brightening sky and said: ¡°But I have a feeling that my bindings would not matter soon. ¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ ¡± Wuzui thought for a moment: ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    ¡°Stay here for a moment. ¡± Out of nowhere, Master Liaoran stopped right at the position of a dim and flickering roadside light: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, wait for my return. It should not take long.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but ¡­¡± Wuzui wanted to ask, but Master Liaoran had already reached the side of a five-storey building before he could speak any other word. The building seemed abandoned and its concrete internal structures were directly exposed. Master Liaoran just walked on the wall as if he was casually climbing a slightly steep mountain. And on the fourth floor, he just directly jumped inside.


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Liaoran stepped to a cloaked figure in front of him, with two curved blades in hands and half a dozen throwing knives on the belt: ¡°I thought I sensed you. You must be the keeper.¡±


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    ¡°And you are?¡± The figure asked with a hoarse voice, as he turned towards Master Liaoran, revealing his face half covered - not the lower part as one would normally expect, but the upper, including both of his eyes.


    ¡°Just a humble monk.¡± Master Liaoran gently bowed: ¡°And I would like to thank you, for staying on the side when we deal with the nasty unclean entities that lurk in the area.¡±


    ¡°Hah, is that what you think it was?¡± The figure took out two curved swords from his back: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, baldie, but there¡¯s not much to do around here. ¡±


    ¡°So, you were actually waiting for entertainment?¡± Master Liaoran nodded, smiling.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The figure twirled the twin curved swords as he approached Master Liaoran: ¡°This job is very boring, you see. And unlucky for you, it¡¯s been a while since these blades tasted blood.¡±


    Master Liaoran took a careful look at the twin curved swords - their blades and edges looked identical, both had a spike near the tip, both had green dragon-shaped patterns on the side, and both had a dark green, almost emerald-like shine on them.


    ¡°Lord of Green Bat Dragon.¡± Master Liaoran whispered a name.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The figure halted for a moment then responded with an amused smirk: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect someone to bring that name up, after all these years. Now tell me your name. So you can sleep with honor.¡±


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Liaoran bowed gently to the figure, shaking his head: ¡°Dear donor, I don¡¯t think you will be forgotten anytime soon. Yours is still a feared and respected name amongst many areas and sections of the society, especially amongst martial circles. But I would still caution mercy and harmony. Even the most brutal of men can still find the path to redemption and righteousness.¡±


    The figure let out a loud laugh, then without a hint of any premeditation he leapt towards the humble old monk standing right in front of him. The twin curved sword gave out a green glow and left two trails of green light in the air. One aiming at Master Liaoran¡¯s neck; one aiming at his right arm. This was the signature killer move of Lord of Green Bat Dragon, the once notorious underground mercenary and contract killer. Though blind in the eyes, he possessed incredible senses that were far superior than any normal person with perfect eyesight. And many targets felled by him shared the same fate: their right arms severed, and decapitated, almost at the same time. Before today, almost no one had heard of him for years, many presumed that he went into hiding or died.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± This time the edges of the two swords failed their wielder, as they were both blocked and were not able to move even an inch further, by two hands that were made of nothing but flesh and bones. These two hands now glowed in golden and red light, their fingers bit into the alloy edges, and cracks started crawling all over the blades.


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± The old man sighed: ¡°The years of killing and resentment had sharpened and tempered your blade, yet it also weakened the very core. You have burnt much more out than many, and today, I¡¯m afraid I have to take this matter into my own hands.¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± The figure tried to let go of the curved swords, but somehow both his palms were stuck on the handle by some kind of force, even with all his Qi he could not even move a finger.


    With a simple clench of fingers, the old monk crushed both blades into metal scraps. The next moment, the figure felt a palm tapping him on the chest and a gust of warm Qi rushing into his body, coursing in his meridians and burning his own Qi away.


    Before he passed out due to shock and a sudden burn out of his own Qi, something came to this figure¡¯s mind. He had been in hiding for quite some time, but so had others, many of whom had more fearsome reputation than his. Judging by the stern and warm Qi in his body and the unbelievable display of hardened Qigong, he only had time to utter but a single word: ¡°Dark ¡­¡±


    Wuzui waited for less than three minutes, he was pretty sure since he was checking on his phone the whole time. The sun had come out in full, but it brought only very limited warmth to his tired body and scared mind. Now he just wanted to get back to the temple, sleep and do his usual chores. It was a simple and boring life, but a safe life he enjoyed.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± Master Liaoran returned, carrying a cloaked man on his shoulder like it was nothing.

 Chapter 45. Burden of the City

    ¡°What, the, fuck!?¡± Captain Ko could be heard the moment he got out of his car.


    ¡°Hi Captain.¡± Marcus had no choice but to greet his captain with a smile: ¡°How are you doing? How¡¯s the family?¡±


    ¡°My wife¡¯s nagging my fucking ears off, thanks for asking.¡± Captain Ko threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his right foot: ¡°What are we looking at here?¡±


    ¡°We counted at least sixty bodies, there¡¯s definitely more.¡± Dr. Flemmings came over wiping sweat from her forehead: ¡°The number¡¯s sixty because that¡¯s how many skulls we found. But by the number of rib cages and leg bones, there¡¯s gotta be plenty more.¡±


    ¡°Cai, you found this site right? How the fuck did you even find this?¡± Captain Ko shook his head and stepped into the ring of police tapes: ¡°And, just to confirm, you haven¡¯t told anyone about this, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not sir.¡± Marcus immediately shook his head.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Captain Ko walked to a pile of bones placed on a plastic tarp with some skulls cleanly arranged into three rows on the side: ¡°This sucks. We don¡¯t have the resources or the manpower to investigate something of this scale.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve gotta ask the city for help?¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Can¡¯t say that I am surprised, sir.¡±


    ¡°Captain, if you don¡¯t mind, I can call my captain and ask him to lend you some men. No promises, but I think they have some people and resources to spare.¡± Dr. Flemmings nodded: ¡°Something of this scale - it¡¯s gotta be very serious. But I just can¡¯t for the life of me think of any case that would fit into this. Something horrible must have happened.¡±


    ¡°This is Poison City, it wouldn¡¯t be the first time something terrible happened right under people¡¯s noses.¡± Kevin walked over slowly, with a skull in his hands and slowly putting it on the tarp: ¡°Sorry Captain, but - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. ¡± Captain Ko waved his hand: ¡°I know more than you think and I am not one to deny that.¡±


    ¡°But do you happen to know something about this, Captain?¡± Dr. Flemmings asked.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll need to recheck everything.¡± Captain Ko thought for a moment then shook his head: ¡°More than sixty dead, something tells me this is not as malicious as you might be thinking. What¡¯s your estimation on the age of the bones again? Thirty years? Thirty years ago the city¡¯s planning was all but a huge mess. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this used to be a massive graveyard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. But that likelihood is not very high.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°The civil planning was a mess, but this place was quite far away from the mountains and the old ruins in the east, so I wouldn¡¯t say people would just start burying their dead here.¡±


    ¡°And the burial is - well, very interesting as well.¡± Dr. Flemmings nodded: ¡°From the roots we can tell all of these bodies were buried under some kind of vegetation, but as you can tell, there are not many trees here.¡±


    ¡°Which means that at least for the people who built this house and the houses around the area, they had no idea there were burials here.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°If we assume that they were not so greedy as to blatantly ignore this factor.¡±


    ¡°And - is that a valid assumption?¡± Dr. Flemmings looked at Marcus and asked.


    ¡°This is the South-Eastern District, so I doubt anyone would be so brazen.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Of course, this is only the theory. We should check with the builders of all the houses around here to confirm.¡±


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    ¡°When do we expect to hear from the city?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, to be honest with all of you.¡± Captain Ko rubbed his temples then took another look at the skulls being placed on the tarp: ¡°It¡¯s getting to election season in the city, players in the city council have their energy and their funds focused elsewhere. But, Cai, since you called this in, you are in charge of this for now, use whatever resources you deem necessary. I know you have a ton on your plate, but do enough groundwork so that when the city sends their men on this. And - use your best judgment on which cases to prioritize. Let me know if you need help.¡±


    ¡°And considering it¡¯s almost the anniversary. I doubt they¡¯ll have time to dig into this anytime soon.¡± Kevin shrugged.


    Everyone went silent, including Captain Ko. Marcus knew exactly what Kevin was referring to: the 15th anniversary of the cruise ship accident on Lake Aqiu. A sensitive subject to bring up, obviously, but possibly relevant.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re right, Kevin. But still - ¡± Captain Ko let out a long sigh: ¡°What can you do?¡±


    ¡°Sir? ¡± Just this moment, an officer called out to Captain Ko: ¡°We just found something.¡±


    Marcus followed Captain Ko and the officer to the biggest sinkhole. There was another officer working inside, and with his flashlight pointing at a particular corner, Marcus was able to see what caught their attention: it was some kind of stone tablet. It was smooth and shaped somewhat like a piece of tombstone, with some almost unintelligible symbols carved on its surface.


    ¡°Tombstone?¡± Dr. Flemmings asked.


    ¡°Too small.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°Looks like something else - like a plaque, or - ¡±


    ¡°Or some kind of inscribed record.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°I don¡¯t know, this is all a little - ¡±


    ¡°Culty?¡± Dr. Flemmings sighed the scoffed.


    ¡°I was going with paranormal, but yeah culty could work.¡± Marcus nodded and exchanged looks with Kevin: ¡°What¡¯s it say there? Anyone recognize it?¡±


    ¡°Some kind of ancient language, looks a bit like Lumeragraph. ¡± Dr. Flemmings shrugged: ¡°If it is, then only a few people in the city could actually read it.¡±


    ¡°Lumeragraph, nobody¡¯s spoken it for at least a few hundred years right? And how can we get access to them?¡± Captain Ko took a quick picture of the tablet with his phone: ¡°Anyone from the university?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will give you a list.¡± Dr. Flemmings sighed and shook her head: ¡°But, since all your officers seem to have everything handled, I need to head back. I have a meeting in the city in¡­ less than three hours. I¡¯ll send my notes over soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Doctor.¡± Marcus and Captain Ko both bowed gently toward the doctor.


    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Flemmings, before you go, I have something I would like your professional opinion on.¡± Kevin walked over with another piece of bone in his hand, quite different from the others, this piece was dark and semi-transparent, not unlike the amberized roots growing on the bones.


    ¡°This is - a shin bone?¡± Dr. Flemmings was immediately intrigued: ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen bones like this. I think we need to send this over to a lab in the city to see what could have happened.¡±


    It took almost two hours before all the officers on site managed to complete the preliminary processing of the scene. Marcus and Kevin headed back after the first hour, for they had already been onsite since before and they would need to run some tests on some of the evidence collected.


    ¡°Hey, Shrevas, Keryn, how¡¯s it going?¡± When they got back to the precinct, they found both Detective Pahaik and Detective Lance were waiting by the door to the forensics lab.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Detective Pahaik seemed to have aged a few years, his eyes were red, the stress and anxiety of the reparations team case seemed to have weighed on him quite heavily. Detective Lance did not seem much better - she had bags under her eyes, her hair was untrimmed and she seemed even more silent and unwilling to talk today.


    ¡°Marcus found something, it¡¯s like a hidden mass grave of some sort.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°But don¡¯t worry, your stuff¡¯s still fine, we should hear back from the city labs anytime today.¡±


    ¡°Mass grave?¡± This news raised the eyebrows of both Shrevas and Keryn: ¡°What the hell? How did you even find that?¡±


    ¡°I - well, just my damn luck I guess.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, I suspect it¡¯ll hit the news very soon.¡± Kevin led the two exhausted detectives into the lab and his office and turned on his computer and started checking the request he filed on behalf of Detectives Pahaik and Lance.


    ¡°Pending¡± the blue letters made the veins on Shrevas¡¯ forehead jumped and throbbed: ¡°What the fuck? I thought it¡¯s gonna be ready by today?¡±


    ¡°Let me check. Usually it wouldn¡¯t take this long.¡± Kevin frowned and clicked into the icon on screen.


    ¡°Due to high demand for resources from the Poison City forensics lab, this analysis report is running late. Please check back later for further status updates.¡± Marcus read the explanation out loud.


    Both Shrevas and Keryn grunted, Shrevas started pacing in the lab, and Keryn sat on the table on the side, staring at Kevin¡¯s screen: ¡°Kevin, anyway to rush this for us?¡±


    ¡°Will try again. But no promises.¡± Kevin rubbed his temples: ¡°Sorry, guys.¡±


    ¡°Anything we can do here? It¡¯s just some fingerprints and DNA samples, for god¡¯s sake.¡± Shrevas asked.


    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah. Thanks for reminding me, I actually borrowed some time from the city¡¯s fingerprint matcher.¡± Kevin smacked himself on the forehead and said: ¡°This is an idea thanks to Mick. Marcus, you might wanna take a look at this as well.¡±


    Kevin pulled up another tab on his browser, which had a few clickable items listed. He then proceeded to click on a few of them, all of which showed ¡°no match¡±, which caused Shrevas to grunt again. And finally, there was one item that showed ¡°match¡±, with a picture of a blood stained cloth. Marcus recognized this - it was the same fabric of Carl Benson¡¯s shirt, clutched in the hand of Lydia Mu.


    ¡°Matched: Lydia Mu.¡±

 Chapter 46. Matches

    ¡°Alright, let me know if there¡¯s any update.¡± Shrevas sighed and walked out of the lab.


    ¡°Sorry for the rush. But - you know, the investigation has been close to fruitless after all this time.¡± Keryn sighed and apologized: ¡°You know how stressful it is to deal with this kind of high profile case, and it¡¯s very unlikely we can just sweep it into a Blue Envelope with all those eyes on it.¡±


    ¡°No problem, Keryn. I¡¯ll update you as soon as I hear anything back.¡±


    ¡°Hey, morning folks.¡± Just when Keryn and Shrevas left, Mick came into the lab, carrying a small tray of coffee: ¡°I got some coffee, you want some? And why are you here so early already?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda unfortunate, actually.¡± Marcus sighed and raised his mug of coffee up at Mick: ¡°I will ask the captain if I can go home.¡±


    ¡°You were here all night? What the - ¡± Mick appeared both surprised and worried: ¡°What kind of stuff did you check on last night?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Not now anyway. If you noticed that there are way fewer officers in here right now, it¡¯s because of what I ended up finding later.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s - ¡±


    ¡°Marcus found some kind of mass gravesite.¡± Kevin printed the pages regarding the bloody fingerprint out in full color and showed it to both Marcus and Mick: ¡°Buuut - here¡¯s something I wanted to show you earlier, didn¡¯t expect the matching algorithm to have a result so quickly, thanks Mick.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± Mick shrugged and took a look at the page.


    ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cloth from Carl Benson¡¯s shirt. Lydia Mu had one piece of it in her hand, right? Which is why this bloody fingerprint is hers?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°You would think, but no.¡± Kevin shook his finger and said: ¡°This is another piece - a piece that was not found anywhere in the car at first or in Lydia Mu¡¯s hand, but somehow tucked inside some engine pieces, unburnt, and somehow missed by the officers and everyone during our previous sweeps.¡±


    ¡°What - how?¡± Mick picked the printed page up and examined it up close: ¡°This is - this is also way too clean. It¡¯s not - ¡±


    ¡°Not natural?¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°Yeah, totally. ¡±


    ¡°How was it found? Who found it?¡± Marcus let out a long exhale, then asked.


    ¡°The city forensics team. They were assigned to the evidence discovery process. I guess they will be taking over the entire investigation soon.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°I guess that¡¯d be a relief for you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but if we have nothing, it¡¯ll look terrible for us.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And yeah, we have nothing, practically anyway.¡±


    ¡°What about Brooklyn Payne?¡± Mick shrugged,


    ¡°That¡¯s only trouble. But yeah, you reminded me, I¡¯ve gotta tell the captain this.¡± Marcus grunted and finished the mug of coffee in his hand: ¡°Let me get back to ya. Thank you Kevin, you¡¯re still THE life saver.¡±


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    ¡°No problem.¡± Kevin yawned and wiped his eyes: ¡°Let me know if you have something else you want me to take a look at!¡±


    ¡°Kevin, I have a question.¡± When Marcus left the lab, Mick lowered his voice and asked.


    ¡°Shoot, what can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°May I ask, and it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t wanna answer this - why haven¡¯t you applied for a forensic scientist certificate?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Mick, that¡¯s a good question.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°But the short and sweet answer is, those tests cost about three hundred dollars, and a pretty low pass rate. ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but with the captain¡¯s permission, that fee can be subsidized - ¡±


    ¡°When that fee is subsidized, it will come out of the precinct¡¯s funding. And if I don''t pass, which is pretty likely, it will show up on the entire precinct¡¯s audit report and become yet another reason for the city to cut our funding.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck - why would the city cut your - I mean our, funding?¡± Mick¡¯s eyes opened wide in disbelief.


    ¡°Same reason the city is going to cut the funding to other precincts and stations closer to the South-Eastern District - the city is getting poorer, and while other areas could rely on additional funding sources, our precinct and others like ours kinda have to count every penny.¡±


    Mick was stunned for a minute, then sighed: ¡°... shit. Sorry, I was not aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so get ready to experience a piss poor precinct and butt loads of cases.¡± Kevin laughed out loud: ¡°And, uh, I tried to warn everyone about this, especially Marcus. But since Marcus has come around, I want to extend the warning to you as well - don¡¯t dismiss the local superstitions easily. They served the communities for a while, and they continued to. Even if you don¡¯t believe them, don¡¯t flat out display it in front of the locals.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, do you mean the local beliefs and tales about the supernatural?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that, and your wording - ¡± Kevin chuckled and almost snorted: ¡°Just - be respectful, at least be discreet, alright?¡±


    ¡°Kevin, Mick.¡± A uniformed officer opened the door in a rush: ¡°We¡¯ve got a case, Detective Cai and Captain Cai called for your help.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the hurry?¡± Kevin immediately grabbed the field kit he placed on the side.


    ¡°Multiple homicide, possibly murder.¡± The officer shook his head: ¡°Detective Lance and Detective Pahaik are out, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Marcus is the default point of contact.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Let¡¯s go. Poor Marcus.¡±


    ¡°You worked the night shift last night right? Why aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Mick sighed and followed Kevin out the door.


    ¡°Possibly just genes, lots of dumplings and coffee.¡± Kevin waved his hand at Marcus, who was rushing downstairs and heading their direction.


    ¡°Sorry Kevin, had to drag you into this again.¡± Marcus apologized as he met up with Kevin and Mick with a string of keys in hand, signaling to both of them that he would be driving a squad car: ¡°And Mick, looks like another shit case is at hand. You¡¯re ready?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice, do I?¡± Mick smiled and shrugged.


    ¡°Nope, no choice but the attitude you face it with.¡± Marcus answered with a wry laugh: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where is this case? Why such a rush?¡± Hopping into the backseat, Kevin asked.


    ¡°Multiple homicide, from the description, very likely murder.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And the location is quite close, both to our precinct and where Keryn and Shrevas are.¡±


    The new site of a new case, surrounded by police tapes. It was a house just around the corner of the block where the damaged and barely functioning electric substation was. And was just about ten minute¡¯s walk from the crash site. They actually drove past a few officers watching over the crash site on their way over.


    ¡°Holy fuck - ¡± The smell of blood and raw human flesh exposed to the air for extended period of time hit them right in the face the moment they got close to the door, without even entering. Mick was the one that was least used to it, and thus he was the one with the biggest reaction. Kevin just shook his head and readied his gloves and camera. Marcus felt a strange sense of chilliness and grimness, so he tuned the flow of his Qi, while also trying to hide it from other officers at the same time. The reason for it was quite simple, being known as a mystic martial arts practitioner and wielder of Qi would bring him a lot of unwanted attention and even trouble.


    The house was just a plain single family house, quite typical for the South Western District, with some solar panels on the roof and automatic sprinklers on the front lawn. If it weren¡¯t for the blood and body parts splattered all over the floor, the walls and the shelves, the interior of the house would look quite neat and meticulous, with all the glass decorations, paintings, photos and potted plants on the wall. There was a piece of wool carpet in the living room, with two severed fingers on it and covered almost completely with blood.


    There were in total bodies of three people and a dog in the house, with many body parts hard to account for because all of them were too heavily damaged. What made the scene worse was that the robot cleaner seemed to have been activated after the deaths, and it smeared blood stains all over the floor and carpet.


    ¡°We found the information of the people here.¡± One officer with a face mask and bags under his eyes told Marcus and Mick: ¡°It¡¯s a family of three, father, Cartman Ling, mother, Lisa Ling and a young son, Kelvin Ling.  They had a pet dog. It¡¯s possible that they¡¯re all here, pending DNA or fingerprint confirmation.¡±


    ¡°Any known enemies?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Looking into it.¡± The officer nodded.

 Chapter 47. Brewed And Festering (Part 1)

    ¡°Do we know what killed them?¡± After collecting some samples of blood on the ground and on the wall, Marcus went to Kevin, who had been examining the body for the whole time and asked: ¡°There¡¯s something weird about them - I don¡¯t know why yet, but there¡¯s definitely something unusual that I missed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mick asked, the frown remained on his face ever since he came into the house. ¡°What kind of weird?¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you mean.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°You¡¯d expect there to be more blood, well, by that I mean, more splash and more gush.¡±


    ¡°I - I still don¡¯t get it.¡± Mick thought for a short moment then shook his head.


    ¡°Here.¡± Kevin pointed to one of the bodies, one with the neck torn open and chest cavity exposed, presumably of the father and said: ¡°If a person was killed like this, you¡¯d expect the blood to gush higher, but you can see, there¡¯s almost nothing on the ceiling.¡±


    Marcus looked up, all he saw was that there were a few light gray handprints on the ceiling: ¡°Are you sure? Has anyone checked?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at least by the looks of it, it¡¯s clear, slightly aged and stained, but those look like marks from old paint and weathering.¡± Kevin shrugged, but then he noticed the strange look Marcus gave the ceiling: ¡°What? You see something?¡±


    ¡°Let me double check first.¡± Marcus shook his head and started looking around, trying to find any traces of things that would mean danger to any of the officers here: ¡°Oh, right, who found the bodies again?¡±


    ¡°Technically no one - something triggered the house alarm. And the house alarm company tried to contact the owners. They did not get a response so they called in, per their policy.¡± One of the officers helping Kevin wrap up the body parts answered: ¡°Josh Kim and Caleb Manning answered dispatch and they called this in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus nodded and quickly located the position of the two officers and went over to them.


    ¡°Hi Detective Cai.¡± Officer Josh Kim was having a cup of coffee just outside the police tapes, looking exhausted but not attached by any hints or traces of unclean being or energy: ¡°Sorry for the mess - it¡¯s quite a - it¡¯s quite something.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the hard work. ¡± Marcus patted the officer on the shoulder, ¡°And - uh, sorry if anyone has asked you this already - but did you see any suspicious person around? Or did you see anything weird?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. ¡± Officer Josh Kim held his jade buddha pendant on his neck as he answered: ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary, I¡¯m afraid. Once we saw the bodies in the house through the window we immediately checked around the house and all exits. No sign of any person, no sign of forced entry or lock picking.¡±


    ¡°Anything else that you can think of? ¡± Marcus looked at Officer Josh Kim up and down, trying to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything ominous attached to him: ¡°Maybe even just slightly strange?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the gruesome scene? Can¡¯t say I saw any¡­¡± Officer Josh Kim thought for a while, then shook his head.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I definitely felt something weird.¡± Officer Caleb Manning, on the other hand, was quick to provide a not-so subtle answer: ¡°You know, detective, I feel like - like when you have spent so many years on the force, dealing with weird case after weird case, you¡¯d get the intuition when things aren¡¯t exactly right, you know?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, I think I know what you mean.¡± Marcus took a careful look at Officer Caleb Manning¡¯s face, just for enough time to confirm what he saw, and not too long to be obvious and uncomfortable. Then he took a quick glance at his shoulder - there were barely visible small clouds of black mist lingering on his left shoulder and around his forehead. ¡°But can you be a bit more specific?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s see - it¡¯s like - I felt this sudden gush of cold air blowing out from one of the back windows. You know?¡± Officer Caleb Manning nodded, thinking while looking at the sky: ¡°And I felt like I heard someone inside the house saying something. And I just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of someone having just left the scene right before we got here. I looked around the house a few times, and found no traces of anyone. The neighbors were asleep then, not even the animals were out. Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, understood. Have to say I have had some experiences like that before.¡± Marcus nodded and patted Officer Caleb on the shoulder, with a little bit of Qi concentrated on his palm, trying to burn away the dark mist.


    His Qi ignited the traces of dark mist like a burning match to a fuse, and the mist lit up in sparks. It eventually reached his forehead and burned a small chunk of the dark cloud over his forehead, but that was it - the small trace of Qi was fully used up by that point.


    Marcus nodded and infused a very small trace of his Qi into the shoulder of this officer. This additional Qi should be unnoticeable by any normal person, while still able to help the officer fight the dark energy. He was not entirely sure how else he could clean up the last bit of the dark cloud still attached to the officer right now, so keeping an eye out would pretty much be the only choice he had at the moment.


    While Kevin and Mick were still inside the house, Marcus decided to circle the house with his Qi activated, in an attempt to discover any other traces or leads. Even now he was still unclear what he should do in this kind of situation. If it really was the doing of some kind of supernatural or ethereal entity, then how on earth would he solve this case. How would he solve the case of Lydia Mu, or help with the investigation of the emergency reparations team?


    Just when he was thinking about all of this, a trail of bare footprints on the ground caught his eyes, leading right up to the backdoor of the house. There were no evidence markings on them. Apparently, they were something only he could see.


    Backtracking the footsteps, Marcus made it around the house and onto the streets. The footprints disappeared when they reached the public streets. Judging from the direction, they seemed to be leading to the electric substation.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯d you find?¡± When Marcus came back back into the house through the back door, Kevin was just in the kitchen taking pictures of the blood-stained sink and the dining table.


    ¡°Uh, not entirely sure.¡± Marcus took a peek at Mick, who was helping other officers collect evidence in one of the bedrooms, then lowered his voice: ¡°So, Kevin, I know this may come out of left field - but take this as a hypothetical question: do you know if there¡¯s any concrete case that are surely committed by supernatural beings? And if there is, what kind of pattern do those cases follow?¡±


    ¡°Uh, detective?¡± Kevin frowned then patted Marcus on the shoulder: ¡°Again, not that I am not happy about you agreeing with me or taking an interest in my theories. But I wouldn¡¯t want you to go directly into this direction when you have a case. What happened? Did you encounter something recently?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Maybe I can explain to you over some Dim Sum later, but currently, I just - you know? There are some very clear signs that what happened, and what is happening is nowhere near normal or natural.¡±


    ¡°I can see that - but - okay, question?¡± Kevin scratched his head: ¡°What are you seeing that we¡¯re not seeing?¡±


    ¡°Kevin? Marcus? ¡± Just this moment, Mick called from the master bathroom: ¡°Can you come and take a look at this?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you the details about it later. Like I told you before, I needed some time to clear my head and think about things. But I think I¡¯m in a better place now.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And - believe me or not, there are things I am fairly certain about.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s good, because I for one am not super convinced.¡± Kevin shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°I know, shocking. I have some experiences that led me to believe what I believe, but I¡¯ve never seen or heard actual cases of supernatural killing. There are many cases that seem like they could be the case, but I - I still need more convincing. What you saw in the tunnel was the closest thing I have ever heard. But - ¡±


    ¡°But I was poisoned and injured, and all I saw was a shadow. I understand.¡± Marcus chuckled, still debating in his mind whether he should tell Kevin more: ¡°Yeah, even I can¡¯t be sure of that one. But, weird point to ask for more proof, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. ¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°But I have my boundaries.¡±


    When they entered the master bathroom, they saw a really messy bathtub still half full. The water in it was dark and seemingly full of dirt, a few leaves and weeds floated in the tub. Dirty watermarks everywhere. Three plastic cups, three toothbrushes and a bottle of hand soap were scattered on the ground, some were even in the toilet.


    ¡°What the hell happened here?¡± Marcus asked, frowning.


    ¡°Looks like some kind of struggle.¡± Mick pointed at a few blood stains on the side of the tub.

 Chapter 48. Brewed And Festering (Part 2)

    ¡°Uh - looks like there¡¯s definitely some struggle.¡± Marcus followed the smell of blood in this bathroom and knelt down - there was a tip of a severed finger laid in the hidden space between the side of the tub and the toilet.


    ¡°Yeah, this is bad.¡± Kevin took a photo of the finger tip, picked it up and put it into an evidence bag: ¡°This is just - I don¡¯t know. Everything felt weird about the bodies. I couldn¡¯t even pinpoint where they were killed.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re sure this is a murder?¡± Mick asked, looking at both Marcus and Kevin.


    ¡°I mean - I really can¡¯t think of anything else.¡± Kevin shrugged, then looked to Marcus: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Murder fore sure. But we need to establish a killer profile first.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, then said: ¡°I asked Officers Manning and Kim, they didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious. I¡¯d say we see what the neighbors have to say, this kind of brutality indicates strong personal grudge, and possibly sociopathy.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go check with the officers, see what they¡¯ve gathered from the neighbors.¡± Mick nodded and went out of the bathroom. Shortly after he left, Marcus and Kevin heard him again, sounding surprised: ¡°Detective Lance? What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s another gruesome case, so I just came over.¡± Detective Keryn Lance¡¯s voice approached the master bathroom: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just here to check in on you guys and maybe share some info.¡±


    ¡°Hey Keryn.¡± Marcus greeted Detective Lance from the door of the master bathroom: ¡±How can we help you?¡±


    ¡°Quick brief on what happened? ¡± Detective Lance came into the master bathroom, somehow Kevin immediately became slightly nervous.


    ¡°Uh - not much.¡± Kevin¡¯s breathing became mildly faster, which was somewhat obvious to Marcus, but probably easily missed by anyone else: ¡°Not sure if this helps you in any way, but - the bodies are quite brutal, the blood stains are a little - unnatural.¡±


    ¡°Unnatural how?¡± Keryn asked with a frown on her head.


    ¡°Well, aside from it being smeared all over the ground, the thing is - the lack of ¡®killing splatter.¡¯¡± Kevin tried to describe what he meant with his hand gestures: ¡°You know - the kind of blood splatter that occurs when there¡¯s an active murder? Whether it¡¯s knives, guns or hammers, there¡¯s always some kind of blood pattern if there is a direct spill. But there¡¯s almost none in this very house here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, elaborate please.¡± Keryn took a look at Marcus, seeming to see if Marcus could understand, to which Marcus only responded with a shrug.


    ¡°What I mean is - let¡¯s say someone was killed by a knife, or a sharp cutting object, there is usually some kind of jetted blood on the walls, or on the floor.¡± Kevin tried to describe with his hands, but it only seemed to have confused Keryn more.


    Mick and other officers wrapped up part of their scene sweeping work, so they left the house for now. And somehow, when they stepped out the door, the wooden wedge placed in the front and back door that served to prevent them from being closed was moved. Both the doors were then closed from gusts of wind.


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    ¡°Hiss.¡± Marcus sensed a strange sense of chilliness that seemed to have filled the entire bathroom with no sign of any buildup. At the same time, lighting in the room and even the entire house seemed to have become dim.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kevin noticed the change in Marcus demeanor and emotion.


    ¡°Did it just get cold in here?¡± Keryn took a look at the window and zipped her jacket up: ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Stay here, let me go take a look.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes, then went out there. He was not sure what to look for, but something just did not feel right.


    When he reached the hall between the bedrooms and the living room, the blood stains on the floor were somehow all cleaned up. Instead, there was a long trail of watermarks connecting the two areas.


    Marcus lightened his footsteps and snuck into the living room, and right there on the spots of the three bodies, laid a grown man, a teenage-looking boy and an adult woman. These were the bodies of the family that lived in this house. But somehow, right now the bodies seemed to be untouched and unspoiled, and Marcus could immediately distinguish some of the obvious marks on them - the mother and the boy had their faces full of water and dirt, their faces were pale and was showing colors of green and purple, signs of drowning and asphyxiation. The father, on the other hand, had a clear strangling mark on his neck. His eyes were bulging and his tongue was sticking out, an indication that he was choked or strangled to death.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Kevin¡¯s frightened and surprised scream came from the bathroom, along with the grunts of Keryn.


    ¡°Kevin! Keryn!¡± Marcus immediately turned back, but at this moment they were already out of the bathroom. Keryn was carrying Kevin, and Kevin seemed to have some kind of injury on his left shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta go.¡± Keryn shook her head, her tone was stern, but slightly trembling: ¡°Something attacked Kevin from the tub.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Marcus nodded, and rushed to the front door.


    The handle on the door creaked as it was turned, but it wouldn¡¯t open. Marcus pulled, then pushed, neither worked.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Keryn asked from behind.


    ¡°Ghost Lock.¡± Kevin coughed: ¡°They¡¯ve locked us in here.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Marcus and Keryn asked at the same time.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Kevin warned with his voice raised, staring at the location of the three bodies.


    Marcus looked over, and found that the three bodies on the ground had somehow stood up, facing slightly upward and staring at the three of them over their noses. Their bodies appeared stiff and they were moving like zombies, but even so they were still muttering and whining something.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be me¡­ it shouldn¡¯t¡­ ¡± ¡°Why me? Why¡­ why me?¡± ¡°Why not them? Why?¡±


    Their mutterings were barely intelligible, but their movements revealed their intentions: they wanted something from the three of them, and it did not appear to be anything they could offer.


    ¡°Live! Live!¡± The father and the mother yelled and cried at the same time: ¡°Let us live! Let us live! You will make a donation¡­ you will make a donation!¡±


    ¡°Back off!¡± Marcus stood in front of Keryn while reaching into his jacket, grabbing two talismans he kept with himself. There were more in his car, left to him by Master Liaoran and Wuzui, and he was regretting the fact that he did not bring more with him right now.


    ¡°You will make a donation! You will!¡± The mother¡¯s eyes rolled back into her head and her jaws opened wider, to an extent that was almost impossible for humans, revealing her crooked teeth and rotten, molded tongue: ¡°My life is precious. I have a cause! You WILL DONATE to me! YOU WILL!¡±


    The three bodies lunged at Marcus, Kevin and Keryn, but were immediately met with the palm strikes of Marcus, and the claw attack from Keryn.


    Marcus¡¯ Qi was hot, brutal and even violent, and his attack instantly burnt two holes on the bodies of the father and son. Keryn, on the other hand, though not known to either Marcus or Kevin, apparently had mastery over some kind of sharp and swift Qi. The claw attack from her landed on the mother¡¯s throat, and like the slash of a knife, it slit open half her neck.


    There was only dry, paper-like flesh on the bodies, and not a single drop of real blood, not one piece of real bone or a sliver of real flesh. Marcus¡¯ palm strikes blasted the father and teenage boy away and threw them against the wall behind them. The mother was pushed back and wheeze from her sliced open throat.


    Even with her throat open like a second mouth, the mother still groaned and tried to grab Keryn by the arms: ¡°Why are you so selfish! Why won¡¯t you donate to me?!¡± But before she could utter one more word, Keryn whipped her long leg at her waist, sending her spinning in the air and then broke in half. Rotten and burnt fragments spilled from the broken parts like a broken bag of charcoal or coffee grind.

 Chapter 49. Brewed And Festering (Part 3)

    ¡°You - you know Kung Fu?¡± Kevin gasped and looked at both Marcus and Keryn with a slightly terrified, excited look: ¡°Holy - you know actual Qi-wielding Kung Fu?¡±


    ¡°Shush, Kevin.¡± Both Marcus and Keryn responded with the same sentence and sentiment: ¡°Keep it to yourself, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why?! Why?¡± Even though their bodies were completely broken, the family still tried to worm their way to Marcus, Kevin and Keryn. ¡°Why¡­ why are you so selfish¡­ You¡­ you are what¡¯s wrong¡­ with this city¡­¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Keryn looked at Marcus and then Kevin: ¡°What is this? What¡¯s happening? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time actually seeing this ¡­¡± Marcus and Kevin tried to explain at the same time, but then they both realized that they were interrupting each other, so they stopped at the same time.


    ¡°You guys know something?¡± Keryn took a look at the moaning bodies that were still crawling but still some distance away from them: ¡°Both of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± Kevin shook his head and took out a folded paper talisman from his inner pocket and tried to put it on the handle of the door. The talisman immediately started burning. Green and yellow smoke rose from the flames, and the next moment, a deafening scream exploded from the ceiling.


    Black tar seeped through the wooden floorboards and flowed into the broken bodies of the slaughtered family. All three of them started struggling as more and more thick tar appeared and crawled onto them like each droplet or pool had a mind of its own. Kevin and Marcus tried pulling the door and kicking it with full force, but none of their attempts worked.


    ¡°Let me try again!¡± Marcus immediately pulled out the two talismans in his jacket and tried to put them onto the handle once more. But before he did so, a sudden sense of danger came over him, and without even thinking for one moment, he grabbed both Kevin and Keryn and jumped backwards.


    Just when they backed off, two hands made of dark smoke appeared right on the door and tried to snatch Kevin and Marcus¡¯s neck. At the same time, the dark tar seeping from under the floor had covered up the bodies of the family in almost entirety. And slowly, they were pulled down into the ground by the tar, eventually disappearing.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Keryn stared at the two hands made of dark smoke as they returned behind the door and asked with a trembling voice: ¡°Some kind of supernatural or paranormal being?¡±


    ¡°What attacked you in the bathroom?¡± Marcus turned to Kevin.


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a woman. At least I think it was.¡± Kevin stuttered: ¡°She appeared from the tub and tried to pull me into the water.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Arms from the water.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°Some really creepy shit. I couldn¡¯t believe it at first - but now it looks like I kinda have to. What should we do? Looks like you have more experience than me.¡±


    Marcus and Kevin exchanged looks with each other, but their attempt to explain was interrupted once again by the sudden noises that came from the bathroom. It was a faint weeping sound, with the light splashes of water. The weeping sound gradually became clearer and closer, along with the water splashes.


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    ¡°Try the fucking door. Try again.¡± Marcus said with his eyes narrowed: ¡°Keryn, since you can use Qi as well, try and see if you can bring out the Yang side of it. They seemed to be afraid of Yang Qi, just like the folk lore.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Keryn grabbed Kevin by the arm and pulled him closer, with her right arm raised in the air, her fingers clenched together and her palm facing down, like the claw of a praying mantis. ¡°Hurry up, whatever you¡¯re trying to do.¡±


    Without much thought, Marcus slammed the two talismans onto the door, then struck the door with both of his palms. This time he did not hold back and utilized all of the Qi he could activate at this time. His orange flames lit up on his forearms and his hands were coated with a layer of shiny orange. The door emitted a shockwave when struck, and waves of dark mist seemed to be blown from the door. But still, the door just wouldn¡¯t budge.


    The two talismans did not seem to be doing anything - though they were stuck on the door, the invisible forces that kept the door closed did not appear to be affected at all. So Marcus immediately backed off, and started pushing his Qi more aggressively so that he could unleash a heavier attack.


    Kevin and Keryn watched Marcus¡¯ action from behind, while still paying attention to the surroundings. The dim but still mostly clean room without blood all over the floor, the appearance of the three ghostly bodies and the still unseen weeping woman slowly approaching their location all indicated that they were not in the same living room as before anymore, though it was still very unclear why they would end up here.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Marcus unleashed his attack one more time, this time both of his hands were in a claw shape, swung downward in an ¡°X¡± formation with his Qi concentrated on his fingertips. Two claw blades completely made of Qi were unleashed onto the door. If it was a normal front door made of wood and a thin metal frame, it should have been completely blasted to smithereens. But right now, with the protection of the invisible force, only two claw marks were left on that door, and from the deepest parts of which dark mist slowly arose.


    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s not effective enough!¡± Marcus backed off and tried to tame the Qi rampaging through his meridians after the attack: ¡°Let me try again - I don¡¯t know why the talismans are not working¡­¡±


    ¡°Where - where¡¯re my eyes?¡± Just this moment, a slightly hoarse, desperate and familiar voice came from the short hallway: ¡°My eyes¡­ my eyes ¡­ I can¡¯t find my eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop moving!¡± Marcus immediately said to Kevin and Keryn, then he tried to lift the talismans up from the door. But they seemed to have been completely stuck onto the door. The sound of the weeping woman came closer, and Keryn was holding Kevin while sticking close to the wall. Marcus tried once more to lift the talismans, and hopped to Kevin¡¯s side after this failed attempt.


    With a hand on Kevin¡¯s shoulder, Marcus sensed that Kevin was in a state of panic and the rate of both his heartbeat and breathing was elevated. So he discreetly infused a small amount of Qi into Kevin¡¯s body to help him calm down.


    ¡°My eyes¡­¡± The first thing they saw from this weeping woman was an arm with rotten skin and flesh barely hanging onto the arm bones. Then came another arm, pulling the rotten and boney body ahead.


    It was a woman in almost completely ripped and ragged red clothes and only the upper half of her body. Her hair was wet and spilled all over her body. None of the three humans present could see her face clearly. Her intestines were exposed and were dragging on the floor, leaving a trail of blood and some kind of foul, dark green watery substance behind.


    ¡°My eyes¡­¡± The woman looked to the positions where the family once was, then looked around trying to sniff something from the air. It was only at this moment, did Marcus got a glimpse of what this woman looked like.


    Her face was almost entirely bones, only a few slivers of flesh remained. And along her boney cheeks flowed two lines of foul dark green liquid. There were no eyeballs in her eye sockets. The sockets were not hollow, either. Instead, they were filled with lumps of flesh that barely resembled ball shape. Her nose and ears were almost all gone, with only holes where they should be. Her tongue was long and full of sores, and was flowing not from her mouth opening but from the hole on her left cheek.


    ¡°My eyes¡­ my eyes¡­¡± This rotten corpse of a woman continued her cries, the voice sounded like it was coming off her stomach instead of her mouth and throat.


    None of the three humans dared make a sound right now. Kevin was clenching the edge of his clothes as well as Marcus¡¯ sleeves. Keryn stared right at this supernatural malice with her lips closed and jaws tightly pressing into each other. Marcus, on the other hand, though suffering from the chilling and almost debilitating memories and flashbacks of what happened in that tunnel under the docks of the Mud River, still had his Qi battle ready and his eyes watching the woman closely.


    ¡°My eyes! Give -  give me back my eyes!¡± This woman screamed, and a sense of chill shot through everyone¡¯s spines from head to toes. And with the dizziness keeping her prey in a state of confusion and fear, she launched herself from the ground, right at the three humans.


    ¡°No!¡± Marcus was already standing between Kevin, Keryn and the woman, and the moment this woman moved, he immediately activated his Qi and swung his right arm at the woman¡¯s face with his right hand in claw shape.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± Marcus¡¯ fingers and palm collided with the woman¡¯s left forearm. Then came the deafening sound of hard metal bashing into and sliding against each other. While Marcus¡¯ Qi burned some flesh off the woman, he was also struck with an invasive stream of cold, dark energy, like a bolt of cold lightning. Marcus lost balance for a brief moment and almost fell backwards, hitting the wall behind him.

 Chapter 50. Brewed And Festering (Part 4)

    Before Marcus was thrown back by this clash, he whipped his left leg upwards and landed a full force kick on the woman¡¯s right armpit. Another metal clashing sound exploded, and she was pushed back from her lunge attack.


    When Marcus fell back grunting in pain, Keryn took his place and charged at the boney woman with only half a body. While the woman was recovering from Marcus¡¯ attack, a flurry of Keryn¡¯s claw attacks and hand chops landed on her face, her neck, her shoulder and her chest. These strikes were sharp as they were swift, and infused with Keryn¡¯s sharp Qi. These strikes left quite a few marks on the woman¡¯s body, tearing off flesh and cutting into bones. This was some kind of Praying Mantis style, but Marcus just could not name it right now. From the sharpness and swiftness of its performance, no doubt it was one of the better styles and Keryn was quite skilled in it.


    Keryn leapt back with both her arms trembling - it appeared that she was also ambushed by the same kind of chilling energy seeping from this rotten woman. The skin on her arms turned pale, and there were dark veins slowly crawling over them.


    ¡°Kevin! Try to figure the door out!¡± Marcus pushed his Qi and jumped from the floor, with his Qi concentrated on his hands and arms once again.


    ¡°My eyes! My eyes! Give me back my eyes!¡± Keryn¡¯s strikes led the rotten woman to shift to the wall behind her, right across from the three humans. When Marcus charged over, charged right back with her arms extended forward.


    There were no strategic maneuvers or techniques of any kind from the rotten woman. All she did was try to grab anyone with her boney fingers and hands. But the sheer amount of grim and cold energy surrounding her and almost solidified around her arms and fingers was enough to incapacitate any normal human. Even with Marcus¡¯ Qi, he still barely squeezed the energy out of his body.


    ¡°Stay dead!¡± Marcus roared. The Qi from his meridians was flowing at a rate and capacity that far exceeded any time it had before. So much so that Marcus could feel the pressure on his meridians, muscles and even bones. This pressure needed a release, and right now the only choice Marcus had was to unleash it against this rotten woman.


    Marcus swung his left hand from low to high, unleashing a bright orange claw mark in the air. The density of Qi in this claw mark and the temperature of it was so high, that it ignited the air and caused a string of explosions as it glided through the air.


    But it did not hit the target, instead it struck the wall behind the rotten woman and peeled off a few major layers of the wooden wall. After but one mere moment she disappeared once again in a puff of black mist, and shifted her position to just beside Marcus¡¯ left shoulder.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Marcus¡¯ left elbow struck the rotten woman in the face, his Qi exploding right on her nostrils and between her eyes. And at the same time, her fingers dug into Marcus¡¯ chest and back. Her palms and fingers slid through his body and flesh from the impact of the elbow strike that sent her flying backwards.


    Numbness, paralysis and streams of debilitating toxic cold penetrated Marcus¡¯ defense and seemingly tried to target his brain, his heart and his abdomen. Marcus just expended a large amount of his Qi, if he did not focus on himself and his meridians to push the energy back, he had no doubt in his mind his life would be in danger. Yet, if he just sat down and tried to move his Qi, Kevin and Keryn would no doubt be in danger.


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    ¡°Bang bang bang!¡± Keryn fired three shots using her gun, the bullets just went straight through the rotten woman as if nothing happened. Almost immediately, she had both her hands on the grip and tried to infuse her Qi into the bullets through the body and meat of the gun. She opened fire once again, the bullets chipped off a few fragments of the rotten woman¡¯s neck and shoulders. She was aiming at the woman¡¯s face, now showing signs of cracking from Marcus¡¯ elbow strike full of Qi and fury.


    The last two bullets of her clip struck true, as one of them went into the right eye socket of the rotten woman¡¯s skull, and the other landed right on the crack that ran across her face, connected to the holes that were once behind her nostrils.


    The rotten woman let out a high pitched eardrum-piercing scream, then disappeared where she was in another puff of black mist once again. She did not reappear right away. Instead, her cries started coming off every corner of the house: ¡°My eyes¡­ give me back my eyes!¡±


    Marcus turned to Kevin, just in time to see him biting the tips of his middle and index fingers. After seeing blood dripping from his fingers, Kevin tapped the two talismans and left two bloody fingerprints on there. This seemed to have some sort of effect, because smoke started coming off from the backs of the talismans. Some sort of vibration occured in the house and everything started shaking.


    ¡°My eyes! My eyes!¡± The woman¡¯s moan resounded in the house. Marcus, Kevin and Keryn gathered together, with their backs facing each other¡¯s in a triangle formation. Whatever was ignited behind the talismans seemed to be burning away some of the dimness and chilliness in the house as well.


    ¡°Good thinking, Keryn.¡± Marcus was still sitting on the ground, trying to push the cold energy out of his meridians and body: ¡°Here, take my gun. I can¡¯t move while I recover my Qi.¡±


    Keryn raised her eyebrows, then took Marcus¡¯ gun from his holster hanging on Marcus¡¯ waist. She could feel that Marcus was really not able to move right now, and that he was indeed trying to recover from the attack trade he just did with the rotten woman.


    ¡°Kevin, how long does it take?¡± Keryn held two guns in her hands and looked around: ¡°I don¡¯t think these small guns are gonna do much.¡±


    ¡°Just a few more minutes!¡± Kevin wiped his forehead, also looking around, his fingers kept bleeding, but he kept them pressed against the talismans. The effects of these talismans seemed to be consuming his blood and energy as well.


    The living room seemed to have become brighter and brighter, and gradually it became obvious that there were some kind of light gray and almost completely transparent or invisible particles in the air. And it was only until just now that they started to get repelled.


    ¡°Give me my eyes! Give me back my eyes!¡± The rotten woman¡¯s voices became more desperate and more violent: ¡°My eyes! Give them back!¡±


    With another desperate high pitched and yet throaty scream, the rotten woman appeared in the space still filled with the dim particles right above Kevin¡¯s head. Her boney arms and hands thrust downward, in an attempt to grab Kevin.


    Keryn turned to the rotten woman almost the exact moment she appeared and opened fire on this foul spirit. Bullets infused with Keryn¡¯s Qi rained on the rotten body. Curiously, the part of the woman exposed in the brighter part of the room seemed to break much easier than the parts that had dim particles - the woman¡¯s left forearm was completely broken just by a single bullet, yet her right arm and shoulder took at least two shots each and they barely cracked. And within but a few seconds, all the bullets from the two clips were all gone. There were more cracks and broken parts on the rotten woman¡¯s body, enough to hinder and stall her attacks, but just not enough to completely stop her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Kevin groaned in pain as the woman¡¯s right hand grabbed him by the left shoulder. But before she could do anything else, her right wrist was caught firmly by Marcus.


    ¡°Come down here!¡± Marcus roared once again and pulled the arm down with all his might. The rotten woman did not get a chance to even escape before she was dragged and tossed on the corner of the floor, almost completely exposed to the light.


    The foul and vengeful spirit screamed, while Keryn, Kevin and Marcus yelled almost at the same time. Marcus¡¯ left palm struck the rotten women right at the top of her head, Keryn¡¯s hand chop slashed her right chest and created a fist size hole on her rib cage, and Kevin¡¯s face and hands turned pale, as more of his blood was consumed by the talismans.


    The rotten woman¡¯s cracked face was barely healed, and with an additional heavy chop from Marcus, her entire head crumbled into pieces; Keryn¡¯s fingers pierced through her now much more fragile rib cage, the thin Qi edges on her fingertips cut into some kind of soft yet freezing object, which then upon impact pushed her fingers away but leaked and sagged like a punctured balloon.


    The rotten woman let out her final scream, and a devastating dizziness hit all three humans at the same time.

 Chapter 51. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 1)

    ¡°Just keep paddling, Marcus, don¡¯t stop!¡± Sitting behind him the broken chair, Marcus¡¯ father encouraged him, pointing ahead with his left hand: ¡°There! You see? We¡¯re almost there! Just keep going! You can do it my son!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ my arms are sore!¡± Marcus replied, while still paddling the water using a flat piece of plastic along with his father: ¡°I wish Mom is here¡­ so we can paddle together¡­ Where is she, Dad?¡±


    ¡°She will meet up with us soon, son. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Marcus¡¯ father wiped his forehead and tried his best to sound hopeful and upbeat: ¡°Just keep going son, we don¡¯t want to keep your mother waiting, do you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but¡­ my arms are so sore!¡± Marcus whined and cried: ¡°I - I just can¡¯t go anymore!¡±


    ¡°You can do it! Just believe in yourself!¡± Marcus¡¯ father said, slightly raising his rate of paddling the water with a piece of broken wood.


    ¡°I - I really can¡¯t!¡± Marcus cried, her young arms finally stopped, almost dropping the piece of plastic into the water: ¡°I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t?¡± Just this moment, Marcus¡¯ father¡¯s voice turned calm and even a little suggestive: ¡°That¡¯s okay, son. Just rest.¡±


    ¡°I - I can?¡± Marcus turned back, feeling a sense of unease. His father¡¯s face somehow became dry and no longer weary, even though they had been on the water for hours and had not had even one bite of food. The day was already getting brighter, and Marcus could see that his father seemed unnaturally calm and collected. Even his shirt seemed dry and well-ironed.


    ¡°Yes, in fact, we can just meet your mother right now, if you want.¡± His father responded with a smile and a calm voice, not heaving, not grunting, no sign of weakness or exhaustion, just like casually giving another suggestion that they should go to the park: ¡°Do you want to go meet Mom now, Marcus?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Memories of Marcus being grown and a possibly under-valued detective flashed through his head, and he became both confused and somewhat alerted by this oddity: ¡°Why do you say that, Dad? Do you know something?¡±


    ¡°No! What are you worried about, Marcus?¡± His father scooted closer to him, smiling and extending his hand forward trying to stroke Marcus¡¯ wet hair: ¡°Don¡¯t you wanna go meet Mom?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Some of Marcus¡¯ adult memory got back to him, and he immediately slapped away the hand of his father: ¡°You¡¯re not my father! Who are you? ¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I am your father, I am your Dad¡­¡±


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    ¡°No, nonono - you¡¯re not!¡± Marcus immediately moved back, and his Qi was slowly concentrated on his arms: ¡°Who are you!? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I am your father. Why don¡¯t you just come with me, let me bring you to Mom¡­¡± Marcus¡¯ ¡°father¡± squirmed and tried to touch Marcus¡¯ head one more time.


    ¡°No!¡± Marcus dodged the hand of his ¡°father¡±, and unleashed a swift palm strike against his dry and smiling face. The center of his palm made close contact with the cold nose of his ¡°father¡±, then his face, then the inner parts of his head. The entire frame of his ¡°father¡± cracked, crumbled and shattered like it was made of thin china or stained glass. Along with the face and body of his ¡°father¡±, the scene around Marcus also broke and collapsed into darkness.


    ¡°What? Why are you doing this?¡± In the utter darkness, Marcus heard the desperate pleas and cries of a woman, which sounded quite similar to the voice and tone of the rotten woman, but only more lively and more human. ¡°Come on, please. You cannot do this! You cannot do this! Why are you doing this to me!? No! No!¡±


    After a brief moment of silence, the woman¡¯s voice became much more desperate and even somewhat unhinged: ¡°No! What - what the hell are you doing!? These people - they¡¯ll kill me! No! You cannot do this to me! You can¡¯t do this to me! They¡¯ll fucking kill me! You¡­ you lying, cheating bastards! You sick traitor! You sold me out? You sold me out! Damn you! Damn you! Curse you! Curse you! I¡¯ll tell everyone ! I tell everyone about our deal! I¡¯ll tell¡­¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was muffled by something, and then the darkness broke, as Marcus woke up on the floor in the house.


    ¡°Marcus, glad you¡¯re awake now.¡± While he was adjusting to the light in the room, Marcus felt someone pulling his arms and helping him sit up straight.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± Marcus scratched his head while sensing the meridians in his body - his Qi was quite spent, there was only a very small portion of it left in him. Lucky for him, all the collisions and battles between his Qi and the cold energy did not cause too much damage to his meridians - he sensed some bruises and small lashes, but those would gradually heal as long as he kept calm and did not overexert his Qi.


    ¡°From what we could tell, we were trapped in here for only about five minutes. But we just woke up not long before you, so it¡¯s a bit difficult to say.¡± Kevin shook his head.


    ¡°How are you? ¡± Marcus took a look at Kevin¡¯s hands - there were indeed bite wounds on his fingertips, now red but beginning to scar. He then looked at Keryn, who was also sitting on the ground, trying to recover in a meditative pose and with her eyes closed. Her meditative pose was pretty standard and textbook, quite similar to the pose Marcus used when he meditated.


    ¡°I - I feel okay, what about you? Are you okay?¡± Kevin shrugged, but instantly gasped and had to lay back, as his left shoulder seemed to have caused him immense pain.


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain. Here, let me take a look.¡± Marcus nodded and raised his hand above Kevin¡¯s left shoulder. Kevin hesitated for but one moment, then pulled down collar and exposed his heavily bruised skin.


    ¡°That bit - I mean that woman¡¯s scratch was quite nasty, huh?¡± Kevin grunted and inhaled through his teeth as Marcus laid his palm on him and slowly pushed a warm stream of Qi into his muscles and meridians. There were still some very light traces of the dark, cold energy remaining in his tissues, and the warmth of Marcus¡¯ Qi burning it away caused him even more pain as well as the light but visible recovery of the bruises.


    ¡°When we¡¯re outta here, have someone take a look at this.¡± After a short while, Marcus moved his hand away and coughed, because Kevin¡¯s skin showed signs of redness and light burn from prolonged contact with his Qi: ¡°I am pretty sure this should help, but it might not have completely removed her touch.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Marcus.¡± Kevin sighed and pulled his collar up, then took a quick look at Keryn: ¡°And, uh, what should we tell everybody when we¡¯re out of here? I assume neither you nor Keryn have registered with the city?¡±


    ¡°No. And I don¡¯t know about Keryn there. But I am assuming no.¡± Marcus chuckled and shook his head: ¡°Her style is not - well, let¡¯s ask her this when she¡¯s done. Hope she¡¯ll finish soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Keryn opened her eyes and stood up: ¡°And no, I¡¯m not registered either. So we¡¯d better have a cover story.¡±


    ¡°I checked the door and the wall, there was no damage there. ¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Whatever place we were in, it was only loosely connected to this space we¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s go with something simple then.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw.

 Chapter 52. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 2)

    Nobody outside of the house noticed anything different, it was as if the three of them were just in the house for a brief moment, possibly analyzing the scene and the evidence.


    ¡°So, what do you think we should do next?¡± Kevin looked at both Marcus and Keryn: ¡°Your¡­ secret¡¯s safe with me, but we¡¯ve gotta tell the others something - there''s still some damage to the interior. Not that it¡¯s going to cause trouble for the investigation, but if the Captain or anyone else sees it we¡¯d still need an explanation.¡±


    Marcus exchanged looks with Keryn, then sighed: ¡°Maybe let¡¯s seal the scene for now and get back to huddle at the precinct? I think we¡¯d definitely need time to discuss ¡­ well, everything.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°This brings in a new angle we could look at for the reparations team case - hopefully. It definitely has some kind of connection to that case. Kevin, when will the bodies be sent to the coroner¡¯s office? ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say soon. Why?¡±


    ¡°I need to see the bodies to be sure - to make sense of what I saw.¡± Keryn sighed then nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll ping Shrevas, let¡¯s go take a look at the bodies first, now.¡±


    The bodies were already on their way to the coroner¡¯s office, so they had to head there first if they wanted to take a look at the bodies before they went through the process. The coroner was someone all three of them knew personally, so it should be no problem for them to take a look before the autopsy was conducted.


    ¡°Just zip the bag back up and put it back into the freezer once you¡¯re done.¡± The coroner was a kind old man, and he was willing to let them in without asking any questions: ¡°They¡¯re not gonna get processed anytime soon, so be careful and don¡¯t damage anything.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of bodies?¡± Kevin asked, frowning.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you the details. ¡± The coroner shrugged: ¡°But yeah, more than usual. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but there¡¯s been a lot of murder - well, homicides recently.¡±


    ¡°Are the bodies gruesome?¡± Marcus asked, Kevin seemed like he was about to ask the same question, but he refrained.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The coroner shook his head and hand, then sighed: ¡°... yeah. But you didn¡¯t learn this from me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir, really appreciate your flexibility.¡± Keryn gave Marcus and Kevin a stare: ¡°We¡¯ll be very quick.¡±


    The three bodies were just sent in, so they were not frozen yet, and though rigor mortis had set in, the bodies still maintained a level of softness that allowed the three to examine easily without damaging or leaving marks on them. And the moment Keryn opened up the bags of the bodies, she immediately started looking at their torn up abdomens and chest cavities, and even their internal organs.


    ¡°What are you looking for, Keryn?¡± Marcus asked.


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    ¡°Well - it¡¯s a bit hard to explain, but - ¡± Keryn gently peeled open the abdomen of the father, then pointed to his stomach which was ripped apart and barely recognizable: ¡°This, you see this? His stomach.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± Kevin frowned and looked into the open cavities of the bodies: ¡°Yeah, looks like a part of it was missing.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Keryn took a deep breath and a small step back: ¡°It¡¯s - not super obvious. And do you know what I saw when I was out in the house? I saw - well, I felt something. I think I was feeling what she was feeling when she killed them. She did not tear them up like this because she was just being brutal, she was looking for something - she ripped them up like this so that she could try to find something from their stomachs and guts - she was looking for - ¡±


    ¡°Her eyes.¡± Kevin and Marcus said at the same time.


    ¡°Yeah. And in my¡­ my vision, she was trying to find anything that shaped even remotely like a ball and shoved them into her eye sockets¡­ ¡± Keryn shivered as she recalled: ¡°That - yeah, I¡¯ll never want to experience that again. Can you imagine shoving a pile of rounded meat into your empty eye sockets? Yeesh.¡±


    ¡°So, do we know why she killed them? ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Or, if she killed them?¡±


    ¡°She killed them.¡± Kevin and Keryn answered at the same time.


    ¡°Okay, how¡¯d you know?¡± Marcus raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Well - ¡± Kevin and Keryn both tried to speak, then they exchanged looks, and Kevin gestured to Keryn to go first: ¡°When I was in my vision, I was in her position, and I could still hear - or sense maybe, the environment around me. It was that very house, and the bodies were dragged there before she ripped out their guts trying to find her eyes. ¡±


    ¡°Hmm, yeah, for me it¡¯s different.¡± Kevin scratched his jaw: ¡°In my vision, I could actually see, and I saw the family sitting with me. It¡¯s a bit fuzzy, and I couldn¡¯t hear anything, but I did recognize them. It must have been some time back, because the parents looked younger, and the son was still a kid - maybe three or four, but would never be more than 10.¡±


    ¡°So, she had some kind of serious grudge against this family. If she knew the son when he was young, and still killed him. That would - ¡± Kevin shrugged.


    ¡°You both seem awfully calm for someone who just saw ghosts.¡± Keryn raised her eyebrow at both Marcus and Kevin.


    ¡°Yeah, and you too.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And, uh, it¡¯s actually not the first time I saw ghosts. Plus, I HAVE dealt with them before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you already know how to fight them.¡± Keryn snapped her fingers and nodded at Marcus: ¡°And - well, what¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait, did the same thing happen when you found those hidden bodies?¡± Kevin turned to Marucs and almost jumped up: ¡°I knew you saw something different! You were not willing to tell me because Dr. Flemmings was there right? You were gonna tell me?¡±


    ¡°I was.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And yeah, I didn¡¯t want to loop Dr. Flemmings in, at least not right now.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s why you were hesitant about asking her to be there, huh? Well, next time, maybe hint harder, okay?¡±


    ¡°I - I actually don¡¯t know how to hint that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, boys, focus.¡± Keryn waved her hands: ¡°We can recap this when we¡¯re back to the precinct. But here¡¯s one thing I want to ask - Marcus, what¡¯d you see in your vision? You were out longer than both of us.¡±


    ¡°I - well¡­¡± Marcus thought for a moment, then sighed: ¡°The thing is - I don¡¯t really know what I saw. It¡¯s not related to her, but seemed to be a twisted memory from my own past. I¡¯d rather not talk in details - ¡±


    ¡°Dude, what - ¡± Keryn frowned, but then she sighed and shook her head: ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m still processing it. But I guess from what I heard from the folklore and ghost stories, they COULD try to exploit your painful memories ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, something like that.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°But here¡¯s the gist of it: I was reliving my memory, and it was impersonating my father trying to lure me into something, or to somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what was she trying to do there?¡± Keryn drowned in her own thoughts for a brief moment: ¡°She was killed¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± ¡°Probably not.¡± Marcus and Kevin shook their heads at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s the water.¡± Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag, holding a small piece of aqua weed inside: ¡°The thing that attacked me in the tub, it was in the water as well. And I found this remaining on my clothes. This is the same aqua weed from Lake Aqiu found on the bodies of the reparations team.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Keryn slapped her left palm on her forehead.


    ¡°And there¡¯s something I heard.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°I - I vaguely heard some kind of argument - one of them was definitely the woman¡­ But I am not so sure about the other voices¡­¡±


    ¡°You folks done yet? ¡± The coroner called out to them from the other room.

 Chapter 53. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 3)

    ¡°Okay, I think I need to mention something else.¡± When they got back to the precinct and locked themselves inside Kevin¡¯s lab, Keryn sighed: ¡°I saw something else from the vision - I couldn¡¯t make sense of it earlier. But it just came to me - I think.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what did you see? Something we can pinpoint who she was with?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°No. Not really, at least I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Keryn frowned and shook her head, then she pulled her phone, and typed in an image search. After a short minute, she showed Marcus and Kevin her phone screen.


    ¡°Mud River Docks¡± was the search phrase, and there were many photos of the seafood market, roadside food stands and small wooden temporary delis.


    ¡°You saw the Mud River Docks?¡± Marcus asked, with a frown.


    ¡°Yes, and it seemed like some kind of fire broke out from it. But I am not sure - ¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°I just saw the place and the flames. To be honest if it weren¡¯t for the food festival posters I saw on my way to the precinct, I wouldn¡¯t even recognize it.¡±


    ¡°Food festival?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been in planning for quite some time, apparently.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°And many food vendors from all three districts have been booked to be present. Some kind of publicity and tourism thing, I think.¡±


    ¡°When is it?¡±


    ¡°Roughly about a week from now. I heard they¡¯re still deciding which day exactly.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°Poor planning at its best. But they did send out a ton of coupons and free codes though. I heard some families even received free entrance tickets and all-you-can-eat vouchers. Can you imagine? How much money is being spent on the promotion and yet so little planning.¡±


    ¡°Free vouchers and tickets?¡± An unpleasant idea arose in Marcus¡¯ mind: ¡°And - uh, don¡¯t you think the timing¡¯s a little too - convenient?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, super.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡± Kevin and Keryn¡¯s reactions were totally different.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years.¡± Kevin explained to Keryn: ¡°You know, since the cruise ship.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so? ¡± Keryn frowned, still confused.


    ¡°At that time, many of the passengers on that ship also received free tickets and food vouchers.¡± Kevin took a peak at Marcus: ¡°Now, I¡¯m not saying this is similar, but it sure sounds like it''s in some kind of bad taste - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into the docks, because I am more familiar with the place.¡± Marcus cut Kevin off: ¡°I¡¯ll do it soon. Or as soon as I get the chance. But right now, we have to come up with something in this case. I don¡¯t think Captain Ko or anyone is gonna accept the ¡®a ghost killed them¡¯ story.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to look into the woman.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°There¡¯s not many things we could go on with. But now that we know she was related to the family, I could narrow down the search.¡±


    ¡°Narrow down the search?¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes: ¡°Were you looking into her before?¡±


    ¡°Marcus, you wanna answer that?¡± Kevin immediately turned to his computer screen.


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    Marcus rolled his eyes at Kevin, then coughed and cleared his throat before he proceeded to explain to Keryn: ¡°The thing is ¡­ I¡¯ve actually sorta encountered the woman before. In a tunnel right under the Mud River Docks.¡±


    ¡°Really? What happened?¡± Keryn nodded, then asked while thinking, with her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Well - I made it out alive.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And I didn¡¯t exactly see her. I was injured and had to duck in a corner. She - she killed two perps who ambushed me while I was in the docks investigating a case earlier. And - come to think of it, she was also tearing the perps up and looking for something in them - her eyes.¡±


    ¡°So, how¡¯d you make it out? Not to say that I¡¯m not glad you¡¯re alive, but - ¡±


    ¡°Talismans. Talismans from the Temple of Forgetfulness.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Master Liaoran was quite generous.¡±


    Keryn wanted to ask something else, but was interrupted by her phone, she took it out and immediately apologized: ¡°Sorry boys, this is Shrevas, sounds like he wants me back on the scene. Keep me updated. And Marcus, we need to think about the bullets. It¡¯s not everyday an officer uses up whole clips of them.¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡± After Keryn left, Kevin looked Marcus in the eye and asked: ¡°I guess this would be a terrible timing to let you know that - the things you asked me to look into, I actually found some pretty credible information. Still need to confirm and do more cross reference of everything of course, but¡­ you know, it¡¯s pretty much as accurate as it gets.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just let me have it then.¡± Marcus sighed and sat on a chair, then laid back.


    ¡°First of all, Blood Rainbows.¡± Kevin opened a few pages on his computer: ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to remind you of this - but it¡¯s indeed a symbol of paranormal occurrences. And - I guess you already kinda notice this - the Blood Rainbow, given that it has more of an arch shape than the typical rainbow shape, it¡¯s rumored that it¡¯s actually a gate instead of just another omen with a shape.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus nodded, he couldn¡¯t say he had looked into it in depth, but he had found out some of the basics.


    ¡°Now, what¡¯s also supporting this theory that they are gates is that in some of the closer up patterns on the top of the arch. Look.¡± Kevin showed Marcus his computer screen, where he had quite a few pictures enlarged on display.


    Marcus got closer to the screen and examined all of the pictures. They were all blurry, but the top part of the blood rainbows were still visible. It was quite a wonder these pictures were still available online for anyone to find. Upon close observation, Marcus could see that all of the blood rainbows had some kind of pattern near the top of their arches, something like a symbol of flowing water. All, except for one, one that was black and white, which showed a different pattern, one that looked more like a bud or a sprout.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Marcus scratched his nose: ¡°But what does this tell us? That the Blood Rainbows are actually some kind of gate leading to the nether realm?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, it could be something like that.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°And I am still trying to find if anyone saw a blood rainbow at the night of the incident with the reparations team, to see if we could find another angle - ¡±


    ¡°Okay, what else?¡±


    ¡°Humor me this - I actually looked up some of the paranormal reports and referenced it with the local urban legends and their source stories.¡± Kevin became excited, and clicked to another page, which showed an interactive map with a bunch of red circles: ¡°From what I found, the gates did not seem to ¡®bring¡¯ ghosts to different places. Instead, what they were doing was awaken, or trigger, or bring to life, whatever¡¯s hidden in those places. Like wrongful deaths, unresolved murders, or other scenarios where ghosts and spirits could appear.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s actually good.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°So if the woman died on the Mud River Docks, we are one step closer at finding out who she was.¡±


    ¡°Yes exactly. And here¡¯s another thing.¡± Kevin looked pointed at the photos of the occurrences of the Blood Rainbow: ¡°You noticed the patterns on the arches right? The ones on the colored photos and this black and white photo?¡±


    ¡°Different time, different style?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, this one on the black and white was actually from around 30 years ago.¡± Kevin raised his finger: ¡°And all of the other photos were from the last few years, some even 15 years ago. I tried to find some more recent photos, but none of those are clear enough to see the patterns on the top. So¡­¡±


    ¡°The patterns are different - these look like - like water?¡± Marcus asked while pointing at one of the bigger and clearer photos on screen.


    ¡°Yes, and the pattern from almost thirty years ago? A sprout.¡± Kevin reached into a shelf by the side of his desk and pulled out a small glass jar with a paper talisman stuck on it. Inside this glass jar, was a small piece of the amberized tree root found on the bones in that massive grave site. ¡°Don¡¯t judge me, I felt this is abnormal, so I just brought some back.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, fire is next.¡± Marcus looked Kevin in the eye and asked.


    ¡°Bingo. ¡± Kevin snapped his fingers, then quickly realized that this might not be something to cheer on: ¡°Sorry. I got excited at an inappropriate time.¡±


    ¡°So if we are about to search for forty-five years ago, then it would have something to do with metal?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°Nevertheless - Keryn¡¯s vision is key. If it is indeed some kind of precognition or projection of what is about to come. Then there could be a fire at the Mud River Docks - maybe at the food festival. This is huge. We need to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Marcus.¡± Kevin looked around and lowered his voice: ¡°I think you¡¯re right. But the thing is if the organizers are sending out free tickets and coupons like they did 15 years ago, they must have a lot of connections and eyes everywhere. This - I¡¯m afraid it could be way above our pay grade.¡±


    ¡°Alright. ¡± Marcus thought for a while: ¡°Can you check if there¡¯s been fires at the docks recently? Just to rule out a few things about Keryn¡¯s vision. And - I think I¡¯ll go to the docks tonight and take a look.¡±

 Chapter 54. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 4)

    Before he went home, there were two things Marcus needed to do. One was to go to Captain Ko and report everything he could and ask for instructions on further actions. Right now aside from the case of Lydia Mu and Carl Benson, there was this new case with the family that just got murdered. The other was to address his wounds and cover up as much as possible so as not to worry his father.


    He gave Captain Ko all the details he could spare, including the girls that worked for Emerald Starlight, the involvement of Brooklyn Payne, and some discoveries with the new case that just occured, aside from only the paranormal information. As for the missing bullets from his and Keryn¡¯s guns, he decided that he would need to cook up a more reliable story, and thus he¡¯d only answer if Captain Ko asked about it for now.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Captain Ko nodded after hearing the verbal report from Marcus: ¡°I understand now. Looks like it¡¯s gonna be busy for you. With Pahaik and Lance working on the reparations team case. The only detectives we have are you and Brian Sai, he¡¯s working on some other cases as well. Now, how about you bring him along with the Carl Benson case? He¡¯s still new to being a detective, so he could learn from you up close. And you can offload some mentoring to him. ¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t - ¡± Marcus was surprised, he was not expecting the captain to propose this.


    ¡°Then it is settled. ¡± Captain Ko cut him off before he could refuse: ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Sai and ask him to put his other cases on hold for now and start working with you to dig into the Carl Benson case and the murder of that family.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s a good idea captain? He must have some other cases to deal with¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but none of them is as high profile and high priority as the ones we have right now.¡±


    ¡°But, I thought we¡¯re just doing some basic stuff until we hand the Carl Benson case to the city¡¯s investigators? What changed?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°I mean, we are already strapped for time and resources. I don¡¯t think we have the time to deal with it. Especially given how weird the body is. I¡¯m thinking if it weren¡¯t for the parents, it¡¯d be a Blue Envelope case for sure.¡±


    ¡°And you should already know that¡¯s not possible. Not with their parents raising hell with the city like this.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°But the city may - well, may not be as eager to take on or resolve the case as you¡¯d hope. And they may not be here as soon as you think.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure either. I may be the captain, but you¡¯d be surprised how little influence or power I have over the affairs at the city level. Nor do I have much access to the inner workings of the power circles.¡± Captain Ko shrugged, but facial expression indicated to Marcus that he knew much more than he let on: ¡°We can only deal with the situation as it develops. For now, treat the Benson kid case as a high profile case until otherwise noted. You¡¯re capable of handling two high profile cases at once, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well - I suppose -¡±


    ¡°Then perfect. Handle them.¡± Captain Ko nodded with a smile: ¡°Hey, no pressure. But you know, the time of city wide budget meetings is coming close. If our precinct pulled off some higher profile cases, we might get better cuts, huh? And maybe some of the detectives can finally make sergeant. You¡¯ll be doing the same work, but with maybe more cups of premium coffee per day and better takeout food.¡±


    ¡°Understood, captain.¡± Marcus sighed internally: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Now, one other thing.¡± When Marcus got up and started walking out, Captain Ko spoke, seemingly all of a sudden: ¡°Say hello to your father for me. I heard he¡¯s got much better? Glad he¡¯s doing okay. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, captain.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, and one last thing.¡± Captain Ko snapped his fingers: ¡°We recently got a new shipment of bullets and gear. We¡¯re supposed to get those last quarter but it¡¯s finally here now. I¡¯d put Sabrina in charge but she¡¯s out of office now. Would you mind helping with the counting and organizing? ¡±


    ¡°Oh? Oh! Sure, captain, I¡¯d be happy to.¡±


    ¡°And, uh, make sure to count extra hard. The shipments from the city almost always have inconsistencies in their number. So be sure to take your time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After pulling an all-nighter and having two consecutive fights against paranormal beings, Marcus had to go back home early and take a break, his master of Qi and all. After leaving Mick some quick instructions regarding the newly assigned cases, follow up investigation and working with Detective Brian Sai, the youngest detective of the precinct, he jumped on a bus home. While on the ride, he sent a message to Wuzui and told him he would need to come over tonight and ask Master Liaoran for guidance and help.


    ¡°Oh, son, you¡¯re home early.¡± When Marcus opened the door, he heard sizzling sounds coming from the kitchen and the smell of beef and egg soup. ¡°Just a few more moments, I¡¯ll still need a little time to finish everything up. I¡¯ve got stir fried beef and green peppers, egg and green onion soup, and sour cabbages. I don¡¯t know if you still like them, but - if you don¡¯t I can cook something else.¡±


    ¡°Those sound good, Dad.¡± Marcus put his jacket down: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You go sit down and rest. Maybe take a shower, okay? I¡¯ll be done in a minute!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Marcus nodded and headed to the bathroom - the room was much cleaner than last time he was in there, and he found new toothbrushes, new shampoo and new soaps on the shelves.


    Marcus almost groaned in pain when the cold water hit his body. Though he felt fine earlier, his body still endured some injuries from the fights - gashes, bruises, even some severely sore muscles that felt torn when he moved them.


    The pain aside, he could feel his Qi mending the wounds. As his mastery of his Qi progressed, the self-healing capability of his body became stronger as well, yet with his current situation, it was nowhere fast enough.


    ¡°Hey Dad, can we talk? Can I ask you a question?¡± After shower, Marcus threw on an old but loose and durable shirt he got a long time ago while he was practicing Kung Fu at the South-Eastern District, woven with some kind of hardened fabric that had some anti-stab and anti-slash properties.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s talk while we eat, shall we?¡± Marcus¡¯ father said to him while laying down the final dish, the soup: ¡°Here, everything¡¯s ready. Come! Sit!¡±


    ¡°Thank you Dad, everything smells wonderful.¡± Marcus sat down while wiping his hair: ¡°You look happy, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Well, better than ever.¡± Marcus¡¯ father went to the kitchen to retrieve the utensils: ¡°I even went out earlier today and filled out some job applications. Not many places are hiring for an old pencil pusher, you know. But I¡¯m optimistic about it. After all, people are still hiring out there. What do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, Dad.¡± Marcus nodded with a smile: ¡°And my question - here it goes: how often do you see Mom in your sleep?¡±


    ¡°Well, almost everyday.¡± Marcus¡¯ father shrugged: ¡°Sometimes I just get a sentence from her and I don¡¯t get to see her. Sometimes we go back to some of our past memories.¡±


    ¡°What do you talk about? ¡± Marcus asked, with the most caution he could exercise: ¡°Like - what kind of topics?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much. She asks me about my life, your life, how you are doing. So I just told her as much as I could. But I don¡¯t have much to say anymore. So it¡¯d be good if you could tell me a little more about your work¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be happy to. But maybe tomorrow or later.¡± Marcus shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°And, does she ever talk about wanting to see me personally? Like, why doesn¡¯t she want to come see me directly?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Marcus¡¯ father''s hand holding the chopsticks froze in the air: ¡°Why¡¯d you ask this? ¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing, I am just very curious, if she¡¯s with you, why wouldn¡¯t she want to speak with me.¡± Marcus sighed and asked.


    ¡°Well - ¡± Marcus¡¯ father adjusted his posture: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d ask me this, but she actually asked me to tell you this if you ask - she wanted to see you. But she just - couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She said your body and your mind is clouded by some kind of - some kind of protection.¡± Marcus¡¯ father tried to choose his words carefully: ¡°So - I don¡¯t know ¡­ But son, you do realize this might just be me and my mind, after all these years?¡±


    Marcus hesitated for a moment: ¡°Sure, dad. But - I was just thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, son. I miss her too.¡± Marcus¡¯ father patted him on the shoulder.


    The father and son had a full and relatively pleasant dinner, without actually talking too much about what was bothering them. Marcus told Elvin a little more about his work, the day he had, of course leaving out the details about the paranormal out for now.


    ¡°I remember hearing about this Benson family. ¡± Elvin, Marcus¡¯ father shook his head and picked up a bigger piece of beef and put it into Marcus¡¯ bowl: ¡°They were not as big a deal before - well before everything. But looks like they¡¯ve become some kind of annoying big shot bullies now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good for them. But not for anyone else.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    ¡°They must know something then?¡± Elvin asked while chewing some vegetables: ¡°I don¡¯t know what else they did. But if it was me I¡¯d be raising hell as well. Sending a PI to spy on the girl¡¯s colleagues is just - well, how do I say, just weird and a little lackluster.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Marcus started rethinking on the previous assumptions he made before.


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t listen to me. My brain is still trying to get better.¡± Elvin chuckled: ¡°You want some soup?¡±


    ¡°Of course, thanks.¡±

 Chapter 55. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 5)

    Two hours was not a short period of time, but still not a lot for a break after the night and day Marcus just had. He thought about lighting the incense sticks before he went to sleep, in the corner of his room to see if what he suspected to be his mother¡¯s spirit would come and find him. But he then decided it¡¯d be better if he saved it for another time.


    The night had come, and he could hear the snores coming from his father¡¯s bedroom. Marcus put on his jacket and snuck outside. At this time, there should be one final bus heading towards the direction of the Temple of Forgetfulness. And per Marcus¡¯ experience, this bus would only be carrying a very small number of passengers, if any at all.


    ¡°Young man, you¡¯re my last passenger today.¡± When heading onto the bus, the driver, a warm and kind looking old man smiled at Marcus: ¡°Where are you heading to?¡±


    ¡°Temple of Forgetfulness.¡± Marcus nodded and smiled back. But when he walked down the bus, he noticed a young boy sitting at the back with a large cap on his head. For a moment he wanted to ask where the boy¡¯s parents were. But when he laid eyes on the boy¡¯s pale and slender arms and legs, a strange feeling struck him that this boy did not seem to fit in with his surroundings. After a short moment of hesitation, he decided to sit in the front, right behind the driver.


    ¡°So, why are you going to the temple at this time of night?¡± The driver asked.


    ¡°I have some questions I need answers to.¡± Marcus peeked at the boy at the back of the bus with a side eye, while maintaining a nonchalant demeanor: ¡°So, old sir, how¡¯d you end up driving the last bus? I heard the city usually assigns drivers that are around forty - forty five to drive night shifts. No offense.¡±


    The driver laughed out loud then shook his head: ¡°None taken, kid. And you¡¯re right, this is the second week since I came back. They assigned me to the night shift because there¡¯s not many who are willing to drive it.¡±


    ¡°Why? And what about you?¡±


    ¡°Some weird stuff was happening in the city, and many of the drivers are just too afraid and worried to drive when it¡¯s late. The company offered additional bonuses each shift, still no one would.¡± The driver sighed: ¡°It¡¯s natural, the money¡¯s only good as long as you¡¯re healthy. But people do need to commute, even at this time. And I want to save my grandson some money so he can afford to marry a good girl when he¡¯s older.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice. ¡± Marcus nodded with a smile: ¡°I hope you make plenty so he can buy a house.¡±


    The driver laughed once again: ¡°Thank you for your kind blessings, young man.¡±


    There were no other passengers on other stops along the way, so the driver just drove past them and only stopped the bus when they reached the station at the foot of the hill where the temple was. Marcus took another look at the young boy, and his skin crawled a little as he found him already standing at the door of the bus, seemingly waiting to get off.


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s your stop. ¡± The driver smiled: ¡°Hope you get your answer.¡±


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    ¡°Sure, thank you¡­¡± Marcus stood up and was ready to use his Qi on the young boy, should the boy attempt something that could endanger him or the driver.


    But the boy just headed off the bus like he was not paying any attention to anybody, and started walking up the hill on the same road Marcus was about to go. His steps were sickly looking and trembling, his walking composure was also slightly off. Marcus could hear his fast breathing as if he was eager to go somewhere, and was relieved that this boy was heading to another place instead of staying on the bus.


    ¡°Drive safe, old sir.¡± Marcus let out an exhale of relief, then headed off the bus, keeping a decent distance from the boy.


    The boy¡¯s steps were getting slightly faster and faster by the minute, and Marcus had to step it up to follow him. Luckily for Marcus, the boy did not get too quick and still remained at human-able speed, so he did not need to speed up too much. And before long, with still some way to go till the midpoint of the path up the hill, the boy started running. Strangely, even though he was running, his speed was still human speed, barely faster than the speed at which Marcus walked. So Marcus sped up as well to gain up on him - there was no point in keeping a distance anymore, since it was clear the boy was running away.


    ¡°Aaaah!¡± Before Marcus could get within an arm¡¯s length, the boy screamed and turned back at him, with an old bottle of pepper spray and a paper talisman in his two hands: ¡°Stop chasing me! Stop! Or I¡¯ll spray you with blessed chili water and obliterate you with this fire talisman!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus immediately stopped and raised both his hands.


    The boy was nervous and seemed to be crying before, for his face was full of tear marks and snot was dripping below his nostrils.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re human?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°What? What the fuck are you saying?¡± The boy cursed and screamed while still sniffling: ¡°Don¡¯t come one step closer! You ghost passenger!¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯m not a ghost.¡± Marcus sighed, still wondering how he could have thought this now clearly human boy of flesh and blood was a ghost: ¡°I thought you were ¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop lying!¡± The boy still had his pepper spray and talisman pointed at Marcus: ¡°If you¡¯re not a ghost, why did you get on that bus!?¡±


    ¡°You were on that bus too, kid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know! I got on by accident!¡± The boy wiped her nose and sniffled again: ¡°How did you get on it? And why did you talk to the driver like that?¡±


    ¡°That was the last bus here. And I was under the impression that you were the ghost, because you don¡¯t exactly fit in - ¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t fit in!¡± The boy put his pepper spray back but still held the talisman in hand: ¡°That whole bus is not normal! It¡¯s a fucking ghost bus! The driver is a ghost driver!¡±


    Marcus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a cold feeling shoot through his spine and extremities: ¡°What? How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Ojison, do you even pay attention to your surroundings? Especially knowing that there are ghosts in the city now?¡± The boy snickered, then turned around and continued his way to the temple: ¡°He did not even have shadows under the light! Plus, I didn¡¯t know this before getting on the bus either - that is not the last bus! The actual last bus was around half an hour ago. The later buses were canceled by the company because no one wanted to drive these shifts.¡±


    Marcus thought for a brief moment - indeed he was not paying too much attention to any signs of abnormality with the driver. It might be because his meridians were pretty empty right now and his senses were dull due to his lack of Qi and rest, or it might just be that he was operating under the first impression and thus ignored the signs that should have been obvious.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just glad we both made it out.¡± Marcus gained up on the boy again and chuckled: ¡°Why are you going to the temple of forgetfulness at this time? And alone?¡±


    ¡°I - I need to have some more talismans for my home, maybe even some blessed objects. Like a buddha statue or something.¡± The boy shook his head: ¡°We don¡¯t have enough now, and mom and dad both work night shifts. I want us to have some more so that they can be safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood. ¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°Then you¡¯re going to the right place, Master Liaoran will for sure help you?¡±


    ¡°What about you, Ojison?¡± The boy¡¯s tone became softer: ¡°Also here for talismans?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°I¡¯m here because I need some answers.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, what kind of questions? And what kind of answers?¡±


    ¡°Questions about how to talk to ghosts, well, communicate with them. Because I have some questions that possibly only they could answer.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    ¡°Geez, Ojison, you¡¯re bold.¡±

 Chapter 56. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 6)

    ¡°Detective, we¡¯ve been expecting you.¡± Wuzui was waiting for Marcus at the gate of the temple, but he was surprised to see the young boy with him: ¡°And, who is this young friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°Some kid I met on the bus. He needs some talismans to keep his parents safe.¡± Marcus gently patted the young boy on his shoulder: ¡°Thank you for meeting with me and your help.¡±


    ¡°Come on in, Master¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Wuzui nodded and opened the gate.


    ¡°Is Master Liaoran home?¡± The young boy asked.


    ¡°He is, let¡¯s go and see him.¡± Wuzui smiled.


    Three of them made their way into the inner sanctum, where Master Liaoran was meditating, sitting on a hay mattress with a small metal incense burner by his side. The room was well lit by candles but had a fuzzy feeling to all the lighting, possibly due to the faint smoke in the air.


    Master Liaoran opened his eyes and stood up as Marcus and the young boy approached along with Wuzui: ¡°Welcome, detective. And I can see you met a friend on your way here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think he needs some talismans for his parents.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not talking about the young man with you.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°Wuzui mentioned you have some questions for me. And young man, I applaud your love for your parents. Unfortunately I have run out of talismans, so I¡¯m going to have to make some new ones now. Hope you won¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no problem. ¡± The young boy said: ¡°My mom and my dad will be back in the morning - so I still have some time.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Wuzui: ¡°Wuzui, can you bring me the materials? And detective, I see fate is being very peculiar and humorous today, so why don¡¯t you just ask the questions while I make the talismans? I assume our young donor here would find them beneficial as well. Young donor, can you keep a secret? Keep everything in this temple.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes! Of course, I promise!¡± The boy was flustered for a moment, but then he nodded.


    ¡°Okay then Master, if you deem it proper.¡± Marcus took a quick look at the boy then uttered his thoughts after a short moment of hesitation: ¡°Here¡¯s my situation - I just went into a house where a family was murdered with some of my colleagues. And inside the house, we were attacked by a ghost¡­ Hmm, come to think of it, it might not be one ghost, could be more. I can¡¯t tell¡­¡± Then he proceeded to tell the master and the young boy what he saw, and the fight between him, Kevin, Keryn and the four total ghostly figures. Up until now, he still could not decide if the ¡°ghosts¡± of the murdered family were really their spirits, or were they merely shadows originated from the mysterious aura that filled the house. Or even, could they be the scouts or minions sent by the rotten woman, due to the woman¡¯s claiming their lives?


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    ¡°I cannot give you a definite answer, but I must say, they are all possible scenarios.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head as he sat back on the ground and started writing on eight pieces of light yellow paper of good quality with a writing brush and some kind of thick red ink that gave off a salty smell: ¡°Yet in the end, as you should be able to tell, it makes no difference.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master. ¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°My colleagues and I will look into the family and their connection to this woman. But here¡¯s my other question - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the vision you saw.¡± Master Liaoran nodded as he raised his hand, finishing up the final stroke on the first talisman he was making: ¡°And with the 15 year anniversary of the sunken cruise ship coming up, you¡¯re worried AND curious about what kind of pattern there is.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think we¡¯ve found the pattern.¡± Marcus scratched his nose: ¡°It¡¯s some kind of 15 year circle, and at each circle massive amounts of people die with some kind of ritualistic marker along the elemental cycle. Last time it was the drowning of hundreds of people, so water. This time, if the vision is indeed some kind of warning or precognition relating to fire. And the mass grave we found? Estimated around thirty years old, and showed signs of people dying under trees and entangled with tree roots. So it was wood. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Master Liaoran looked at Marcus with a smile, and started drawing a second talisman.


    ¡°So, I want to know, how do I confirm this? And does that vision even mean anything?¡± Marcus asked: ¡°I don¡¯t really believe in precognition. But¡­ How can I find out if this vision is really something that will happen? Without alerting anyone, of course.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can do that. ¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°The only choice you¡¯ll have is to choose which ones you¡¯d want to alert. The people? Or the spirits.¡±


    Marcus let out a long sigh, then after a moment of consideration, he responded: ¡°The spirits.¡±


    ¡°Good choice.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°And here¡¯s another thing to keep in mind: the visions you and your colleagues saw might not be just memories or things that happened in the past. They could also be the visions people have in mind. For example, if a person wants something really much and has strong and clear enough daydreams about it, they could become memory-like pieces of vision. And should this person fall victim to a paranormal entity, this piece of vision could be taken by their killer as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh, I see¡­¡± Marcus immediately nodded, then scratched his jaw, drowned in his own thoughts: ¡°So, this means that someone in on the plan was killed by the woman. And their vision was absorbed. Which means there¡¯s indeed  a plan to actually set fire to the food festival.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The young boy screamed, ¡°This is bad! This is horrible! My parents are bringing me to the festival, and¡­ and my friends!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll try to stop them.¡± Marcus nodded at the young boy: ¡°To be safe, I think we need to get it cancelled.¡±


    ¡°And if what you¡¯re saying is real, then it means it¡¯s some kind of large conspiracy.¡± Wuzui interjected from the side: ¡°And I don¡¯t think your being a detective can sway that, Detective.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°So it needs something else - if I just go out there and start telling people about this, it will no doubt paint a target on my back and alert the people behind this.¡±


    ¡°So, there¡¯s something you could try.¡± Master Liaoran finished up the second talisman and got started on the third: ¡°It¡¯s not that unlike the ritual of spirit calling. But it requires you to go to the spirits, it¡¯s a bit more dangerous, but has a higher possibility of success.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Before I tell you, you¡¯ll need rest, and if you could, you need to have something that could tie yourself to the spirit you seek. I have to warn you, the one killed by the woman is probably already gone for good. And you may run into imposters.¡± Master Liaoran raised his head and looked at Wuzui: ¡°Wuzui, can you go get the jujubes, the wine, some sticky rice, some spirit calling incense and a burner.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Master.¡± Wuzui immediately headed to the storage room on the side of the inner sanctum.


    ¡°Detective, stay for a bit, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Master Liaoran sped up a little with his making of the talismans: ¡°Like I said: it will be quite dangerous. You will need your strength to handle it.¡±


    ¡°I - I wanna tell my parents¡­¡± The boy sniffled, trying not to cry: ¡°I wanna go home.¡±


    ¡°Just stay a little, kid.¡± Wuzui came over, dropped everything on the ground and patted the boy on his shoulder: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can teach you some tricks to fake being sick.¡±

 Chapter 57. Sacrifice and Direction (Part 7)

    ¡°Oh, very sweet, and has an interesting aftertaste, what is it made of?¡± Marcus chewed and swallowed the pickled jujube handed to him by Wuzui in a small bowl, then asked Master Liaoran.


    ¡°It¡¯s all different kinds of very ¡­ interesting material.¡± Wuzui hesitated to answer, while slapping the young boy¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mixture of ginseng wine, the venom of cobra, toad and gecko, plus some rabbit feces, lotus blossoms and Lingen roots, with a bit of honey for taste. ¡± Master Liaoran smiled at Marcus and the young boy, who immediately retracted his hand: ¡°Go meditate now Marcus, or you¡¯re gonna risk hurting yourself.¡±


    Marcus was about to frown and retch, but he quickly felt a rush of warm energy exploding from the lower center of his abdomen - his Dantian, the origin and of all the Qi in one¡¯s body. This burst hit him while he was almost completely unprepared, and he had to immediately sit down and start meditating and directing the Qi like the master instructed or the sudden burst of Qi would damage his Dantian and meridians.


    The jujube fruit was pickled with poisons and other kinds of unusual ingredients, yet there was no arguing that it absolutely worked. Marcus¡¯ Qi was almost completely exhausted before he came, yet right now he felt the energy originating from his Dantian was almost as much as almost 60 to 70 percent of his total amount on his best day, so all he could do at this moment was to focus entirely on himself, on his own Qi circulation.


    The Qi arose in Marcus¡¯ Dantian was pure, raw but also gentle and balanced. It appeared fierce at first but was still just right for him to manage. As it coursed through Marcus¡¯ meridians, it also seeped into his muscles, his bones and even his internal organs, fortifying and tempering them to help make him slightly stronger every second and every minute.


    ¡°What - what¡¯s he doing?¡± The young boy asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s meditating.¡± Wuzui explained: ¡°Detective Cai is a mystic Kung Fu practitioner, which means he has Qi in his body. And the fruit we just gave him, while poisonous to us normal people, can warm up his body and help replenish his Qi. This, of course, should be kept secret.¡±


    ¡°But, doesn¡¯t the city ban mystic Kung Fu?¡± The young boy asked.


    ¡°The city restricts it, but it¡¯s a little different for - well, for different people.¡± Wuzui shrugged and sighed: ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll keep it a secret, okay? I¡¯m sure you will learn about it and understand it some day. But the detective is a good person, and he sometimes¡­ a good person needs to go unnoticed so that he could help the most people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± The boy nodded: ¡°But I will not tell anyone. I promise.¡±


    The sudden burst of Qi finally calmed down after a while. When Marcus opened his eyes again, he found that his clothes were soaked in sweat, there was steam coming out of his exposed skin, and his body felt quite a bit lighter.


    ¡°Here, detective. Have some food.¡± Wuzui handed Marcus two steamed buns: ¡°You were out for quite a while. We let the kid go home just now. And if you¡¯re still feeling okay, the master is ready to teach you what you want to learn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. Thanks.¡± Marcus¡¯ words were muffled by the buns he shoved in his mouth: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The method to ask the spirits questions was surprisingly simple, he did not even need any tools like Ouija boards or enchanted pens or special coins. All he needed was an incense burner, some incense sticks, a bowl of boiled sticky rice and something he could use to link to the spirits. Marcus had no such thing with him, until Master Liaoran told him to cut a small opening on one of the bruises on his body and let out a little bit of blood. ¡°There should be some Yin energy left in your body. And with your Qi replenished to some extent but not fully burning it away, it could serve as an okay medium between you and the spirits, not just to the one that fought you but others in general. Of course, if you could find a better, more relevant medium it¡¯d be much more beneficial.¡± This was what Master Liaoran told him.


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    It was already late at night, there was no bus at this time, nor would there be buses. So the only thing Marcus could do to head over to the Mud River Docks was to borrow an old bicycle and ride it there.


    The bicycle was rickety and felt like it was about to collapse at any moment, not to mention the almost completely deflated tire making riding it a much tiresome process than it would normally be. Yet Marcus had to keep on going.


    His actual destination was not the docks itself, but some place close enough to it, with a certain amount of traffic going through, preferably a crossroads, but also with as few people around as possible. Luckily, he knew just the place - it was a small intersection between two small roads, neither one was wide enough for cars but both could allow the passage of small groups of people or one motorcycle.


    Just like Master Liaoran taught him, he placed the bowl of now cold boiled sticky rice at the southeastern corner of the intersection, placed a single incense stick in it, a paper talisman with his blood from a bruise dripped on it tucked beneath the bowl, and lit the incense stick up. Then he snipped another incense stick, leaving only a very short burnable bud, lit it as well and placed it in the incense burner at the center of the intersection. Next would be the hard part - he had to maintain his body just over the burner with his hands supporting his body, and the tip of the incense stick pointing right at his chest like he was doing a plank of push up.


    When the short incense stick burned up, he had to get up and check on the rice. If the rice appeared blackened or moldy but not from the ashes of the burning incense, then he should suppress his Qi and eat the blackened rice. If not, he should put another shortened incense stick in the burner and try again.


    Doing a plank over an incense burner in itself was nothing hard for Marcus. But after the first round, he went over to check the bowl of sticky rice. There was ash on the rice, but none of the grains were blackened.


    So the second shortened incense stick in the burner it would need. Marcus went to check on the rice once again, there was more ash on the rice, but still the same - none of the grains were blackened at all. There was about a third of the incense stick left on the rice, which would be just right, because, as Master Liaoran told him, three tries was the maximum. It seemed the Yin energy left in his blood was probably all burned up, or it was just not strong or particular enough to attract the spirits around. Either way was not good news for Marcus.


    With the final shortened incense stick, Marcus felt his heart was beating faster than usual when he went to check on the rice. This time, there appeared to be something dark on it. When he came closer, he could see that there was a small bite of rice that was blackened - not by ashes or ink, but seemed to be the result of something else, something changing it from the inside of every grain.


    Marcus let out a sigh of relief, then he removed the rest of the incense stick from the rice, picked up the darkened rice, and swallowed it.


    The night was chilly already, yet the rice was just extra cold, as if it was stored in a freezer. His Qi almost rushed into his stomach to protect him out of intuition, and he had to suppress it to prevent the chilliness from being burned away.


    The moment he put down the bowl, he saw two young boys sitting in this corner. One of the boys was tall and missing an arm, his missing arm was nothing but a shadow, there were some egregious looking wounds and sores on his body, and he was eating something his only hand, while seemingly looking at Marcus with his eyes that were melted and partially covered by plumps of hair and melted skin. The other boy was wearing a red hoodie and used it to cover his face. He was also eating something from his hands, but looking at the ground.


    ¡°Well, two sticks of incense, as a gift and sign of apologies, for disturbing your peace.¡± Marcus frowned lightly, but still lit up two more incense sticks and stuck it onto the rice: ¡°I¡¯d like your help, if you¡¯d be so kind as to aid me.¡±


    Both the boys took a look at the incense sticks and seemed to have taken a deep breath at the same time to suck in the smoke, then they nodded at Marcus.


    ¡°Then please let me know: are there really people who are planning to set fire to the Mud River Docks during the food festival?¡±


    The two boys did not even take a minute to ¡°think¡± or ¡°consider¡±. They just started nodding.


    ¡°Okay, my gratitude. Here¡¯s my next question.¡± Marcus nodded back with a sigh of relief: ¡°Do you know where I can find things to stop them? Whether it¡¯s sabotaging or exposing their plans, or just finding some of the people carrying out the plans to ask them for information?¡±


    The two boys hesitated for a moment, then both pointed at the direction of the docks with their hands, then pointed both to the left. Marcus noticed that the boy in a red hoodie had a shorter left pinky, which looked like a broken stump.


    ¡°So, to the docks and go left?¡± Marcus took a look at the direction and nodded, then turned to the boys: ¡°Thank you very much. And can you answer my final question? I¡¯ll give you all of my incense sticks as thanks.¡±


    The two boys hesitated for a short while, then nodded.


    ¡°These people planning this crime, are they the ones that hurt you?¡±


    The two boys were stunned for a moment, then started nodding with almost lively passion. But before Marcus could sneak in a follow up, fear struck both of the boys at the same time, and they just disappeared into the thin air.

 Chapter 58. Flames of Atrocity (Part 1)

    The boys were gone, and there was no way Marcus could call them back. So after a short moment of consideration, he headed towards the Mud River docks. There would no doubt be guards around the place at this time, possibly both from the community collective and the gangs that had control over the territory. He needed to sneak past them first, and if he was not careful, the situation could be of grave danger to him. But with the tight deadline of the Food Festival, he did not have the luxury of collecting evidence the normal way and calling for a team to raid the place with a warrant. He needed to at least find something out, if nothing else then at least learn about the surroundings.


    The night was more gloomy than usual, thick clouds in the sky blocked the light of both the moon and the stars. There was hardly any night breeze, even though it was close to water. The smell of rotten fish and garbage became even thicker and more stale due to the lack of airflow.


    Marcus hid in a dark corner right below a broken street light, from this location he could clearly see two watchers guarding two high points on top of two buildings. If it was any brighter they would notice Marcus almost right away even if he was wearing dark and matte clothes. Yet with the street lights mostly broken and the clouds being thick, Marcus was able to swiftly bypass these two watchers and headed into the docks area.


    There were two two-men teams patrolling the area, but their patterns were pretty easy to detect. Marcus waited for around twenty minutes before he was certain he could find the right window to get in and started heading toward the general direction the two boys pointed to.


    Many wooden shacks and warehouses broke down or were severely damaged during the fight he had with the two martial thugs. And until this day, none of them were fixed. Instead, there were just a few more crude warehouses and shacks staged on or around them. There were some more guards and watchers around some important looking warehouses, which Marcus averted.


    But when he inched closer towards the direction to which the two boys pointed, he found that the place seemed to be an empty space, a platform with only some uneven parts and a small concave part on the ground, with almost no place for him to hide. And what was weirder was that there was a team of three individuals in the space, seemingly watching over something. They had a few portable lights placed around them to provide visibility, yet not too many or too bright to seem out of place or attract unwanted attention. With the help of the Qi from Ferocious Tiger Style, Marcus could see more clearly in the dark than most, and thus he could see, though very roughly, what these three men looked like.


    They were dressed in dark cult-like/liturgical robes, the hoods on their heads covered their faces, and all three of them had strings of beads on their wrists.


    One obvious thing he could see was that the platform was almost on the edge of the docks and thus was near the water unless he wanted to be seen. So Marcus had no choice but to get into the water and slowly moved along the edges, in an attempt to evade the attention of the team of three. Before getting into the water, he put his phone on mute and zipped it in his inner jacket pocket along with his gun, hoping that the water wouldn¡¯t damage them too much because he would definitely need them.


    The water was thick and a bit oily, aside from the slightly pungent smell up close it also left a sticky sensation on his skin. Especially so when he moved some clothed part of his body above water, and the clothes just stuck to his skin leaving almost no room for air. And because he had to keep the water around him quiet and undisturbed, he could only move slowly without breathing too much. Not that he could anyway because of the smell of the water.


    The team seemed to be mostly watching the road leading to this space, so Marcus was able to move some distance along the edge, and finally he made it to a position that was furthest away from the main road and where the ground was at a few high points and he could hide his head behind it and get some deep breaths in because he was not able to earlier.


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    Just this moment, Marcus felt a gentle tuck on his wrist, when he looked over, he saw something was floating to his side. When he pulled it closer, barely using any of his muscles, he noticed that this was a heavily damaged piece of clothing with some burn marks and a few dark holes. There were some parts that were just whole enough for him to see the color with the tiny bit of light coming from the lights placed on the empty space - it was red. A red hoodie.


    Some more floating items seemed to have emerged from deeper water, and for some reason, Marcus felt that he might have seen small faces below the water. There was a short pen, a hair clip and a tiny pencil box floating on the water, all of which seemed to have belonged to young children.


    Just when Marcus wondered where these items came from, the sound of cars approached, and seemingly at the same time, a vision flashed before his eyes.


    Red hot fire, dark and cough-inducing smoke, the disgusting and horrifying smell of melting and burning skin and flesh. The children were crying and screaming for help with all their loudest voices and struggling, but their voices were not heard, and their bodies were bound by rough and prickly ropes.


    The vision lasted for but one moment. When he came to, the cars approaching the place were just pulling into some wider spaces on the side of the empty space. It was three black SUVs with completely tinted windows and seemingly expanded back trunks. From each of these SUVs jumped out two men, all wearing different clothes, some of them with styles that were typical to the residents of South-Eastern District, and some to the Northern and South-Western District.


    And almost too quietly but carelessly, each pair of the men opened up their back trunks and pulled out several children that were tied on ropes with their hands behind their backs and their mouths taped shut. They were still struggling and trying to scream. But like the children, whose pre-death vision Marcus just experienced, they could not do much.


    ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± One of the men waiting at the platform complained, with what appeared no intention at all to conceal his frustration: ¡°It¡¯s already past prime time.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not gonna be that easy transporting all these goods across different parts of the city, ain¡¯t it?¡± One of the men who got off the SUV responded with an almost equally frustrated tone: ¡°Some fucker shot at us, okay? Let¡¯s just get this over with!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past prime time, the curse is not gonna be tamed and easy.¡± The man who spoke first shook his head, then pointed at a spot at the center of the empty space: ¡°Get them in there then. You¡¯re sure you¡¯re not followed?¡±


    ¡®Who do you take us for? Amateurs?¡°


    ¡°If you¡¯re professionals, you wouldn¡¯t lose some guy to PCPD, or be late!¡±


    ¡°Hey, fuck you!¡± Another man who brought in the kids cursed: ¡°You bead twiddlers don¡¯t know shit about doing this kind of business!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! ¡± Another one of the three robed men waiting spoke up: ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. You want us to die here? The furnace is still running while waiting for you, we¡¯d be in bigger trouble if the oil runs out!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Alright! Fuck!¡± The men that just came out of the SUVs complained and murmured: ¡°Let¡¯s go then! Fucking furnace and your disgusting oil!¡±


    Marcus elevated his body slightly to try to get a better view of what was at the center position of the empty space, and at the same time grabbed a piece of sharp, broken stone and held it in his palm. Some kind of smoke was rising from under a trap door at the center of the platform, and a rich, oily but nauseating smell came from it. Unfortunately Marcus recognized it - it was the smell of burned flesh, hair and skin, commonly present in sites of arson and horrible murders.


    Marcus slowly took out his phone and sent out some pre-formatted call for help messages to everyone he could find right now. Then just when all the men were trying to carry the children into the open trap door, he raised his body from the water more and threw the piece of sharp stone at one of the SUVs.


    ¡°Boom!¡± The piece of stone, infused with Marcus¡¯ Qi punctured one of the tires, and the explosion instantly made almost all of the men in the empty space either stand up or jump.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± ¡°Who is it!?¡± ¡°You guys were fucking followed!¡±


    ¡°Lights! Lights!¡± One of the men yelled: ¡°Must be some of those watch and patrol members! Turn on the lights!¡±


    The kids were thrown onto the ground, with no regard to their health or safety. And almost all of the men scattered around the space with their portable lights and flashlights pointing everywhere in attempts to find whoever it was that broke the tire. And luckily, just as Marcus wanted them to, these men were looking mostly in the direction of the road from which the SUVs came, instead of at the water around the empty space.

 Chapter 59. Flames of Atrocity (Part 2)

    The men were in a state of slight panic and chaos, clearly not enough for Marcus to do what he was trying to do. They were moving further and further away from the children, but there was still not enough room for him to go in, grab the children and leave. There were at least six or seven children on the ground, so he would at least need to first commandeer one of the SUVs to transport the children. It was by far not a good plan, but it was the only plan he could think of right now. He had his gun with him and one full magazine of 10 bullets, but that would be all of his firepower left. He should have taken more, but the thought would not be of any help now.


    Most of the men were hiding behind the SUVs, and the three men in robes that were waiting earlier were dangling their beads in hand. Marcus could not see any signs of Qi from most of the men, the only ones that could be a threat were the three men in robes and two of the men who got off the bus, as he could see from the way they moved around that they at least knew some basic martial arts.


    After a short moment of hesitation, he picked a few more pieces of broken stones from the edge of the platform, infused them with his Qi, and threw all of them at the SUVs and the ground around them. He did not want to taunt them too much, just to scare them away, or at least push them to positions far enough so that he could rescue the kids, without having to expose himself earlier than he had to.


    ¡°Whoosh!¡± ¡°Woosh!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Most of the stones thrown landed on the SUVs and the ground With the Qi infused in them the stones exploded on impact, denting the vehicle exterior, breaking windows and shooting smaller pellets and sharp pieces in all directions. A few of the men were even slashed and bruised by the pellets, and blood gushed out from their wounds. But two pieces of stone were blocked by two of the men, one was in a robe, and the other was a tall man that brought the children here.


    ¡°The water!¡± The man in a robe that caught the stone yelled: ¡°It¡¯s in the water!¡±


    Before they could rush towards Marcus, he already slammed the edge of the space and launched himself up from the edge of the platform. A loud roar exploded from his lungs, and with his two hands swinging in the air, two claw marks made of Qi shot down at the two men who caught the stones. These two were no doubt strong foes, judging by the ease with which they blocked the stones.


    The two men grunted as they used their Qi to try to block the claw marks. The attacks exploded upon impact again and threw them on the ground. Before the rest of the men could get close, Marcus took his gun out and pointed at the other men: ¡°Back off! Stay there!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± One of the men in robes asked Marcus in a low but menacing tone.


    ¡°You took my son.¡± Marcus did not need to try very hard to fake a deeply furious tone, and with his hairs all over his face: ¡°I¡¯m here to bring him back.¡±


    ¡°Then you can.¡± Another man in a robe said to Marcus: ¡°With your skill, you¡¯d have a place amongst us too. You don¡¯t want us as your enemy, you¡¯d want us as your friend.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Marcus pointed his gun to the side to tell them to step away from his route to the SUVs: ¡°Get over there, don¡¯t you try anything!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cop gun.¡± One man that might have knowledge and experience of martial arts that came off the SUVs tilted his head to the side: ¡°So, you¡¯re a cop? In this very district? What are you, going rogue?¡±


    Marcus just waved his gun one more time: ¡°Back off!¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing.¡± The man in a robe blown away earlier by Marcus¡¯ claw attacks stood up, coughed and said to Marcus with a hoarse, clearly injured voice: ¡°You¡¯d think we are the bad guys here. But no, we are all the good ones. We are saving this city from a terrible fate. The city is cursed, and to save it and all the people living here sacrifices need to be made.¡±


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    ¡°Shut up.¡± Marcus did not respond, then pointed his gun at one of the men : ¡°Give me the keys.¡±


    The man exchanged looks with his cohorts, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys carefully. And as if he was about to pass up something valuable, he tossed them to Marcus in an extra careful manner. Yet while they were in the air, two of the uninjured men in robes immediately raised their right hands wrapped in beads at Marcus.


    At the same time, two streams of smoke shot out from these two men¡¯s palms. And the next moment, several pale crying and moaning skeletal faces appeared, surrounding Marcus ready to attack him from different angles.


    Marcus swung his right arm across the space in front of him with his hand in a chopping form. A blade of Qi was unleashed, instantly cutting through and obliterating some of these skulls. But at the same time, the other skulls all came at him from the flanks.


    Just when Marcus was about to defend himself against these skulls, two other men charged forth at him with weapons in their hands. One in a sleeveless shirt was wielding a curved short sword, and the other in a loose silky shirt was wielding a metal chain with a sharp end in the far tip like a long whip.


    The sharp metal end of the chain shot at Marcus with the flip of its weirder¡¯s fingers. If hit at a point blank range, with the speed and the Qi infused on it, it could have pierced through a normal human¡¯s body. Though this attack came right after the attack of the smoke skulls, Marcus still sensed it incoming and the position at which it aimed. He was able to move out of its way just in time. But the sharp tip of the chain still collided with the barrel of his gun and bashed the gun away. His fingers immediately loosened and retracted to let go of the gun to prevent his hand from being ripped apart.


    The rest of the skulls opened up their jaws and tried to bite into Marcus¡¯ body and tear flesh away from him. And he immediately pushed his Qi to form a defensive layer around himself. Their bites were cold and numbing, just like the times he was attacked by other paranormal entities. The curved sword came at Marcus¡¯ neck, the blade was glowing in orange light. It was the Qi of the man in a sleeveless shirt. Marcus immediately lowered his body to avoid being decapitated. His movement was so fast and abrupt that he almost sat on the ground.


    But this did not break his rhythm of fighting. He immediately bounced his body on the ground using his back and hip, launching a quick kick against this assailant¡¯s stomach.


    This sleeveless man swung his curved sword with too much strength and energy, and right now the rest of his body was exposed. The kick landed true and firm. A loud boom exploded, and he was sent back flying while flipping in the air.


    Marcus picked up the car keys from the ground, and with a quick clench of his hand he broke the metal ring that held the keys together. Before his opponents could do anything, he leapt to the side while throwing the keys out at all of the kidnappers.


    Two men were downed right the instant the keys hit them, and some others started running and scattering from the sight of the scratches the keys left on their legs and waists. The metal chain came at Marcus again, this time sweeping at his ankles. And another man in a robe unleashed another paranormal smoke attack at him, and this time it was not skulls, but a flurry of spikes and tiny spears made of smoke.


    This attack felt much more threatening than all the others, and Marcus had to push his Qi to dodge once again. If it was him just a few weeks ago, this kind of continual and frequent fast movements would be almost impossible for him. But right now with the new step technique he learned from Master Liaoran, he was able to perform this kind of maneuver. Using a quick step, he lowered his body and launched himself to the side like a cat.


    But even with this quick evasion, two of the smoke spikes and spears made of smoke still penetrated his body. The same cold energy seeped into his muscles and meridians from the point where they landed on his body just like the skulls, but faster and more intense.


    Marcus burst his Qi out in an explosive wave to burn away some of the cold energy in his body as well as the smoke constructs. But the metal chain came at him at this inopportune and vulnerable time, this time aiming right at his chest.


    The sharp blades on the tip cut his palms and fingers open, blood dropped on the ground, but it did not pierce any skin, not even Marcus¡¯ clothes due to it being grabbed and clamped by both of his hands. But before he could pull on the chain, two other men charged at him with their weapons raised, one of which was the one wielding a curved short sword, and the other was another one wielding two metal batons.


    Marcus had to sidestep, dodging the slash attack with the curved short sword, but had to take the strike of a baton with his forearms. ¡°Bonk Bonk!¡± The collision let out two loud sounds like two metal pipes banging into each other. With the protection of his Qi, the bashes did not hurt him that much. Yet the sudden electric shock from them the very next moment just propelled him backwards and made him tumble on the ground.


    ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± The man wielding the curved short sword screamed and charged at Marcus with resenting and a visible desire for payback. His sword left a burning trail in the air as he swung without almost any consideration for his surroundings, even the man wielding the batons had to make way for him.


    The metal chain shot at Marcus¡¯ legs from the left side while he was eyeing the trail of the burning short sword. The sword swung at Marcus from his right, still aiming at his neck. Marcus had nowhere to go to back off some more - pushing him closer to the edge of the platform.


    A cold feeling came from the outer side of his shin, the sharp tip of the chain left a gash on his leg, but luckily it did not damage anywhere critical. The short sword swung through the space just in front of Marcus, without actually touching him. The flames almost ignited his collar and parts of his jacket, and the escaped energy from the swing made patches of his skin feel heated and even burned.


    ¡°Die!¡± The sleeveless man screamed with his drool spit flying everywhere, but before he could swing his sword again, Marcus¡¯s left fist landed a heavy strike on his right shoulder. The bone cracking sound could be heard by both.

 Chapter 60. Flames of Atrocity (Part 3)

    Like a fierce and cunning snake, the metal chain curled in the air, passing the falling sleeveless man yelling in pain while shooting at Marcus¡¯ left shoulder. Marcus turned his body sideways and jabbed at the chain behind the sharp tip with his Qi concentrated on the tips of his fingers. With a loud and pleasant clank, the sharp tip of the chain was severed from the rest and flew into the water.


    A sense of danger exploded in Marcus¡¯ guts, and without a moment of doubt or hesitation he crouched down and hid behind the fallen sleeveless man¡¯s body. And before he was ready, a much bigger flurry of smoke spikes and spears flooded at him. The sleeveless man did not have a chance, and was instantly impaled by the majority of these smoke spikes and spears.


    The body of the sleeveless man and his Qi deterred and chipped away part of the spikes and spears of smoke, yet it was not enough to block or stall all of them. Marcus had to take these attacks head on, not just because he barely had any time and room, but also because there were two children who tried to crawl away and wound up behind him.


    Familiar cold energy started invading his body again, and he had to back off a few steps to leave himself some more room. The sleeveless man, on the other hand, was not able to fight against the corruption of the smoke spikes and spears. His skin turned pale, dark spider web-like veins crawled all over his face through his neck, and he lost the ability to move or even breathe within a very short period of time.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna make it, cop.¡± The three men in robes came closer to Marcus, with two other men wielding weapons in an enclosing formation, the one speaking to Marcus was coughing, clearly still recovering from the strikes Marcus landed on him: ¡°Any last words?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus tried to straighten his body, while still fighting with his teeth clenched to get rid of the cold energy in his body. But hard as he pushed his Qi, the speed in which he burned away the influence of cold energy was just not fast enough for him to get back to a fight-ready state right now. ¡°How about you leave these children the fuck alone and think about your life choices, huh? Maybe learn to cook or make coffee?¡±


    The man wielding a metal chain thrusted his hand forward, and the chain whipped Marcus on his right shoulder and pushed him backwards. Marcus felt a sharp pain from his shoulder and heard a light cracking sound - this strike might have cracked his collar bone. But luckily for him, he felt that he could still move his right arm, and his meridians were mostly intact. The Qi rushing into his body from the metal chain was slowly absorbed, yet the cold energy still lingered, and his movement was still hindered.


    ¡°I guess, I can only expect this from you.¡± Marcus crawled up again, just in time to take a look at the children with their hands tied and not able to move. They were terrified, and almost all of them were crying. Only a few of them were looking at Marcus with terrified, but still encouraging looks. ¡°What would a bunch of kidnappers do, fight with honor? ¡±


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    ¡°So you wanna die slowly and painfully, I see.¡± The man in a robe that was coughing let out a hoarse laugh and raised his right hand, his arm still trembling and his voice still shaking: ¡°Good, I would enjoy this.¡± Right after he spoke, another cloud of smoke came out of his palm. And from this cloud of smoke, manifested a skeletal hand with long, sharp fingers and long, curved nails.


    Marcus did not know what this skeletal hand could do, nor did he want to find out. While slowly crawling on his hip backwards, he sunk the fingers on his left hand into the platform. Just when all the men closing in on him got close enough, he swung his left hand upwards and fling a handful of broken stones and pellets at them.


    The man with a metal chain in his hands was the quickest one to react and leapt to the side, while one man in robe standing furthest away from Marcus was the second fastest to backstep and dodge. All other three men closer to Marcus were hit by these stones and pellets at a point blank range. Though all of them were prepared, they were still not able to fully block off everything. While all of these three men were incapacitated, the man wielding a metal chain lunged at him from his left while spinning the chain, ready for an attack.


    Marcus stomped the ground with his right foot and launched himself right at the man wielding the metal chain. His opponent apparently was not expecting him to charge right on, and had to shoot the chain at Marcus while trying to redirect his own movement. But Marcus had his sight locked onto this man, and he was not planning to let him get away. Utilizing the step technique he recently learned, he rushed onward and got to but an arm¡¯s length from this man. The chain struck him on his right chest and part of its end sunk into his right chest, sticking into his muscles. The shock and impact from the Qi infused shocked his ribs and his lungs, sending a bloody taste up his throat. But this was all worth it, as his palm struck true, right on his opponent¡¯s chest.


    The man¡¯s chest caved in and blood spilled from his mouth. He flew backwards in the air for a brief moment before he landed on the edge of the ground then fell into the water, leaving the chain dangling from Marcus¡¯ body. The man in a robe not hit by pellets and broken stones lunged at Marcus from his back, and Marcus just wrapped some of the chains on his left hand and turned around to face him.


    A puff of smoke exploded in the air, aiming at Marcus¡¯ head and shooting out a few sharp shards made of smoke. Marcus lowered his body and quickstepped to the left, trying to get away from the majority of the blast. Fighting through the sudden numbness on his right face and loss of sight in his right eye, he struck this man on the waist, with the metal chain wrapped around his fist.


    This fist attack created a circular tear on this man¡¯s robe, and landed right on his abnormally cold skin. His muscles were stiff and dense, and Marcus felt as if he just punched a high density gel dummy.


    While this man stumbled backwards in pain, both from the punch and from the invasion of Marcus¡¯ Qi, the man in robe first struck by Marcus¡¯ claw attack clapped his hands, launching the skeletal claw at Marcus like a homing missile. Marcus was already at the end of his power and might, so all he could do was prairie and hope the last talismans in his jacket pocket would activate to protect him.


    They did not activate, even as the skeletal hand got close and Marcus could sense the coldness radiating from the nails. It could be due to the water soaking through his jacket, or it could be that this skeletal hand with sharp nails was not paranormally related. But nevertheless, it seemed there was nothing to stop it.


    Something shining with golden light came from afar. And just when the sharp nails were about to impale his face, it crashed into the hand made of smoke and pushed it to the side. It was a sword, made of copper coins and red threads.


    Another group of men came, about six to eight of them, Marcus couldn¡¯t tell how many it was. But what he could tell was that this was a team led by someone he knew personally: Chef Tang, the owner of the restaurant and semi-underground intelligence dispenser, Chef Tang¡¯s.

 Chapter 61. Flames of Atrocity (Part 4)

    ¡°Taoist exorcists!¡± The man in a robe that was trying to attack Marcus with the smoke hand yelled as he held his right arm. Dark veins were crawling all over his palm and wrist, the aftermath of the interrupted spell. ¡°Stop them! Stop them now!¡±


    The rest of the men that came to the docks with the children and remained after Marcus showed up were even more shaken and most started scattering and fleeing. For they remained not because they wanted to fight Marcus, but because they thought that the higher ups in their ranks could defeat him. And right now, with their advantage of numbers gone, many of them were no longer willing to stay.


    A few of the men with lesser skills were instantly subdued and apprehended by the team that came. Those with stronger mystic martial arts masteries were not as easy, and they decided to run instead of fight.


    The three men in robes all started scattering at the same time, all of them started going in different directions and tried to break out of the enclosure of the team that came at them.


    ¡°Fucking Taosists!¡± One of the men in robes grabbed a young boy from the ground and used him as a human shield in an attempt to prevent himself from being attacked by any of the men that joined the fight. This worked, as two men in Taoist Robes and the special hats that looked like miniature straw temples instantly backed off from him, holding their swords made of copper coins and peachwood back.


    With the opportunity and room provided by this small human shield, this man in a robe laughed and jumped towards the roof of a building nearby. With any luck, he would be away from danger in no time.


    But just this moment, a chubby man wearing a chef¡¯s hat appeared in mid air right in front of him. And within mere moments, at a speed to which his eyes could barely catch up, this chubby man tossed a cleaver with a long blade from his right hand to the left, then swung the cleaver horizontally. The blade went straight through the hand holding the young boy without any hint of hindrance. The next moment, the young boy was in the chubby man¡¯s hand, along with a severed hand on his back collar.


    Blood gushed from the clean wound, and the man in a robe that tried to escape was sent to the ground by a forceful kick to the chest.


    On the other hand, the other two men in robes had to face their own interceptors: the one that tried to kill Marcus was faced with a short man wielding a chained scythe, while the other one was faced with a female Taoist with a jade bracelet as her weapon.


    The two remaining men in robes yelled almost at the same time. Smoke came out of both of their bodies, and both became the shapes of giant skeletons with weapons in their hands. Their opponents, on the other hand, unleashed their own attacks at almost the same time. The short man swung his chain up high and slung the now glowing scythe downward into a devastating slash. The female Taoist, on the other hand, formed a hand seal and her copper sword rose into the air by itself.


    Marcus watched from afar, with wonder in his eyes. His Qi had burned away most of the cold energy that invaded his body, especially the portions that were on his face and near his heart, so he was quite certain that he was not hallucinating. These people that came with Chef Tang, they also possessed similar powers to the three men in robes. Similar, but not the same - the power the Taoists displayed seemed to be brighter and warmer. It was a power similar to Qi one could obtain from practicing mystic martial arts, but Marcus had never heard of any kind of usage like this, nor capability.


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    The female Taoist pointed her hands forward at the smoke skeleton, the glowing coin sword spun in the air like a drill bit. Within the blink of an eye, it shot at the smoke skeleton¡¯s forehead. The smoke skeleton screamed, as a hole appeared on its forehead and its entire body imploded with it as the center. A small copper mirror in the female Taoist¡¯ hand unleashed a beam of light onto it, and before long, it was completely consumed.


    The chained scythe wielded by the short man, on the other hand, was slung downwards in a curved trajectory and left a long, deep and burning gash at the center of another smoke skeleton¡¯s body, almost completely slicing it in half. This smoke skeleton did not even get to make a sound, before its entire body was burned into ashes and dissipated with the night wind.


    The two men in robes cried in pain as they fell down on the ground. The one that tried to kill Marcus before was still a few steps away from him. He was screaming and writhing in pain, black veins crawled all over his face and his arms. It seemed that the smoke spells he used were not without their prices, and especially costly when they could not be completed.


    The other man in a robe was also struggling on the ground when his smoke skeleton was destroyed, and he was immediately subdued. The one that tried to run away with a child as his human shield was dragged away with his wrist crudely bandaged - it did not look like he would have a good chance of survival.


    ¡°Detective Cai.¡± The chubby man, or as everyone knew him, Chef Tang, came to Marcus, wiping his long bladed cleaver: ¡°On behalf of my restaurant and the people of this district, I thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. ¡± Marcus coughed and could barely move a muscle: ¡°Can you help me up? And maybe - help me find my gun?¡±


    ¡°Ling?¡± Chef Tang looked at the female Taoist.


    The female Taoist nodde and took out a small gourd. She poured two red, round pills from it and said to Marcus: ¡°Take these, they were made of sticky rice, ashes from incense and dried dates. They should help replenish your Qi and protect your meridians.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Marcus hesitated for a bit, but then still decided to take the pills.


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine you have also sent the same message to your people?¡± Chef Tang asked as he helped Marcus stand up straight, while his men pulled the last man in a robe away.


    ¡°Yes, I sent it to everyone.¡± Marcus sighed and nodded. The pills melted the moment they got into stomach, and turned into warm streams of energy flowing into every corner of his body. The residual cold energy that remained in Marcus¡¯ body was consumed and burned away in full during the process. Shortly, one man wearing a cloth martial arts practicing uniform handed him his gun. Like he remembered, it endured some damage from the fight.


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Chef Tang lit up a cigarette in his mouth, eyeing his men unchaining the young children taken here: ¡°Before we send you to the care center, one more favor if you could: have we missed any thugs?¡±


    ¡°I think there might still be a man in the water.¡±


    ¡°Chef?¡± One of the men who checked on two of the children looked up at Chef Tang and Marcus: ¡°I - I don¡¯t think we could help them.¡±


    These two children were lying on the ground, not crying, nor speaking. Their faces were completely gray, with dark veins on their faces and necks.


    Chef Tang knelt down and checked the pulses, breathing and heartbeats of the two children, then after a while, he let out a long sigh: ¡°Find out who their parents are.¡±


    ¡°Yes, chef.¡± The man nodded and carried the two children away.


    ¡°Someone help Detective Cai, his wounds need to be dressed.¡± Chef Tang ordered another man that came with him.


    Just this moment, the previously tranquil and quiet water was disturbed by something, as more and more bubbles rose from the depths, and along with them came faint cries and moans, which seemed to be getting louder and clearer by the second.


    Cold wind blew from the water onto the ground, and Marcus shuddered as it took to the disturbed waves. To his horror, even with the dim lighting on the platform, he could still see the pale faces that were flooding over to his position.

 Chapter 62. Indigo Fury

    ¡°We must go, now!¡± The female Taoist raised her voice: ¡°Go! This is - this is horrific!¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Chef Tang held his cleaver tightly and said to his men: ¡°Take Detective Cai with you. Take care of him.¡±


    ¡°Chef, you must go as well.¡± The short male Taoist wielding a chained scythe urged.


    ¡°I will, give me a moment.¡± Chef Tang reached into his jacket and took out a string of beads. These beads were crimson in color, and chained together by a strand of thin but sturdy golden strings. Without speaking another word, he put the beads on his right wrist, knelt on the ground on one knee and started praying.


    While being held and pulled away, Marcus could not help but look back. The water around the platform was rumbling. In no more than a handful of seconds, it was not just the pale faces under the water that were revealed, but hands, arms and legs that were somehow amalgamated together like batches of aqua weeds. Both Taoist were guarding him from the sides.


    Waves of water brushed against the platform, the pale faces surfaced, along with some kind of pale, fleshy underlying structure to which they stuck to like stickers on a white wooden stump. Hands and arms creeped up onto the platform and crawled towards Chef Tang and his two followers. Golden light exploded from their clash, and high pitched, almost deafening screams could be heard all over the docks.


    A thin but still visible bolt of light shot up into the sky. This was Chef Tang swinging his cleaver shrouded in golden energy down at the lake. The golden rays turned into an energy blade and shot into the water. Before long a pillar of water arose from the surface of the lake. The amalgamation of faces cried and bled from their eyes, noses and mouths at the same time and retreated back into the water. Hands, arms and legs fell off from their meaty flesh clusters, and turned to pools of tar and foul rot on the platform and the water.


    The water seemed to calm for a brief moment. But Chef Tang and his two followers did not remain on the platform a moment longer. Right after they hopped onto a car and drove away following the rest of the men, the entire platform was consumed by oily and tarry water, crumbling into pieces.


    Having witness most of this before getting into the getaway car, Marcus let out a long sigh and picked up his phone: there are a few response to his emergency message, he needed to update all of them, the most important of which would be Kevin and to let him know he was safe, then Mick and Captain Ko, to let them in on the basics. Captain Ko might be grumpy about it, but he would be wise to set up some kind of communication between the precinct and the local branches of the community collective.


    ¡°Hey, good to hear that you¡¯re okay, where should I come meet you? ¡± Kevin replied almost instantly: ¡°I think Captain Ko might not want me there, so I¡¯ll just go before he says anything.¡±


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Marcus asked as the followers of Chef Tang driving him away from the area surrounding the docks.


    ¡°To the closest community care center.¡± The driver answered: ¡°We have men stationed there just in case we have situations like this and take care of people that suffered injuries from these groups and entities.¡±


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    ¡°Thanks Kevin, I¡¯m heading off to the closest community care center from the docks. Marucs sent a message out as fast as he could, while still maintaining his calm: ¡°So, you already know about things like this? That there are people kidnapping children like this?¡±


    ¡°Only the chef can provide you with the answers.¡± The thin and bespectacled man sitting beside Marcus, helping to clean his wounds shook his head: ¡°As you can imagine, detective, this is beyond a tricky situation.¡±


    ¡°Tricky?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bespectacled man sighed: ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed the clothing on those children?¡±


    Marcus became silent, his attention was mostly on those men when everything happened. But he could still remember the clothes worn by the children roughly: most of them were simple, brandless, mono-colored and even a bit dirty, these were the typical styles of children attire in the South-Eastern District; a few of the children were wearing bright multi-color shirts with logos on them, obviously from the South-Western District; and one of them was wearing a mini-suit, something that almost no parents would put on their children aside from those that lived in the Northern District.


    ¡°I see...¡± Marcus nodded. The quiet part about this whole situation was that because these children were kidnapped from all three of the districts, any investigation would require some kind of cross-district coordination, which would mean that the city would have a reason to send their blood hound investigators into this district. Something the locals would never want to see happen. The last time something like this happened, the tension between the South-Eastern District and the other two districts broke and the exact casualty number was still a point of academic and political contention.


    ¡°The city would not understand.¡± The man cleaning Marcus¡¯ wounds said: ¡°They won¡¯t even try.¡±


    ¡°Even if the community collective provides evidence to them about what was happening?¡± Marcus hissed from the twitching and throbbing of his muscles as the man dabbed the chain embedded in his shoulder with sterilizing rub and gauze.


    ¡°They benefit from the bliss of ignorance.¡± The driver scoffed: ¡°Our district has always been plagued the most by the paranormal. And the absolute majority of them, those suits and those flashy shirts have never experienced what we have experienced. They don¡¯t care. They won¡¯t.¡±


    The community care center was not far, but not close either. Marcus¡¯ wounds had already been thoroughly cleaned and prepared before they got off, and the medical staff waiting at the center were able to immediately put Marcus into one of the operating rooms.


    While the metal chain was being removed from his shoulder, Marcus took the moment to look around, and spotted at least a dozen newly and meticulously made talismans hanging around the room as well as outside. There was an incense burner placed at one corner of the room, with a thick red incense stick slowly burning inside.


    ¡°Hold still, I¡¯m gonna pull it out.¡± The healer and his assistant held Marcus¡¯ shoulder at the same time after injecting him some local anesthesia, muscle relaxant and cutting some small incisions along his wound: ¡°You will feel some pressure and sore, but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡± Marcus nodded and looked at the chain that had sunken into his body.


    He could feel his muscles twitch when the chain was pulled out of his body, out of the clench of his muscles. Blood poured out, the healer and his assistant applied pressure on his wound to stop the bleeding the moment the chain left. Then, they stitched up the wound and applied gauze and bandages on his chest and other places of injury.


    ¡°Detective. Chef would like a word.¡± When Marcus came out of the operating room, the short man that wielded a chained scythe came to him.


    ¡°Thanks, after you.¡± Marcus nodded.


    Chef Tang was waiting for Marcus in the empty hallway, guarded by one tall bodyguard in full black clothing and another individual in a Taoist robe. Even from afar Marcus could see his weary looks and the sweat stains on his clothes.


    ¡°Chef, you wanna speak with me?¡± Marcus walked over and asked.


    ¡°Detective.¡± Chef Tang stood up and looked Marcus up and down: ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    ¡°And you look like you need rest, chef.¡±


    ¡°No matter, priorities.¡± Chef Tang waved his hand: ¡°I would like to have a word with you, because I have but one very important question I wanna ask. And let me preface this: I am not looking for an immediate answer, but I want you to think long and hard about it and keep your answer in the back of your head and make choices that honor it.¡±


    ¡°... I understand. You are wondering when the time comes, which side will I be on?¡±


    ¡°...yes, and I would like to make a plea to you, that you make a different choice than your father did.¡±

 Chapter 63. Dimming of the Sun (Part 1)

    ¡°Hey, Marcus, are you alright?¡± After around ten minutes, Kevin got to the community care center before any police officers, and he was very considerate to have brought a metal jug of coffee and an insulated bento box: ¡°I brought some food, in case you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, thank you Kevin.¡± Marcus took the bento and started shoving his mouth with food. Almost everyone thought the first thing one needed after a brutal fight was medical supplies. They were not wrong, just that a lot of them tended to forget about food - especially warm, fresh and energizing food, like tender and thin pieces of steak and some warm, steamed rice, with some sesame seeds sprinkled on top. After the first few mouthfuls of food and gulps of coffee, Marcus looked up and asked Kevin: ¡°Wait, they just let you in? No additional questions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, apparently they knew me.¡± Kevin shrugged and sat down by Marcus: ¡°I suppose that¡¯s all because of you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Marcus sighed and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ll explain in full.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have some time now.¡± Kevin shrugged and raised his eyebrows: ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you are going anywhere anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Marucs chuckled: ¡°There¡¯s never gonna be a perfect time. So ¡­ you know when I was a kid, I spent quite a few years here in this district right?¡±


    ¡°Right, until it¡¯s almost time for you to go to college, and your dad moved to the South-Western District and got you in a high school with a little better chance for you to get in one.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°But I guess that¡¯s where you got to know the people in this district, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And even after I joined the academy, I kept in touch with them.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And as you can guess, I got my starter courses on mystic martial arts from that experience. One of my earlier mentors was Bulu Wang, also known as ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡®Old Wang¡¯.¡± Kevin said it with Marcus: ¡°I see, he¡¯s built himself quite a name, hasn¡¯t he? I know very little about the community collective, yet I¡¯ve heard of him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a pretty high level executive right now, and is in charge of handling anything related to the social order and public safety of quite a large area.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess that¡¯s why they would know me then.¡± Kevin shook his head and smiled: ¡°If it was me, I would definitely spend some manpower to find out intel about those affiliated with you just in case. But you know, you can tell me more about your personal history later - what happened at the docks? Why are you injured?¡±


    Marcus looked around, then described everything to Kevin with a lowered voice. He was not overly worried that people with ¡°gifts¡± like the Taoists and Chef Tang would hear him, still he would like to keep the information to a smaller crowd.


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    The expression of excitement flashed through Kevin¡¯s face for a mere moment, for this would no doubt prove some of his theories and help both him and Marcus make better sense of what was going on in the city. Yet his facial expression immediately turned sour and worried, for it would be easy to see how worrisome the situation would seem to anyone.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ll be saying this to you in this close succession, based on different incidents.¡± Kevin shook his head and patted Marcus on the shoulder while Marcus cleaned up his bento and chugged down the rest of the coffee: ¡°But I¡¯m just so happy that you¡¯re alive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Marcus looked around one more time, then handed a small piece of metal to Kevin and whispered to him: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you can do with this, but this is a piece of the chain that got in my shoulder. There¡¯s some kind of pattern on it, but I can¡¯t make it out because the other part probably flew into the water already. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Kevin tucked the small piece of broken metal chain in his jacket: ¡°Now, have you decided what you¡¯re gonna tell the captain when he gets here?¡±


    ¡°Captain Ko must have known more than we imagined.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw, frowning: ¡°He¡¯s always grumpy, sometimes judgmental and too much of a stickler for rules as well, but his cavalier attitude is just¡­ curious, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Kevin thought for a minute then agreed.


    ¡°And, one other thing.¡± Marcus turned to Kevin: ¡°This time, no Blood Rainbows.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I looked around in the sky, when those creatures from the water appeared, there¡¯s no Blood Rainbow in the sky.¡± Marcus explained as he was thinking: ¡°It¡¯s not there, I am pretty sure. But those three men - they must be media of some kind, I mean, I have seen my fair share of Qi users. But I have never seen anything like them, well, maybe aside from those Taoists that came with Chef Tang.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of them before, and I have met a few in real life.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°But I have never seen them actually in action. What¡¯s the difference between what they could do and your Qi from your mystic martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Well, all I could tell is that when the smoke skeleton attacked me, I could feel the same kind of cold energy invading my body.¡± Marcus thought for a while, then answered with hesitation: ¡°It¡¯s probably still some kind of Qi. Or Qi - like energy that derived from a different source.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and what about ghosts?¡± Kevin asked again while scratching his jaw: ¡°I remember you mentioned to me that when you were attacked by those ghosts. Do they feel the same?¡±


    ¡°... you¡¯re thinking that spirits are some kind of beings with Qi?¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°That''s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a stretch, I know. But I am indeed wondering what they are, the spirits, or ghosts. I mean, humans are able to function and exist thanks to our physiology, but what of ghosts and spirits?¡± Kevin shrugged, ¡°And Qi, from what I understand, is something that comes from the body and flows through the meridians. So, where do ghosts and spirits get their Qi?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I was trying to say.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°I meant to say it¡¯s a good theory. In fact, it might not be too much to say that they might be all made of Qi somehow. Think about it¡­ ¡±


    Just this moment, sirens came from a distance, and many men waiting at the community care center started moving - some of them left, and some of them moved to the gate, ready to meet the incoming police officers.


    Chef Tang left the care center through a side gate, hopped onto a black car and left with the Taoists. Marcus could definitely understand this choice, he would do the same. And he was curious as to who those remaining were. Were they also members of the community collective?


    ¡°You might wanna be there, just in case there¡¯s conflict.¡± Kevin hesitated for a brief moment then said.


    ¡°Yeah I know.¡± Marcus sighed and finished his coffee: ¡°What¡¯s your story gonna be?¡±


    ¡°This.¡± Kevin pulled out a rolled up and slightly dirty poster of the morning market: ¡°I was in the neighborhood, I decided to stay for one night, then I got your text so I came early. No one could fault me for that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°And just so you know, I was here because I was following up on one of the missing children¡¯s cases. ¡±


    ¡°What if they wanna know what you found?¡±


    ¡°...well, I¡¯ll just tell them I found partially burnt clothes by the platform. ¡± Marcus looked up at the sky and sighed. There was no Blood Rainbow tonight, yet the moon appeared to be dim, and slightly red.

 Chapter 64. Dimming of the Sun (Part 2)

    ¡°You¡¯re really something, Cai. If I want more tricky ass cases to work toward a promotion I might just tie you to a rod and look around the sand with you.¡± Captain Ko was donning a head of messy hair and a shirt that looked like it was tucked in the dirty laundry bag earlier: ¡°What the fuck happened this time?¡±


    ¡°Detective Cai had foiled a cultish plan to sacrifice children for some evil purposes.¡± Before Marcus could answer, one man standing beside him spoke for him first: ¡°Nice to meet you Captain Ko, my name¡¯s Tyler Khan, I am the investigator that will be representing the South-Eastern District Community Collective in this matter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Tyler, Marcus, what do you have for me?¡± Captain Ko yawned then frowned: ¡°And just to be clear, this is perfectly within the city¡¯s jurisdiction. Some fuckers tryna sacrifice children? Sounds like kidnapping and attempted murder to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure, Captain, that you can understand the collective¡¯s interest in following up closely with the investigation of the case. And as of this moment, my supervisor will be requesting me to be a part of your investigative team.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Captain Ko seemed to be in no mood to hide his unwillingness to accept this request: ¡°We¡¯ll see how everything goes. What happened, Marcus?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was just in the area¡­¡±


    ¡°Spare the prologue, give me the action and details.¡±


    ¡°A group of men kidnapped some children from different regions, went to a stone platform by the docks and were about to start some kind of cultish ritual with the children, involving burning them.¡± Marcus immediately cut his story short: ¡°Right now the platform had already collapsed into the water. But if we send men to excavate the remains we should be able to find something.¡±


    ¡°What about the perps?¡±


    ¡°Under the control of the collective.¡± Tyler Khan interjected: ¡°And our interrogators are working them now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, according to the agreement between the city and the collective, the investigation will be handled by us. We will appreciate it if you can share notes as soon as possible.¡± Captain Ko rubbed his temple and said: ¡°Of course, you and the collective will be briefed on this and we will be updating you with everything.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡± Tyler wanted to object, but Marcus interrupted him: ¡°I¡¯d propose we lock the main areas of the docks down for investigation, because those men that transported the children seemed to be hiding there. We need a thorough sweep of the place. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s gonna be difficult, so we¡¯ll try.¡± Captain Ko sighed.


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    ¡°And the community collective would be happy to aid you on that.¡± Tyler Khan nodded.


    Marcus took a quick peek at this investigator from the community collective - he did inform Chef Tang the theory of someone or some group trying to cause chaos at the Food Festival, calling it ¡°word on the street¡±. He just did not expect this information would be shared so quickly. ¡°Great, I think we should do that.¡± He tried to make his voice calm and not reveal his relief: ¡°Safety first.¡±


    ¡°Marcus, I¡¯d like to know everything that happened.¡± Captain Ko lit a cigarette and took a deep inhale before blowing the smoke up into the sky: ¡°And I do mean everything. Everything you know about what happened, everything you saw. And it¡¯s good that Mr. Khan you are here. Let¡¯s let Detective Cai speak, so you can be the representative of the community collective to receive the same information as we.¡±


    ¡°I ¡­ ¡± Tyler Khan was not expecting this kind of proposal, and was stunned for a brief moment.


    ¡°Okay! Let me tell you everything I found, so everyone could be on the same page.¡± Marcus immediately took the chance to interject: ¡°And before I proceed, can I bring Kevin over, Captain Ko? He was just in the area to help me, and he actually provided me with a lot of insight and help in finding things out.¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Captain Ko laughed: ¡°The more the merrier. And Mr. Khan, let me introduce to you Mr. Kevin Loo, our forensic technician, who has been serving our precinct for years and is an invaluable member of our team. With him onboard, we would have more control over this mess of a case.¡±


    Marcus nodded at Kevin who was sitting on a chair at a distance, and Kevin immediately came over with a wide smile on his face.


    This time, Marcus spared almost no detail in his retelling of what happened during the night. Almost, he still instinctively and intentionally hid the details of his mystic Kung Fu - he had the suspicion that Captain Ko already knew, and at this point it should be pretty obvious to Tyler Khan right now, yet he still wanted to keep it as low profile as possible.


    He was also somewhat looking forward to getting a good look at any reaction Captain Ko would have. Yet the captain remained calm and stoic the whole time while he retold his story. He asked a few clarifying questions, and remained silent for the rest of the time.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± After finishing his retelling, Marcus thought for a moment to try to recall if he had missed anything, then he asked: ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is something you wanna hear - I know it sounds a bit crazy. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Captain Ko looked up at Marcus with an almost emotionless look: ¡°But it¡¯s true? Oh trust me, I¡¯ve handled plenty of detectives before you, Marcus, and I¡¯ve heard way worse and more bizarre.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Tyler Khan asked, seemingly nervous.


    ¡°So, you¡¯d think something like this hadn¡¯t happened before?¡± Captain Ko sucked on his cigarette one more time and scratched his forehead with his thumb: ¡°Okay, take me to the scene. I know the platform is gone, but I want to see it.¡±


    There was no objection there. So Tyler Khan drove Marcus, Kevin and Captain Ko over to where the platform was. The night was still dark, but less so than before because the clouds had dissipated a bit and the moon was able to shine through. The streets were clear, but they were still able to see curious residents standing by their windows and watching them as their cars drove by.


    Even though it was barely a few quick peeks, Marcus could tell that the people watching them appeared to be worried. He¡¯d be worried as well. The clouds may be clearing, but the mess was just beginning. If it was a few years ago, he would still have some hope that the districts would set aside their differences and work together. Right now, he was not so sure.


    ¡°Tyler?¡± Just this moment, a female voice came from the walkie talkie attached to the dashboard: ¡°Tyler, this is Sarah, do you copy?¡±


    ¡°Copy.¡± Tyler pressed the button on it and responded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve identified some of the children.¡± Sarah spoke with some haste on the other side: ¡°The child from the Northern District? We identified him as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this soon? How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not native Northern. He¡¯s a transplant.¡± Sarah answered: ¡°One of our folks knows his mother. She¡¯s a maid, she moved up north a few years ago.¡±


    Unpleasant and dangerous thoughts instantly appeared in Marcus¡¯ head as streams of cold ran through his body. He and Kevin exchanged looks, and he could hear Captain Ko huffed with his nose.


    ¡°Are you certain about this?¡± Tyler¡¯s voice went cold as well.


    ¡°Pretty certain.¡± Sarah sighed: ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heading over to the docks. Call you right back.¡± Tyler sighed as he turned off the walkie talkie.

 Chapter 65. Dimming of the Sun (Part 3)

    ¡°What was this platform used for?¡± After bypassing the enclosure of the tapes set up by the local community watch and patrol team, Captain Ko asked Tyler Khan: ¡°It¡¯s made of concrete and brick right? Then it must have been built with a permit. And according to Detective Cai they have some kind of room down there, so it¡¯s safe to say it¡¯s not a very simple construction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a local community project to build a merchant space with some room for temporary storage.¡± Tyler Khan answered: ¡°From what I know, it was used as a place for food stands, deli carts and flea markets. We¡¯re still looking into those who filed the permit. But given how old this platform is, it could be very hard to track down.¡±


    ¡°Who owns it now?¡± Captain Ko asked with a heavy frown.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a definite owner, it¡¯s a managed property from the local division of the community collective. We¡¯ll be auditing the records.¡± Tyler Khan sighed: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Captain, but right now even we have to dig deep into some of the old records. Before today, this has been a busy spot for many locals and thus not many thorough inspections have been done.¡±


    ¡°Inspections - ¡± Marcus and Kevin spoke at the same time: ¡°Find the inspector!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be onto that.¡± Tyler Khan nodded as he quickly typed up a message on his phone: ¡°I¡¯ll set it up, we should be able to find him in no time.¡±


    Kevin shivered as he got close to the edge of the land, then he looked back at Marcus and asked: ¡°Hey Marcus, do you feel cold?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little chilly, yes.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Are you okay Kevin?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Kevin slowly knelt down on the ground and reached forward a little just to take a peek at the water and what was underneath the now tranquil surface.


    Marcus felt something tingling his senses, and he saw a stream of mist, cold and gray slowly arose from the water and flowed towards Kevin like shadows of snakes. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Kevin¡¯s back collar and pulled him back. Tyler Khan also moved forward with his hand reaching forward, but was just a bit slower than Marcus.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kevin¡¯s face was covered in sweat, and his shivering had gotten more severe, so Marcus immediately asked, while discreetly pushing a small amount of his Qi into his body in an attempt to warm him up.


    ¡°I - I feel the water calling to me and pulling me in.¡± Kevin immediately stepped away from the edge while wiping his forehead: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know. Something doesn¡¯t feel right about the water here. My - my bad, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted you.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful, okay?¡± Marcus patted Kevin on the back: ¡°You should get back and rest. Maybe get a hot drink. You look tired.¡± Then he got close and whispered: ¡°Maybe use one of those talismans, better be safe, okay?¡±


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    ¡°I agree. You look like you¡¯ve caught a cold.¡± Tyler Khan nodded: ¡°Do you want something warm to drink? There¡¯s a watch station nearby, we can go there and get you some ginger tea.¡±


    ¡°Nonono, it¡¯s fine. I can stay for a bit.¡± Kevin shook his head, reached into his jacket to pull out a small packet of chocolate: ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if you insist.¡± Captain Ko nodded then turned to Marcus: ¡°You mentioned these men came in cars, where are the cars now?¡±


    ¡°I - I think they might have sunk into the water along with the platform.¡± Marcus thought for a moment, trying to remember where the three black SUVs were parked. But it just did not come to him: ¡°My apologies captain, I don¡¯t remember their exact positions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ that¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Captain Ko waved his right hand while blowing out a puff of smoke: ¡°Let¡¯s go check wit the kids. Where are they now, Mr. Khan?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re at the watch station.¡± Tyler Khan seemed to have let out a quick exhale of relief: ¡°We can go and check on them. I asked my team to ask the parents to stay for a bit longer, but I am not sure how long we can keep them.¡±


    The local watch station was just a three-storey brick building. And they already heard people arguing by the time they got out of the car.


    ¡°... what do you mean I can¡¯t go right now?! No! We¡¯re taking our son back home!¡± A man¡¯s voice resounded in the quiet night and crowded hall: ¡°I know you¡¯re the collective, but I don¡¯t care! Our son was just abducted! He almost died! I don¡¯t care what your investigators need! We¡¯re taking him away!¡±


    ¡°Order!¡± Another stern man¡¯s voice exploded: ¡°Where do you think you are?! This is a community watch center! If it weren¡¯t for the people working here, much worse could have happened! Is it too much to ask for you to stay here a little bit longer so that we can find the one who did this?¡±


    ¡°Le! It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m back.¡± Tyler Khan headed first into the watch station and announced his presence: ¡°And please, people, folks, it will be just a minute. I implore you, we need to ask your children some questions, so that we can find out who did this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± The loud man and his wife held a crying boy in their arms as they slowly backed away from everyone and to the door: ¡°Our son is hurt, and he needs to get home to calm down. Do you even care about him!? He¡¯s not like you, he cannot face this kind of thing and still get asked a million questions! He needs a quiet and dim place to rest!¡±


    ¡°No! No one should get special treatment like this!¡± A man with an orange armband rushed from inside the watch station and said: ¡°It¡¯s a part of the investigation! Please! Stay! Just for a brief moment! You¡¯ve gotta understand¡­¡±


    Just this moment, the boy in his parents¡¯ arms muttered something, while reaching his hand out and pointing at Marcus. His parents did not quite catch the words at first, yet when they leaned over a little more, they finally heard it clearly. Afterwards both the parents walked over to Marcus. And before anyone could say or do anything, they bowed towards Marcus at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much for saving our son!¡± The parents said with sniffling voices, and even knelt down on the ground: ¡°Thank you! I don¡¯t know what to say besides¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Marcus immediately walked over and gently pulled them up: ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°No! No!¡± The father looked Marcus straight in the eyes, tears running down his face: ¡°You¡¯re our hero! Our savior! I - we couldn¡¯t even thank you enough¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Marcus was just about to put this family at ease, but he immediately saw the facial expression of Tyler Khan and the other members of the community collective: ¡°Well, how about this? Can we sit down and have a quick chat? I just have a few questions for you. Not many, how about this? Of course, that is if you¡¯re up for it - ¡±


    The parents hesitated, then they looked at their son. The son sniffled and looked at his parents, then turned to Marcus and nodded. This made many members of the local community watch give out sighs of relief.


    ¡°Okay, first a quick question, do you remember anything they said? Or anything about the men that took you?¡± Sitting in a dim room with only a gentle light above them, Marcus asked the young boy, with Tyler Khan, Kevin and Captain Ko sitting behind him. There were other members of the local community watch and patrol team listening through a speaker in another room as well.


    The boy shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t remember what they said - they just yelled. But they - they smelled.¡±


    ¡°Smelled?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°What kind of smell?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like an oily smell, like some kind of candles.¡± The boy hesitated for a short moment, then gave an answer: ¡°All of them smelled like this. It¡¯s - it¡¯s a kind of big temple smell.¡±

 Chapter 66. Dimming of the Sun (Part 4)

    After interviewing several of the abducted children, they seemed to give similar answers: none of them heard anything informative from the kidnappers, none of them remembered anything distinct from them. But one thing remained - almost all of the children said they smelled something from the men, some kind of oil lamp smell, recognizable from big temples.


    ¡°What are these oil lamps?¡± Captain Ko asked.


    ¡°Probably just the common liturgical lamps in some of the local temples.¡± Tyler Khan answered: ¡°Mostly used for remembrances of the dead and sending prayers to the gods.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why?¡± Captain Ko sighed and laid back on his chair.


    ¡°Ghost repellent?¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°They¡¯re used in local religious ceremonies and they¡¯re in temples, big temples. So maybe that¡¯s their use?¡±


    ¡°Only temples of the South-Eastern District use it, I think.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°I¡¯ve been to a few temples in the South-Western District, I don¡¯t remember seeing any traditional oil lamps. All they have are electric lamps now, some may use special candles made from wax.¡±


    ¡°How about the Northern District? They still have temples over there, right? With so many from our district moving there to make a living, it¡¯d be pretty natural that some of the transplants bring our customs over?¡± Tyler Khan shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s a likely theory.¡± Captain Ko looked at Tyler Khan, then laid his eyes on Marcus and Kevin: ¡°Kevin, I guess you¡¯re the most familiar with the Northern District, do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kevin seemed surprised when the captain put him on the spot like this, but then after thinking for a brief moment, he answered: ¡°Yes, I remember, there are some smaller temples and places of collective worship there. They¡¯re nowhere near any of the rich and central business areas, but you can find many in the ¡®serving people area¡¯. But - oil lamps are always kinda expensive though. I don¡¯t see how normal smaller temples or places of worship could afford it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much money the local transplant communities have, and how rich some of the small temples can be.¡± Tyler Khan shook his head: ¡°But - back on our focus - I think I can agree, that we may need to trace the oil, or oil lamps. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, I agree. Can we see these people?¡± Marcus asked: ¡°I believe most of the men should be in the custody of the community collective right now. And also, if it¡¯s possible, I suggest we pay the people a visit and check out the department that handled renting the platform as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on it.¡± Tyler Khan stood up and waved at his colleagues waiting outside the room: ¡°Hey! Where are the people detained?¡±


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    ¡°They¡¯re detailed at the detention center, just down the road. ¡± One female member of the community watch and patrol team came to the door and answered: ¡°It¡¯s done a while back, so we need to track down the paperwork. The annual reviews and audits were all simple and everything passed. So probably not much information could be found.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. ¡± Captain Ko stood up straight: ¡°We need to scrounge up everything we can.¡±


    There were in total five men captured by the local community watch and patrol team, and each of them was put into simple white cloaks and locked in a separate cell. The metal bars in one of the holding cells were bloodied, and the man locked inside was kneeling on the ground, bandaged up in the head and had his hands cuffed behind him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing! You fucking hacks! You useless plebs!¡± The bandaged and cuffed man yelled at all the people that came in: ¡°You are dooming us all! You are dooming everyone!¡±


    Marcus looked around, and he did not see any of the men that he fought. Looked like aside from the one bashed into the water by him and was now probably dead, the others might have been taken away by Chef Tang already. And in Chef Tang¡¯s hand, no doubt many more normally unspeakable things would be done to them in order to find out what the ¡°plan¡± behind their actions was.


    ¡°Tell me more about this plan then.¡± Captain Ko got in front of the bars and said in a low but stern tone: ¡°What am I missing? What do I not know? Why don¡¯t you enlighten me?¡±


    ¡°Peh!¡± The man smirked, then spit a mouthful of spit onto Captain Ko¡¯s face.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Captain Ko scoffed and wiped his face clean, while raising one hand at Marcus and Kevin to halt and not come over. ¡°You¡¯re a feisty one with an attitude. But a fool just the same. What do you think you¡¯re doing here? Eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, because you foolish lot don¡¯t know what the city is facing. And you don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re doing.¡± The man shivered, as he looked up at Captain Ko. His eyes were bloodshot, and somehow his head wound under the bandages started bleeding again.


    ¡°Or you can tell us, we¡¯re all ears.¡± Captain Ko knelt down on one knee so he could look at the man from the same height: ¡°Again, I ask you this with the most curiosity I can offer. What do you mean? Why don¡¯t you elaborate? Maybe we will understand. Maybe we will let you go. Maybe, hell, maybe we¡¯ll even join you in your, hmm, righteous endeavor.¡±


    The entire watch station became quiet, as people waited with bated breath. A chill breeze blew through the hallway, and brought a faint trace of oil smell to Marcus. Though easily missable, it caught his attention. It seemed that the children were indeed telling the truth.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± the man let out a chilling laugh, as dark red blood flowed and dripped on the corners of his mouth: ¡°Like I told you, it¡¯s already too late. Too bad you weren¡¯t chosen¡­¡±


    Before this man could continue, a sudden wave of chiliness and cold swept through Marcus¡¯ body, and he immediately pulled Kevin to the side while calling out to Captain Ko: ¡°Captain! Careful - ¡±


    ¡°Splash!¡± The man was still smiling and letting out hoarse and gurgling laughs, when an invisible force threw him back on the wall. And in front of everyone outside the holding cell, his throat was punctured by an invisible object, creating a gaping hole on his sweaty, pale flesh. Red and warm blood shot all over the cell after about half a second. Marcus concentrated his Qi on his eyes, and he barely caught the long umbilical cord-like tail from the fat infant monster with multiple arms and hands before it fled.


    One of the community collective members rushed over and opened up the gate. But it was too late - the man¡¯s body was already cold and stiff when he hit the ground, with his neck, his face and even his chest covered in dark spider web-like veins.


    ¡°Why is this happening!? ¡± Another male member of the community collective, one that was in a leader position cried: ¡°What the fuck!? What the fuck!?¡±


    ¡°Thuy! Call down!¡± Tyler Khan immediately pulled this almost hysterical man to the side: ¡°Calm down! This is a watch station!¡±


    Marcus took a look at the other men in holding cells. Apparently they saw or heard what happened. All of them seemed shaken, two of them even started weeping and praying.


    ¡°Talismans! Talismans!¡± Just this moment, two members of the community collective rushed over with plastic pouches in their hands. Inside them were folded talismans made with light yellow paper of passable quality.


    ¡°Breath of fire shall cleanse by soul. My mind my flesh be bathed in gold. They shall see the morning sun. My bones buried with no renown.¡± The other men captured did not take the talismans handed to them, and just knelt down on the floor, seeming like they were ready to accept death.

 Chapter 67. Lost Traces (Part 1)

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± While the other community collective members, including Tyler Khan were trying to put all kinds of spiritual and spirit-repellent decorations around the holding cells, Captain Ko pulled both Marcus and Kevin to the side and asked.


    Kevin gently nudged Marcus with his shoulder. And Marcus answered after a short sigh: ¡°I saw a spirit - of sorts fleeing from this scene. So - I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You saw this thing before?¡± Captain Ko stared into Marcus¡¯ eyes for a brief moment then asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah.¡± Marcus hesitated: ¡°I can¡¯t quite explain, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But - you don¡¯t think I am going to understand what happened to Bai Gu, or relate this to him.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°Good, be cautious. But trust from now on that I know more than you think. So don¡¯t hesitate to let me know, okay? And that includes you as well, Kevin.¡±


    ¡°Wait, sir, does this mean you know a thing or two about Carl Benson¡¯s death?¡± Kevin nodded, but was instantly reminded of something.


    ¡°I did not, but thanks for confirming my suspicion.¡± Captain Ko smiled, then raised his eyebrows at the space behind Marcus and Kevin: ¡°Okay, you guys handle the communication with him. I¡¯ll need to head back. I didn¡¯t tell my wife I needed to stay overnight out, so if I don¡¯t make it back before morning she¡¯ll freak the fuck out and I¡¯ll never hear the end of it. And - come to the precinct early tomorrow. I may have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, take care, captain.¡± Marcus nodded. At this point, he and Kevin were already quite familiar with how Captain Ko complained about his home life.


    ¡°My apologies Captain Ko.¡± Tyler Khan made it back just when the captain was about to head off: ¡°We were - we were definitely not expecting this. But I think it¡¯s a good time to establish some common understanding: that this case, as we in the South-Eastern District call it, is ominous and haunted. Therefore it will be good that we find a time to contact some of our local clergymen and ask for their help - by help I mean items and artifacts like beads or talismans that could protect everyone involved from their influences.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Marcus, Kevin, you take care of it.¡± Captain Ko yawned and lit up another cigarette: ¡°Sorry Mr. Khan, but I¡¯ve gotta head home to deal with some home business. Detective Cai would be in charge of our side of the investigation and will serve as your point of contact. ¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Tyler Khan seemed rather displeased with Captain Ko¡¯s decision to leave right now, though he also seemed intending to hide it: ¡°But before you go, I do want to share this information with everyone. We just got word from the collective¡¯s permit office, the auditor and issuer of the renting permit for that platform is missing. We will send out men to locate him and bring him back. If anything, this would be the definitive proof that he betrayed the trust of the people and deliberately neglected his duty and his oath.¡±


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    ¡°Okay.¡± Captain Ko shrugged and sighed: ¡°Marcus, like I said, you¡¯ll be in charge of this case. And I will try to send some help your way. But I hope you can understand - that we are still short-handed.¡±


    ¡°Apologies captain, but I don¡¯t think I can hold on for too long.¡± Marcus shook his head and coughed: ¡°My injuries are¡­ a bit taxing for me.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. ¡± Captain Ko took a look at Marcus¡¯ shoulder and sighed, then he turned to Tyler Khan: ¡°Mr. Khan, as you can tell, Detective Cai might need some rest. I¡¯ll send some officers over and try to help you with the investigation. But before we go, Marcus, can you go and check out that auditor¡¯s office? And collect all of the relevant files?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to, sir.¡± Marcus nodded. This could just be the better solution. The whole situation screamed a cover up. Yet with their limited influence and autonomy in the district, there was only so much they could do. The good thing was that they had the good will to collaborate on the investigation, and they could take advantage of the situation and gather as much information as possible. The bad thing was that he and Kevin were nowhere near in good condition to continue with the investigation tonight.


    ¡°Aight - let¡¯s head to the office of the auditor and maybe his residence later.¡± Tyler Khan did not even hesitate: ¡°Our folks have sealed the scenes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The auditor of the rental of the platform was a single man named Putnam Von, who had been working for the community collective almost all his life. His office was just in a building not too far from the community watch station, and he lived in a collective-owned building on the side of the road.


    Putnam Von¡¯s office was not empty when they got there - aside from two members of the community watch and patrol team guarding the entrance, there was one man and one woman inside, wearing dark tight clothes that covered their whole bodies, hair nets and had forensic tool kits on their side. It took Marcus a few seconds but he still recognized their attires - these were the forensic technician uniforms for those who were under the employment of the South-Eastern District community collective. And from the looks of the material used on these uniforms, the tools used by them and in their kits, these were certainly more senior members of their teams.


    ¡°Ms. Hernandez, Mr. Shaw.¡± Tyler Khan greeted the two individuals inside: ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Clean. Too clean.¡± The woman in tight clothes came over and shook her head: ¡°We tried to find any traces of hidden substances, suspicious documents and any other signs of para -  I mean uncleanliness. But nothing for now.¡±


    ¡°How about the auditing records?¡± Marcus asked, which earned him some weird and suspecting looks from the two forensic scientists in the room.


    ¡°Hernandez, Shaw, these are Detective Cai and Mr. Loo, from the 17th Precinct.¡± Tyler Khan extended his hand at Marcus and Kevin: ¡°And, detective, Mr. Loo, these two are Carla Hernandez and Garry Shaw, two of our best forensic technicians. Hernandez, Shaw, the city would be collaborating with us on this investigation per our agreement. And their points of contact are sufficiently briefed on the details, including the paranormal matters.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± Kevin nodded at them, while carefully choosing his position to stand.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Garry Shaw was still scrubbing the dirty marks on the wall and did not even look back at anyone that just came into the room.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to take a look at Putnam Von¡¯s office, and we need to bring in all the related documents so we can scan them for their content.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And we¡¯d really appreciate it if everything can be wrapped up, categorized and logged in time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do that, detective.¡± Carla Hernandez shook her head: ¡°We still need to collect everything, including the fingerprints on the documents.¡±


    ¡°Then how about prioritizing the ones from the time of the platform, so we can log the information earlier? ¡± Kevin shrugged from the side: ¡°Essentially this is what we¡¯re looking for, right?¡±


    Hernandez turned and looked at Tyler Khan, and even Garry Shaw paused what he was doing, turned his head and waited for a response.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Tyler Khan nodded: ¡°We deal with the most relevant documents first. Then we clean up the rest and check out Putnam Von¡¯s residence.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Carla Hernandze thought for a while, then exchanged looks with Garry Shaw and sighed: ¡°We¡¯ll try our best to be quick and thorough.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated, thank you very, very much.¡± Marcus gently bowed.

 Chapter 68. Lost Traces (Part 2)

    Putnam Von appeared to be a simple man with not that much self-respect, and one that was quite careless with all the records he was tasked to handle and take care of. The forms of registration, application and auditing were shoved into a few folders without any categorization and arrangement. It took Marcus, Kevin and Tyler Khan quite a while to sort out the forms by date and type of application. And probably thanks to the slobiness of him, the application form for the rental of the platform was not missing or damaged. Thus they were able to immediately scan and seal the multi-page form.


    The handwriting on the form was strange, and it was not just Marcus that noticed this. Kevin raised his eyebrow after browsing through a few pages and said to everyone: ¡°This handwriting is - well - is kinda weird. It seemed a bit too deliberate.¡±


    ¡°Deliberate? Meaning?¡±


    ¡°Meaning the one who wrote this form was trying to fake their handwriting to look like something else, or somebody else''s''.¡± Marcus answered with a frown, then he raised his head and asked Carla Hernandez: ¡°Ms. Hernandez, you just said this office is too clean. Can you elaborate on that a little? What kind of ¡®dirt¡¯ were you expecting to find?¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Carla Hernandez hesitated for a short moment, then she pointed at the desk, specifically the keyboard on it: ¡°Actually, here¡¯s the first thing. The surface of the keyboard was way too clean. And the desktop, it seemed to have been recently wiped, quite thoroughly so as well.¡±


    ¡°Which means, you suspect someone other than Putnam was here before us looking for something, and they left fingerprints or some other kind of traces on the desk. And they decided to wipe it clean.¡± Tyler Khan nodded while scratching his jaw: ¡°Interesting - have you found anything else?¡±


    ¡°The file cabinets, they¡¯re too clean as well.¡± Garry Shaw sighed: ¡°It just doesn¡¯t fit. I¡¯m not familiar with this Putnam Von fella, but from the arrangement of the stationary and furniture in this room, he doesn¡¯t feel like the tidy type.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s a single man, working at a registration office, still living in the community collective staff housing.¡± Carla Hernandez shrugged.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s - ¡± Tyler Khan was about to cut Carla off, but Garry Shaw interrupted him.


    ¡°Yeah, I know the type. There are old bags of tea in his drawer, way past their best before dates and even smelled of mold.¡± Garry Shaw raised a small plastic evidence bag, inside which was two small semi-transparent paper bags with dried tea leaves inside. ¡°You see, these are cheap tea bags, and they were shoved deep inside one of the drawers. So you can tell, he doesn¡¯t really seem the kind that would keep things really neat and clean. Especially the tops of the file cabinets.¡±


    Marcus looked over at the file cabinets made of metal that were about knee high, indeed, their tops were clean, without any visible dust or dirt. Then he looked over at the keyboard on the desk, placed just right in front of the monitor. The keyboard was quite old, the plastic had already turned slightly yellow. There were traces of cigarette ash in the cracks between the keys, and certain character prints on it were heavily damaged and faded. He even spotted a few winding, curly hairs between the cracks. It appeared that aside from the upper surface, the entire keyboard was quite dirty and poorly maintained.


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    ¡°We will need take the hard drive as well. And maybe make a backup of it.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°If someone is trying to hide their digital tracks, we at least need to see what they did and what they wiped.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Carla Hernandez scoffed, then took out another thicker plastic evidence bag: ¡°It¡¯s not our first days on the job, you know. But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s gonna be easy.¡±


    Inside the evidence bag was a disconnected hard drive, with quite a few dents on its surface, and it made crackling sounds of tiny shards or pebbles when Carla Hernandez shook it in the air.


    ¡°And, it¡¯s just left here?¡± Kevin asked with a curious tone.


    ¡°Yeah, curious, right?¡± Carla Hernandez gave Kevin a side eye and said.


    ¡°Nothing, I just feel, this - ¡± Kevin thought as he spoke, trying to find the right words to get his concern out without sounding like an uncooperative jerk: ¡°This looks a little too convenient, no?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed. But still, we can try to get this to our technical team, see if they can recover the data inside.¡± Garry Shaw sighed and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ve pinged them already. They should be able to get to it soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good¡­¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°And if you need help, I know a few very capable - ¡±


    ¡°We have one of the best technical teams in the entire city, so I think we¡¯re good.¡± Carla Hernandez shook her head: ¡°And I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have updates for you in no time.¡±


    ¡°But if your technical team would like to help or monitor the recovery process closely, just let them contact me, I¡¯ll be sure to loop them in.¡± Tyler Khan immediately budged in to help the awkwardness: ¡°Now, detective, Mr. Loo, since the scene is well taken care of, and we¡¯ve got the application form already. let¡¯s go and check out Putnam Von¡¯s residence, shall we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great. Thank you.¡± Marcus nodded, and let out a short sigh.


    Putnam Von¡¯s residence seemed much more natural for the stereotype of a man like him, even to an exaggerated extent. It was already a small apartment in a relatively old building, and from the looks of the walls and windows, it was not properly and regularly cleaned and maintained either. The entire apartment smelled of sweat, cheap alcohol and stale old dishes, and only had a few flickering and buzzing old light bulbs in the room. There were personal items and garbage everywhere. The three of them barely had enough space to stand in the living room, only a narrow pathway through the garbage and messes.


    Marcus treaded carefully to the interior of the room, with a little of his Qi activated and concentrated on his eyes in hopes of finding anything abnormal or paranormal - he did not have much of it left, so he had to ration it.


    There was nothing noticeable in this room, no signs of forced entry, no obvious signs of struggle - though it was not that easy to tell, and clear no signs of anything being rummage through.


    ¡°What a slob.¡± Kevin couldn¡¯t help but complain.


    ¡°I can personally assure you that this is no way a typical residence of a community collective worker.¡± Tyler Khan appeared to be embarrassed as well: ¡°Usually for those that live in the community residential places, there is a cleanliness and maintenance committee to make sure that all residents adhere to certain standards¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but looks like he still has some means to make this committee look the other way.¡± Marcus knelt down while paying attention to his surroundings to not knock anything over and extended his right hand below the small wooden table at the center of the living room. This table seemed like it used to have black paint, but it was only visible upon close inspection due to the dust collected on it and the tea and coffee stains. After a few seconds, Marcus took out a brown envelope with some folding marks on it.


    ¡°Something strange about it?¡± Tyler Khan had his eyes fixated on the folder and asked.


    ¡°Well, just - just a hunch.¡± Marcus gently flattened the envelope and looked at its fold marks closely - it looked like it used to store something rectangle inside. Then after a brief moment, he took out his wallet and took out a bill - the rectangle marks on the envelope were in a similar shape and similar size as well.


    ¡°And - someone just had this one laying around?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not assume too much, shall we?¡± Tyler Khan shook his head.

 Chapter 69. Old Truths

    Marcus and Kevin ended up spending another hour with Tyler Khan sweeping through Putnam Von¡¯s apartment. They ended up finding almost nothing of importance or interest to the current investigation, aside from the brown envelope picked up by Marcus. They looked into all of the drawers, storage compartments, backs of shelves and even under some loose floor and wall boards. And all they found were some dirty magazines, and some call cards with numbers to providers of unsavory services on them.


    The community collective¡¯s own crime scene team came after the hour, and along with two other forensic technicians. But right now neither Marcus nor Kevin had the energy to keep on going, and all they could do was give the team a quick greeting, apologize to Tyler Khan and hop on a taxi to get back.


    Marcus¡¯ apartment gave off a familiar clear, minty and slightly chemical smell. It was the smell of a particular brand of air freshener, one that Marcus¡¯ parents used to use when he was younger.


    There was a smell of fried food in the air as well. And when he got into the kitchen, he saw a big metal pot lid on the dining table, and the smell seemed to be coming from under it. It was a plate of fried dumplings, a sunny-side-up egg, and a pan-seared sausage that were stored under the lid. There was a note on the table: ¡°Son, hope you¡¯re not home too late. Have some night snacks and get plenty of sleep.¡±


    Marcus sighed and wiped his eyes, then grabbed a pair of chopsticks and a bowl before sitting down.


    He did not know how hungry he was until he was almost done with the food - there were in total twelve dumplings, the sizes of which were on the bigger end and were fully stuffed with ground pork and cabbage. For any normal person this would be a full meal. Yet he still felt a bit of hunger, even after eating everything.


    Maybe it was because of his weariness, maybe it was because of the familiar homey taste and smell, or maybe it was because of the note and his father¡¯s shaky handwriting, Marcus felt the need to wipe his eyes and cheeks again after finishing everything. A decision was made, when he put the last clean dish back onto the dish rack.


    He snuck into his father¡¯s bedroom to check on his father like so many times before. And just like the times before, his father¡¯s health conditions felt fine - his meridians were clear, his blood flow and muscle were normal, his bones were solid. There seemed to be nothing to worry about.


    After locking the door to his own room, Marcus pulled out a small incense burner from under his bed, took out the incense sticks given to him by Master Liaoran that were said to be able to help him ¡°see¡±. He then cracked open the window, placed the incense burner in the corner that was furthest from the door and laid on his bed.


    The calming smell of the smoke from the incense sticks seemed to have added additional weight to his eyelids. And before long, Marcus found himself sitting in the kitchen, beside the dining table, eating the same plate of fried dumplings, sausage and egg.


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    ¡°How¡¯d it taste?¡± A gentle female voice asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡± Marcus responded while still keeping his head down, but then he instantly looked up, onto the middle-aged smiling woman sitting by the table before him. ¡°Mom? It¡¯s really - you?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s me, why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± The woman smiled.


    ¡°Wait - but you¡¯re - ¡± Marcus was stunned for a minute, then started ruffling through his pockets trying to find a mirror, or a phone.


    ¡°What are you trying to find?¡± Marcus¡¯ mother asked. Her voice was just as gentle and warm as he remembered.


    ¡°My phone¡­ I mean, nothing.¡± Marcus sighed and put his hands back on the table: ¡°How - how are you, mom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good. Better now.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother smiled and wiped her eyes discreetly: ¡°I see you still have a big appetite, like you did before.¡±


    ¡°I try.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Did you teach dad this? His cooking - well, I don¡¯t remember much of his cooking. But I¡¯d say he improved.¡±


    ¡°Your father tries, just like you. ¡± Marcus¡¯ mother shook her head: ¡°He still remembers, I don¡¯t have much to teach him, I just had to remind him of the basics.¡±


    ¡°And - ¡± Marcus tried to find the right words: ¡°How - and why - are we sitting here?¡±


    ¡°Because, the fire in you has finally cooled down enough, and the incense in your room helped a great deal as well.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother smiled and nodded: ¡°It¡¯s perfect timing - I almost thought I wouldn¡¯t have a chance to meet you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡± Marcus found that he was starting to choke up, but he forced it down: ¡°Mom, I miss you, you don¡¯t know how much I do - but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you want to know what happened.¡± The figure of Marcus¡¯ mother flickered, as if she was not real, but a hologram projection: ¡°I - I cannot tell you Marcus. Please don¡¯t make me, and it will ruin what little time we have.¡±


    ¡°Dad went back to save you - ¡±


    ¡°There was nothing he could do, my son. It was already too late. Don¡¯t blame him. Don¡¯t doubt him. He came back to you carrying the will to take care of you, for the both of us.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I suspect so.¡± Marcus let out a long exhale of relief with a smile on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re always a good kid. Wise beyond your years.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother reached her hand out, as if in an attempt to stroke his hair and face. But before she was able to, she retracted her arm, shaking her head: ¡°I - I miss you too. I¡¯m so, so happy I get to finally see you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you mother.¡± Marcus sighed and nodded: ¡°Will - will I be able to see you again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Marcus, but my time will come soon. And I fear that I won¡¯t be able to say goodbye to your father.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother sighed with him, then she stood up: ¡°Looks like your fire is growing back. That¡¯s good, my dear son. That¡¯s good. Keep it, use it.¡±


    Marcus immediately stood up, trying his best to suppress his Qi. He felt nothing in his meridians, but the room and everything around him seemed to be getting more and more blurry.


    ¡°... please be well, mother.¡± Marcus shouted down his desire to ask for a hug in his head.


    ¡°Son. Find your favorite books as a child.¡± Marcus¡¯ mother¡¯s face turned stern and serious, then she turned her back on him and started walking out of the kitchen. Marcus tried to hold on to the moment a bit longer, yet all he did was just get a good look at her mother¡¯s exposed back.


    Marcus¡¯ pillowcase was soaked through when he woke up. And his bedsheets and duvet as well. Though it was a dream, he still remembered everything. Especially the sight of his mother from behind.


    It was nowhere near a human¡¯s body, the skin and flesh was cracked, exposing the spine and rib bones underneath. And wrapped around the bones of the spine and the ribs, was a rope made of long intertwined aqua weeds. The rope itself reached down somewhere below his mother¡¯s feet. But Marcus did not get to see where the other end of the rope ultimately led to.


    ¡°Favorite book as a child¡­¡± Marcus jumped up from the bed and started looking over his book shelf.


    It only took about a minute or two, before he pulled out the dusty story book: Legend of the Burnt Queen and the One-armed Knight.

 Chapter 70. Cold Blues

    Marcus woke up to his earlier than usual alarms. He grabbed a quick bite before hopping onto a taxi, and ended up arriving at the precinct around forty minutes prior to his usual time. Kevin was there already, as he usually would be, and Captain Ko was also in the precinct, waiting for him.


    ¡°I thought I told you to come early.¡± Captain Ko shook his head at Marcus before pointing to an interrogation room to his side: ¡°In there, now!¡±


    ¡°My apologies, captain, I didn¡¯t know how early you meant.¡± Marcus scratched his head and entered the room with Kevin.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so here¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to know. ¡± Captain Ko threw a small USB drive on the table: ¡°In here is some confidential information, and everything in there stays between us and should never be revealed to others without my prior okay, you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes captain.¡± Marcus and Kevin nodded at the same time.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t expect any detailed or concrete answer from me. I found everything I could and put it in the drive for you. ¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Now, think of me as a person who knows a lot of strange cases but had never tried to piece anything together, for various different reasons. And I for one am not super curious about what the ¡®big picture¡¯ is like. So, tell me concrete information you find, but save your theories and speculations to yourself, capeesh?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus sat down by the table and let Kevin pick up the drive.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± Kevin asked?


    ¡°Case files, recent cases.¡± Captain Ko turned around and looked at the door, with his back facing both Marcus and Kevin: ¡°I guess both of you already know that the city is going through a surge in violent crimes, especially homicides and murder?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus and Kevin answered simultaneously.


    ¡°But, captain, just so we¡¯re on the same page. You are indeed aware of the supernatural elements of this kidnapping case, and willing to let us investigate it from supernatural angles?¡± Kevin thought for a brief moment before he raised this apparently well thought out question.


    ¡°I am saying that for cases as bizarre, complicated and difficult as this, you are free to explore all angles you deem fit, even some unconventional ones.¡± Captain Ko shook his head.


    ¡°And the information you are sharing with us, is it related to our case at hand?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°The surge in homicides and murder is appearing all over the city, even in some of the areas where crime rates are so low you can practically leave your front doors open over night. In this drive, I included some of the cases that caught my eye. Some others, well, are quite sensitive and I could not pull them out without raising some suspicion.¡± Captain Ko sighed and turned to them once again: ¡°And there is also one case, I just could not put it in a drive, because of - various reasons. So I¡¯d suggest you do it on your own. That case is Blue Envelope 1149.¡±


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    ¡°Can I ask a question, Captain?¡± Kevin raised his hand.


    ¡°Go ahead Mr. Loo.¡±


    ¡°How long have you known? About the supernatural entities that are in our city?¡± Kevin asked with a frown on his face.


    ¡°Longer than I¡¯d hope.¡± Captain Ko sighed and looked up at the ceiling: ¡°But still - you need to understand this. Knowledge about them is never supposed to be shared with civilians or even law enforcement offices that are not involved in dealing with them. And I am sharing this with you still in accordance with this tacit rule.


    ¡°And another thing you need to know. Let me be clear.¡± Captain Ko continued: ¡°I am not sharing this with you just because the case at hand has proven to involve the supernatural and I want to shut you up. I am sharing this with you because there is a worrisome trend with the rise in supernatural related cases, and I fear that something else is going on. And with the unique position our precinct is in, things will get trickier, as you could imagine. Which is why I want to talk with you before the team from the South-Eastern community collective gets here. I want you to be more prepared. ¡±


    ¡°We understand, captain.¡± Marcus also raised his hand: ¡°But - I also have a question.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Carl Benson, and the girls - ¡±


    ¡°Yes, just put a full report on my desk. I assume it would be good enough to show that we did make an effort to look into the case. And I will handle it, including the communication with the Bensons and the city - ¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°I am asking, if you could help stall them instead and give us more time to investigate it. I have a gut feeling that things are connected here.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Put your reasons in the report. Remember, concrete proofs only.¡±


    ¡°And before we finish, I have a question.¡± Marcus raised his hand once again.


    ¡°No need to raise your hand, just ask.¡± Captain Ko rubbed his nose bridge.


    ¡°I think we should get everyone involved, at least all the detectives.¡± Marcus said: ¡°Since you gave me and Keryn a chance to cover up - I mean deal with the missing ammo situation in that Ling family house, I assume you know that Keryn is on the know as well. The only one we still keep in the dark is Shervas. And the case regarding the substation - ¡±


    ¡°And Mick.¡± Kevin added from the side.


    ¡°Yeah, but - he is still new here. We should wait and see.¡± Captain Ko waved his hand and said: ¡°Yeah. Let me think about it. Some things of late definitely got the attention of the city. And there''s plenty of good reasons to build a task force to investigate everything.¡±


    ¡°Great. So we could get on the same page.¡± Kevin laughed and took a look at Marcus. But Marcus still appeared to be worried.


    ¡°But - how are we going to present the findings?¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Yes we can get on the same page, there are reasons why cases go into Blue Envelopes right? And even if we found out everything, how are we going to tell the city about them?¡±


    ¡°First, there are actually people in the city that will know about the truth and help us figure out how to document our findings. So no worries.¡± Captain Ko nodded in approval: ¡°There are people who know, and some of them are in the city.¡±


    ¡°Yet they did nothing to stop everything.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Not everyone is free to act.¡± Captain Ko looked Marcus right in his eyes: ¡°We all have our bindings and our circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What is Blue Envelope 1149?¡± Kevin looked up from his phone: ¡°Looks like I cannot request a digital copy of the files, and I have to go to the city archives in the Northern District to find it? That¡¯s awfully odd even for a Blue Envelope case.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because it was ordered by the city to be sealed and not be digitized.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°And you looking into the case is actually good timing. People already knew that you have a habit of looking into Blue Envelope cases. So hopefully less suspicion will be raised.¡±


    ¡°Wait - how - ¡± Kevin was stumped for a moment: ¡°Oh man, Captain you could¡¯ve told me - ¡±


    ¡°I was actually just about to tell you. But you went ahead and checked on the digital archives before I could mention it.¡± Captain Ko shrugged, but his smile indicated that he was rather pleased and amused with what Kevin did: ¡°But I guess it¡¯s okay if I tell you now - and I¡¯d figure you probably know by now, that your accesses to Blue Envelope cases will be tracked and logged. Normally it¡¯d be fine, because they are still considered cold cases where people may occasionally look into.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. So I need a cover story.¡± Kevin stood up and started pacing: ¡°What is the case about, captain?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about a case dating - maybe 17 years ago. I can¡¯t remember the exactly¡± Captain sighed: ¡°A family of four. Both parents were dead, only the two children lived.¡±

 Chapter 71. Rivals and Deals

    Late in the night, or drastically early in the morning, Captain Ko was sitting by a table in a small local pub, waiting for someone to take the seat next to him. In his hand he held a small stemless glass, with a glistening red liquor in it.


    ¡°Captain, Captain, Captain Ko.¡± A hoarse, sketchy voice full of snide came from behind.


    ¡°Brooklyn. Thank you for coming.¡± Captain Ko turned back and met the man for whom he was waiting face to face, eye to eye: ¡°Good to see you. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°And, can¡¯t say I can tell you the same.¡± Brooklyn Payne, formerly disgraced detective, now infamous private investigator, sat down by the chair on Captain Ko¡¯s side: ¡°To be honest, I would have called if you hadn¡¯t. We¡¯ve gotta talk about your detectives sniffing around my case and my client.¡±


    ¡°The girls whose friend got killed by a rich brat are not your client.¡± Captain Ko waved to the owner of the pub, who then started preparing a drink. ¡°And you know damn well I can¡¯t stop them from doing anything. Your sugar daddy should have taught his son better.¡±


    ¡°Please, the Bensons could barely get their own shit together. If you asked me I¡¯d say the kid turned out a¡¯ight. If not for some ungrateful little bitch.¡±  Brooklyn Payne smiled at the owner as he was handed a mug of beer with a few shots of different hard liquor. ¡°Go on then, you called first. What¡¯d you want? And what are you giving me?¡±


    ¡°A warning.¡± Captain Ko sighed and put down his glass: ¡°Just a warning, and heed it if you¡¯d like. It¡¯s - ¡±


    ¡°The Benson kid. I know.¡± Brooklyn Payne shook his head with a smirk: ¡°But guess what? The pay¡¯s kinda worth it. Dead girl in red dresses and all. And I¡¯m not just talking about money and cash. I also meant access, resources, information. And maybe a way outta here.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you want?¡± Captain Ko ticked his tongue: ¡°Doing cleanups for them and their kid, in exchange for a way out of the city?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not.¡± Brooklyn Payne smiled: ¡°If I leave, I¡¯ma leave with enough cash to make me not starve on the outside. No, when I leave, I¡¯ll have my bags stuffed with nothing but cash and coins.¡±


    ¡°I thought you have already made enough by now.¡±


    ¡°One could always use a little more.¡± Brooklyn Payne shook his head then took a gulp from his drink: ¡°And that¡¯s it? That¡¯s why you called me here? To warn me not to work with the Bensons?¡±


    ¡°For. Not to work FOR them. On this case.¡± Captain Ko put his empty glass down and gestured for a refill: ¡°There¡¯s some money that¡¯s just not worth making, Brooklyn. For old time¡¯s sake, think about this - the Benson kid stirred up something that¡¯s beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. Things are happening all over the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, crime surges. Freak murders and deaths. People panicking about them.¡± Brooklyn Payne shook his head: ¡°All the more reason to make more cash and get outta this fucking city while I still can.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re not hearing me.¡± Captain Ko raised his voice: ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that these freak murders and deaths all started happening AFTER their son? I still don¡¯t know how it happened. But the pattern doesn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s that logical fallacy again? ¡± Brooklyn Payne chugged down the last drops of his drink: ¡°Misattributing causality? Correlation and causation? How about that? You know, NOT being on the force and working with uniforms and bureaucrats has its benefits. One of them being perspective - you see, I don¡¯t have to worry about solves and case closure rates. So I don¡¯t HAVE to see the patterns. Right? And I don¡¯t see them, I¡¯m not prone to the illusion of it.¡±


    ¡°Even so. It¡¯s still one crucial instance among a string of events.¡± Captain Ko was silent for a moment before he spoke again: ¡°And you cannot deny this.¡±


    ¡°Well. I guess I prefer to wait and see.¡± Brooklyn Payne shrugged and put down his mug: ¡°Thank you for the drink. But if that¡¯s all, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline.¡±


    ¡°IF you continue. Then I¡¯ll have to let you know that I worry things will get worse.¡± Captain Ko looked Brooklyn Payne right in the eye: ¡°The deeper you get, the harder it is to get out. We both know this. And - this is for old time¡¯s sake - IF you find yourself in that situation, I am still here to help. But, it¡¯s gonna cost you.¡±


    Brooklyn Payne scoffed, then let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. ¡°Of course it¡¯s gonna. I¡¯ll see you around.¡± Before he went out the door, he paused and turned back: ¡°Say hi to Irene for me.¡±


    ¡ª------------------------


    ¡°Gentlemen, Keryn, thank you for coming.¡± In a meeting room, all the detectives of the 17th Precinct gathered around the long table at the center, and Captain Ko stood alongside Tyler Khan and introduced him to everyone: ¡°This is Mr. Tyler Khan. As you can tell from his armband, he is an investigator from the South-Eastern District community collective. He is going to work with us on the case of the child kidnappings and destruction of one South-Eastern District community collective-owned platform.¡±


    ¡°Greetings detectives, nice to meet you all.¡± Tyler Khan nodded at everyone: ¡°Looking forward to our cooperation and busting the ones responsible.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I don¡¯t quite understand this, I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re working on both these cases with the collective on this?¡± Detective Pahaik asked with a frown: ¡°These are two separate cases right?¡±


    ¡°My apologies Pahaik, I should have briefed you earlier on this.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°But with your heavy workload, and the cases being developing situations, I don¡¯t want to put additional things on your Lance¡¯s plates. ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, additional context would help.¡± Keryn raised her hand, and Detective Brian Sai nodded along with her.


    ¡°Marcus, Kevin¡¯s having that meeting right now, so you wanna tell everybody about it?¡± Captain Ko raised his chin at Marcus.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus sighed, stood up, walked to Captain Ko¡¯s side and started speaking to every other detective present: ¡°Alright folks, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt your mornings like this. But I needed to tell you this, and this is a time as good as any, so - ¡±


    ¡°Come on. Just tell us that some of those urban legends about ghosts are true.¡± Detective Keryn Lance shook her head. This made Detective Pahaik and Detective Brian Sai turn their eyes on her, both confused and somewhat surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, what she said.¡± Marcus pointed at Keryn: ¡°I know, everyone here has suspicions about it. And the track records of the cases we handle at our precinct are complicated at best. But I¡¯m here to tell you¡­¡±


    Then Marcus summarized what he and Kevin theorized about what was going on in the city. For the sake of time, he kept everything on a general level, and did not go into too much details about anything, especially what happened on the platform at the docks.


    ¡°Holy shit, I am just so glad you are here, alive.¡± Detective Brian Sai scratched his forehead and face: ¡°But - okay, you kinda just dropped a big bomb on all of us. What do you expect us to do with this information?¡±


    ¡°I can help Cai answer that.¡± Captain Ko stepped forward a bit: ¡°So now, it¡¯s a good time to announce this decision: I am building a task force for special cases like the ones we just discussed about. Pahaik, Keryn, you don¡¯t need to jump in yet. Keep on what you¡¯re doing with the emergency reparations team and the family. I am keeping you in the loop because - well, Keryn knows why. And if you are investigating alongside officers that are not in the know, I¡¯ll ask that you keep on your work without letting them get too suspicious of the situation.¡±


    ¡°So, I assume that the community collective would have ample experience dealing with cases like this then?¡± Detective Brian Sai turned to Tyler Khan: ¡°What kind of information will you be willing to share with us?¡±


    ¡°I got the authorization to share with you some of our most relevant classified information. And I have received orders to aid you in your investigation in whatever way necessary.¡± Tyler Khan responded with a benign looking smile.

 Chapter 72. Downed Futures

    Inside Kevin¡¯s locked office, Marcus and Kevin sat side by side, both staring at the screen. Kevin¡¯s right hand hovered over the keyboard, his trembling index finger clicking the ¡°N¡± key whenever he and Marcus were done reading the content of the pages shown. What they were reading right now were the files from the hard drive given to them by Captain Ko. These were scanned copies of recent cases, all of which were multiple homicides. And they were described as ¡°homicides¡± because the departments in charge of investigating them were not able to find proof of murderous intent, at least by now. Although the gruesome nature of the deaths should be indication enough.


    And one other disturbing thing that caught their attention, yet neither of them wanted to bring up right now, was the fact that all of these cases involved families or groups that had children or young teens with them. Most of them were deaths of entire families with multiple children, and the others were just groups of children that initially went missing and then found dead in strange places.


    ¡°Fire.¡± After a long and grueling silence, Kevin pointed at one of the pictures, one that depicted the face where the flesh was almost completely melted and was also showing exposed, charred bones of a body: ¡°We just read what, five cases already? And three of them involved some kind of burning. So fire being the element, it means our theory¡¯s correct. It¡¯s going through the cycle of elements.¡±


    Marcus sighed. He was pretty certain of this by now, and he believed there was no reason for Kevin to still have much doubt about it. It seemed that it was just Kevin trying to find something to talk about in order to break the chilling and depressing silence.


    ¡°Yes. Yes.¡± Marcus nodded, appreciating the chance to talk about something else: ¡°But, there are still other cases. No? Looks like the other two were - ¡±


    ¡°Water related.¡± Kevin seemed to have let out an exhale of relief. Then he clicked through the files and opened a page they just went through: ¡°You see? ¡®drowned in their own bathtub¡¯, and ¡®drowned in the family pool¡¯. Everything¡¯s water related.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like what happened to that family¡¯s house.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°The spirit that tried to pull you into the bathtub. ¡±


    ¡°The woman you and Keryn blasted to pieces and saved me from.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°So, the theory is - ¡±


    ¡°Some remnants from the last cycle have seeped out into this cycle?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Yes, no - not really.¡± Kevin nodded then shook his head: ¡°You know what? This is kinda weird, but - with what you saw last night, there are pretty good indications that the cycle and the paranormal killings are not done by the same entities. And I use ¡®entities¡¯ because I want to be accurate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°At least, from what I can deduce. The cycle might have been perpetrated by organized humans, and the entities - spirits - ghosts, whatever you call them. They¡¯re possibly the result of that.¡±


    ¡°Which would make sense.¡± Kevin scrolled through a few pages back and forth, then turned to Marcus: ¡°IF that is the case, and that¡¯s not a super far-fetched of an IF - then we are dealing with a super messed up vicious cycle: these folks did some shit in the last cycle, then the results were left in the city and continued to plague everyone till the next.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m afraid that could be what we¡¯re dealing with.¡± Marcus looked up at the ceiling: ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with ¡®wood¡¯, haven¡¯t I? I wonder if one day we¡¯ll see some ¡®metal¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Yeesh. Let¡¯s hope not.¡± Kevin shrugged.


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    Someone knocked on the door to Kevin¡¯s lab, and Kevin immediately turned off the computer screen. It was Mick, who was not in the precinct as early as he usually would be this morning. Right now he was waving at Marcus and Kevin, with a small USB drive in his hand.


    ¡°So, everyone¡¯s got a drive today.¡± Kevin chuckled.


    ¡°Hey Mick, what¡¯s up?¡± Marcus opened the door and asked.


    ¡°Okay, I got back the security cam footage back from the city.¡± Mick showed Marcus the drive, visibly excited: ¡°Kevin, do you have video analysis software here? I¡¯d try to use my own computer, but it¡¯s still going through compliance inspection, so I can only use authorized machines to - ¡±


    ¡°Of course, let¡¯s plug it in.¡± Kevin turned on his computer once again, and closed the files with lightning speed.


    ¡°What were you guys looking at?¡± Mick asked, with a curious tone: ¡°Something I can help with?¡±


    ¡°Maybe later. It¡¯s kind of a need-to-know case. We don¡¯t even have many clues on it yet.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°Well, I took a quick look while I was in the city. Nothing that caught my eyes.¡± Mick said: ¡°And it¡¯s actually really long and boring. So I just need to analyze it first before I watch it in full - yay fun!¡±


    ¡°Well, good thing that we just got some better video analysis software recently.¡± Kevin smiled and plugged the drive into the computer and clicked open a software. He then typed in some commands, clicked through some tool items and finished his operation with a loud tap of ¡°Enter¡±.


    The software took around five minutes to complete the analysis of the first video in Mick¡¯s drive, one with Carl Benson¡¯s car front and center, along with some other items on the side. And it spitted out three clips of various sizes and lengths.


    ¡°Woah, what is this?¡± Marcus leaned back a little: ¡°What did it do?¡±


    ¡°Just a quick visual continuity analysis.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Since it¡¯s just security cam footage, this will be the simplest and best preliminary analysis it can do. Basically it analyzes abrupt changes to the visuals, like things of people appearing or disappearing from the screen, sudden change in lighting, abrupt movements, etc. Now let¡¯s see¡­¡± He clicked on the first clip.


    The first clip was the smallest in size and was only 15 seconds. It depicted a small moving shadow with a long tail on the ground. It moved slowly at first, then something seemed to have startled it and it ran out of the screen, away from the car.


    ¡°Okay, interesting.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I understand what you mean now. Cool.¡±


    The second clip was the second largest in size, and was 33 seconds. It actually showed nothing of significance, but just some flares and flickers on the screen. There seemed to be no explanation on how they occurred or what caused them. The entire clip showed nothing but these and finally they stopped appearing.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kevin and Mick huffed at the same time, appearing confused.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one clip of this?¡± Marcus asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°I mean, the full footage was about 2 hours long. There might be more.¡±


    The final clip was the second longest, only around 26 seconds. It showed a faint white shadow on the screen. What was strange about this clip was that the shadow did not show any sudden movements or flickers, yet it was still picked up by the software.


    ¡°This is - weird.¡± Mick asked, frowning: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Possibly a bug. It can happen sometimes. Small changes in light or air getting picked up by mistake.¡± Kevin appeared to be slightly nervous, yet he still shrugged and feigned indifference: ¡°How about this, Mick, you leave these files to me, and I put all of the videos through the software and share with you? There are at least a hundred clips on your drive, it¡¯s gonna take a while if I run them one by one.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mick frowned slightly, but did not object as Kevin copied and pasted all the files from the drive: ¡°Let me know!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Mick, can I have a word with Marcus? I just thought of something.¡± After copying all of the files and putting them on a processing batch, Kevin clapped his own forehead and asked.


    ¡°... no problem.¡± Mick took a weird look at Kevin, then Marcus, and exited the office: ¡°Let me know.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Marcus. Watch this.¡± When the door shut, Kevin immediately clicked open the last clip they saw: ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t expect our video analyzing software to have certain light and shade filters.¡±


    ¡°I - can¡¯t say I did.¡± Marcus raised his eyebrows: ¡°But what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I meant - this.¡± Kevin tapped a few keys, and the lighting and shade on the video clip changed. A lot of elements were shown in higher contrast, some elements became dimmer, some became brighter. And the faint white shadow in the middle of the screen was shown in clearer shape: it was the blurry shadow of a woman with long hair, standing right next to the front of the car. She then turned towards the camera. One stiff step at a time, with her arms locked in strange positions, she walked towards the camera, and eventually stopped when she could not get any closer without jumping or floating. She seemed to be staring at the camera during the final seconds of the clip. But neither Kevin or Marcus could tell, for the clip was still not clear enough to show the details of her face or her eyes.


    Kevin¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat, and Marcus patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s Lydia Mu.¡± Marcus whispered to himself. ¡°Revenge, that¡¯s what she wants.¡±

 Chapter 73. Shared Vision

    ¡°So, uh. Do we know it¡¯s her for sure?¡± Kevin shuddered as he tuned the parameters for the filter, in an attempt to make the shadow appear clearer and more detailed. But no matter how many times he tried, the face of the shadow was still covered in some kind of bright flare and distortion.


    ¡°Looks like her. But, is it really her though?¡± Marcus thought for a while, then said: ¡°Hey, you remember that time when you were here, and I came back and we discussed the case? That time where lights started flashing and the air got cold?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I remember.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°Come to think of it - it did appear like you just saw a ghost, but I guess it makes sense now. You saw something, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I actually saw HER - Lydia Mu.¡± Marcus nodded at Kevin as well: ¡°I saw her in the hallway. But then she disappeared. I thought maybe she wanted to say something. I just didn¡¯t get a chance to ask her. She seemed to be ¡­ dragged away? I don¡¯t know - I was a bit occupied back then.¡±


    ¡°Wait, okay, when was that again? A few weeks ago?¡± Kevin shut down the video player on his computer screen, and just looked at the names of the security cam footage.


    ¡°Yeah, it should be. I can¡¯t recount now. More than two weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this footage was right after the incident at the substation. So it¡¯s definitely within a small window..¡± Kevin shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°I¡¯ll uh - I¡¯ll keep trying, but first I¡¯ll need to prepare additional talismans. You know - this clip is creeping me the fuck out. If I ask you to accompany me to the bathroom, please don¡¯t mock me¡­¡±


    A sudden knock on the door almost made Kevin fall off his chair. It was Keryn, with two folders in her hand.


    ¡°Hey, Keryn, what¡¯s up?¡± Ignoring Kevin¡¯s slightly unnatural facial expressions and faint reluctance, Marcus opened the door.


    ¡°Files for you. Because we¡¯re the same ¡®task force¡¯ right now.¡± Keryn made an exaggerated quotation gesture: ¡°One is the Ling family case, I¡¯ve been meaning to share with you and now seems like a good time. And the other is the last member of the emergency reparations team - I just talked with Shrevas, we think that this guy, Luo Zhuge, must know something. About the ¡®unnatural¡¯ things that are happening, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t think we know anything, yet.¡± Marcus exchanged looks with Kevin, then shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, we know as much as you do - have you guys found any lead on the last member¡¯s whereabouts yet?¡± Kevin coughed and asked.


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    ¡°No. It seems kinda bizarre that there are no records of the guy older than a couple of years. So I think he might have connections to people in higher up positions in the city.¡± Keryn sighed and pulled a chair to sit on: ¡°And - uh, I was not expecting you to actually know something we don¡¯t on this. But in the case of the Ling family - we looked into the records of the family. And on the surface there was nothing weird or not normal. And here¡¯s the thing - the kid¡¯s blood type did not match the parents¡¯. We are still waiting on the DNA test to confirm this. But we''re pretty sure that he¡¯s actually adopted. There¡¯s just no record of them adopting the kid. So - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to look into the birth registration?¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°If they¡¯ve somehow forged a birth record, I mean - ¡±


    ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s the son of the mother, but not the father?¡± Kevin interrupted.


    ¡°That¡¯s possible in theory. Shrevas is looking into it. It¡¯s possible. But from what we found out about the couple¡¯s social group, it¡¯s not that likely. Not because they¡¯re super faithful or super in love. But most people in their circle seem to - well, let¡¯s just say they don¡¯t have that close of a social circle. So the possibility of an affair is not that high. ¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°I¡¯m not 100% percent sure how this would turn out. But how old is the son on record?¡±


    ¡°He is - 10 and a few months old.¡± Keryn thought for a short moment then answered: ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think forensic labs with certain equipment and chemicals can actually check how old a young boy¡¯s age is right?¡± Marcus turned to Kevin.


    ¡°Ah, yes. But we will need to rush the city¡¯s lab about it if you want the results in time. ¡± Kevin nodded and sighed: ¡°You know how it is, the city¡¯s lab is super busy right now.¡±


    ¡°Can you ask Dr. Flemmings for help?¡± Keryn leaned on the frame of the door and looked Kevin directly in the eyes: ¡°You¡¯ve grown quite close with her, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well - uh - actually - I - uh - ¡± Kevin fell into a state of mini-panic and started stuttering. After a while finally a coherent sentence came out: ¡°I can try. But no promises on anything, because she¡¯s been slow to respond lately because - because of all the overworking.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Just - try to push it as fast as possible.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°But what are you trying to check, Marcus?¡± Keryn asked: ¡°You¡¯re thinking the kid¡¯s bought, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a likely scenario. And if the kid¡¯s actual age is bigger than the registered age, it¡¯ll be the more likely case.¡± Marcus nodded at Keryn: ¡°He¡¯s 10, assuming he¡¯s taken at a very young age, it¡¯d be quite normal if he¡¯s actually around 12 to 13. If his record showed he was adopted, then it¡¯s likely forged and the age would fit. Since there is no adoption record ¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°And I think you might be right. The height of the boy is - well, quite a more than the average boy of his ¡®age¡¯. We started looking into it because neither of the parents were tall.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sounds like a good plan.¡± Marcus took a look at Kevin, then turned to Keryn: ¡°How are you doing? And how¡¯s Shrevas processing everything? It must be a bit hard for him to accept this without actually seeing something in real life?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, he¡¯s actually taking it surprisingly well.¡± Keryn shrugged and smiled: ¡°I think he must have encountered things that are abnormal before, so I guess it wouldn¡¯t be THAT big of a surprise to him.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then. Let me know what you need.¡± Keryn waved her hand at Marcus and Kevin, then turned and walked away.


    ¡°Dude, what¡¯s between you two?¡± Marcus turned to Kevin and chuckled: ¡°Where¡¯s the normal Kevin Loo when Keryn¡¯s present?¡±


    ¡°What? No! Nothing.¡± Kevin immediately started shaking his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about - ¡±


    ¡°Look, Kevin. Having crushes is so very highschool, so if you¡¯re interested. Just ask.¡± Marcus laughed out loud.


    ¡°Nonono, it¡¯s not like that ¡­ ¡± Kevin kept shaking his head.


    ¡°Alright, you think about that. I¡¯ll be your wingman if you need me .¡± Marcus stood up, smiling: ¡°I haven¡¯t done it before, but I can try. Now, I need to go with Mick to check on Lydia Mu¡¯s former colleagues. You take care. Call me if you need anything.¡± Then without hearing any further explanation from Kevin, Marcus went out of the lab.

 Chapter 74. Wanderers

    ¡°So - anything special happening in our precinct?¡± This was the first question Mick asked after settling down in the passenger seat of a squad car: ¡°All the detectives looked -  well, they seemed quite different. Feels like some kind of big thing happened.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, it¡¯s because we just got a pretty nasty update from some case we¡¯re looking into.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Sorry Mick, but I can¡¯t tell you now. It¡¯s on a need to know basis, because it¡¯s involved some sensitive information. If you want you should ask Captain Ko.¡±


    ¡°Well, I - uh, I can¡¯t really. Not right now.¡± Mick sighed and shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t think - hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think he likes me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay newbie. Nobody likes you when you¡¯re new.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Especially if you¡¯re a transfer from another district.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mick was trying to drink his coffee but coughed and spilled it all over his chest: ¡°... okay! I was not expecting you to be this blunt. But how? How do I fit in? How do I - you know, earn everybody¡¯s trust?¡±


    ¡°Well. Good work, for starters.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s okay. Give it time. And, Captain Ko is an old dude and he¡¯s equally overly perceptive and stubborn, so everybody¡¯s a hard sell for him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mick looked out the window: ¡°Hope I get to have a win soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You and me both.¡± Marcus looked at the road ahead and sighed.


    They parked a little further from the apartment complex where Tanya Su and Eve Kim were staying. This was not too long since their first visit, nor too short so as to impose unduly pressure on the potential victims.


    The first three floors below were in the same condition since last they came - sticky floors, smelly walkways. Homeless residents of this complex lingered on the side of the hallway and small open spaces. Some were drunk on cheap alcohol; some murmuring, staring into different spaces with their emotionless eyes, speaking to themselves, drooling; some were panhandling, trying to gain more cash to scrape by. None of them bothered Marcus and Mick too much, probably due to the fact that even though technically under cover, they still looked like they worked for the city. And for poor folks living in this kind of conditions, they would be wise to avoid anyone like this.


    The door to Apartment 403 was ajar, the lock seemed to be generally intact but just not in use. Marcus looked inside the apartment. And found that the entire apartment was empty. There was no movable furniture left, no personal items of value, just some posters that were still hanging on the walls and some broken towels, plastic bags and clothes left on the floor.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Marcus and Mick cursed at the same time and rushed toward Apartment 404.


    The door to this apartment was ajar and not locked just like 403. There was no sign of anyone still living there either. All the personal items and things of value were gone. Aside from some discarded bags, useless cardboards and cheap stationery items, there remained a desk that was bolted into the wall, an old metal bunk bed with wooden boards and no mattress, a chunky and weathered sofa that was impossible to move out.


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    ¡°Fuck! Didn¡¯t we have officers watching this place?¡± Mick smacked himself on the forehead and asked.


    ¡°I thought so. But looks like due to resource limitations they might have been reassigned.¡± Marcus shook his head and ran his fingers through the surface of the desk: ¡°There¡¯s hardly any dust. They were not gone for long. We should put out a BOLO.¡±


    ¡°Could it be Brooklyn Payne?¡± Mick tried to take a look under the desk.


    ¡°Not very likely. There¡¯s no sign of struggle, and they took everything away, if it was me, I wouldn¡¯t bring everything away just for this.¡± Marcus thought for a moment: ¡°But keep looking and see if we can find anything. Especially any signs of struggle, or foul play.¡±


    Marcus picked the bedroom, because they usually were where people tended to hide their personal possessions or secrets. The closet in here was made of old and thin looking wood. There were no clothes in it, just a couple of cheap plastic, or metal wire hangers. He knocked on the wood panels and the floor inside. There was no inconsistent sound, and it sounded solid - it seemed that the entire closet was bolted to the ground as well.


    He kept on knocking on the ground, for some of the floorboards seemed to be conveniently uneven. And having worked with many cases before, he was quite familiar with different ways people could hide their skeletons: whether it was drugs, illegal firearms, forged IDs, dirty cash or confession diaries.


    One particular floorboard appeared to be curiously loose and responded to his knocks with a hollow sound. So Marcus immediately examined its edges to see if there were any easily moveable parts. This floor board was loose but the edges around it were still too small for him to ply, so he just knocked it with his knuckles harder, which was just enough to make it jump out of place.


    Underneath this wooden floorboard was a small compartment, the interior of which was covered in dust. There was a small doll made of hay and twigs inside, with its head and limbs all wrapped with red ribbons.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Mick came over just in time for this discovery.


    ¡°Looks like a scapegoat doll.¡± Marcus reached into his pocket trying to find a pair of rubber gloves, but couldn¡¯t find any. So he retreated his right hand back into his sleeve and slowly reached down into the compartment. His Qi concentrated on his eyes, enabling him to see any traces of energy that could bring about unpleasant business. There indeed seemed to be something on it, just not malicious or ominous. With his fingers behind the cloth on his sleeve, Marcus picked the doll up, and put it into a small evidence bag handed over by Mick.


    ¡°What is this - scapegoat doll?¡± Mick seemed both mildly confused and disturbed: ¡°Is it one of those dolls that according to urban legends would take ¡®hits¡¯ and ¡®misfortune¡¯ in the owner¡¯s stead? Like some kind of reverse voodoo dolls?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Precisely.¡± Marcus looked at the doll from left to right: ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it belonged to the girls. Probably a previous renter?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they forgot?¡± Mick shrugged.


    ¡°Maybe. Because you¡¯re supposed to make a new one every few years.¡± Marcus was about to hand it to Mick, but then decided to keep it to himself: ¡°But there¡¯s always something belonging to the owner inside. Either it¡¯s hair, nail clippings, or a piece of paper with a name on it. But that¡¯s for the forensics folks to decide. Let¡¯s see if there are other ¡­¡±


    Just this moment, a gust of cold air blew into the house through the open door. And with it, the sound of footsteps in wooden flip flops.


    ¡°Deep goes the sea. High grows the mountain. My flesh, my bones be gone when I¡¯m drunken. The bridge is narrow and long. I shed all of me to be alone.¡± A low chant came from the hall outside. The voice was hoarse, but had an ethereal ring to it.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Marcus immediately stood up and asked.


    ¡°Hear - hear what?¡± Mick looked around, confused.


    ¡°Seemed like someone was walking by and talking?¡± Marcus walked to the entrance of the bedroom.


    ¡°Umm¡­ no?¡± Mick stood up and looked around some more: ¡°All I hear is the wind. Did you hear anything?¡±


    Marcus went out of the bedroom, took a quick peek through the gap of the door before closing it slowly but completely: ¡°Ha, I must¡¯ve misheard. No worries.¡±


    What he could not tell Mick right now was that there was a thin man with rugged clothes and sickly pale skin outside. Chanting and walking with a limp. Good thing was that this man did not seem to be hostile, and just appeared to be a passerby.

 Chapter 75. Pointers

    ¡°What happened? Did someone just walk by?¡± Mick was still on the floor examining all the floorboards.


    ¡°Looks like I misheard.¡± Marcus sighed and said: ¡°But just in case, let¡¯s keep the door shut for now.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s another.¡± Mick smacked one of the floorboards and let the board jump out of place so he could lift it up. But there was nothing underneath, just cement covered in dust and cracked wooden debris and saw dust.


    ¡°Try checking the mattress?¡± Marcus went into the bedroom again: ¡°Let¡¯s sweep as quickly as possible.¡±


    As quick as possible they did, they looked at almost all corners of the room, and they found nothing aside from the straw doll from under the loose floorboard.


    ¡°You go check in the bathroom, I¡¯ll check this storage room. Be careful.¡± Marcus looked around in the living room, then made a decision. For some reason he felt that the small storage room on the side of the bedroom might have contained things that were of more danger.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Mick nodded and headed into the bathroom.


    The small storage room could be barely called a ¡°room¡±, it was more like a side cabinet embedded in the wall. Inside of it there were two brooms, one big and one small. Some dried cloth wipes dangling from a thin bar bolted on the side, and an empty wooden drawing frame with nothing inside. On the floor there were a few square and round spots with no dust, which seemed to be the result of objects being placed there for prolonged periods of time. What was strange about them was that they only covered a very small portion of the ground inside the storage room. The square spot was in the middle, and the other round spots were surrounding it in a circular fashion.


    Marcus knelt down and measured the sizes of those spots with his hand and fingers so he could have a general idea of what kind of things were put in here. Small altars, with some candle holders around. He had seen something like this before while he was young and living in the South-Eastern District. This kind of setup was commonly used in smaller South-Eastern households as repellents against unclean beings or as bringers of good luck and fortune. He activated his Qi once again and concentrated it on his eyes. Then something unusual was revealed: there were some strange light red and light yellow marks on the floor and on the wall around these spots. They were definitely not the same kind of ominous marks left by ¡°unclean¡± entities like dark tendrils in the air or dark hand prints. Maybe they were the legitimate ¡°positive energy¡± radiated from the altar.


    ¡°Marcus? Can you come and take a look at this? I am not sure what this is.¡± Mick¡¯s confused question resounded in the empty apartment.


    It was a small round mirror in a eight-trigram wooden frame, hanging on the corner of the ceiling.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t understand - what is that? Some kind of supersti - I mean religious decoration?¡± Mick pointed at the mirror.


    ¡°Don¡¯t point.¡± Marcus immediately pushed Mick¡¯s arm down: ¡°That¡¯s a Bagua Mirror. It¡¯s a - uh, well, a religious artifact many in the South-Eastern District use to neutralize sharp, aggressive auras. From the looks of it, it¡¯s probably installed by the landlord.¡±


    ¡°Could there be something behind it? It¡¯s in the corner, so there could be some room behind it ¡­¡± Mick shrugged: ¡°That¡¯s the last place I could see right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - ¡± Marcus looked at the mirror and frowned - he could not see any traces of Qi or any other kind of special energy around it. But he just did not feel good about doing anything to it: ¡°Let¡¯s not do that right now - if it¡¯s bolted to the wall, then if we try it could cause some damage. Let¡¯s just go back and get a warrant first.¡±


    ¡°You sure? Looks like I could just find a boost and pull it down.¡± Mick looked around: ¡°I could just get a small stool or a chain - ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea - ¡± Marcus shrugged, ¡°There¡¯s no hidden compartments anywhere else? No small secret stashes?¡±


    ¡°No, I knocked on all of the tiles, no empty spots anywhere.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s understandable though. I wouldn¡¯t want to hide anything here, unless I don¡¯t care about moisture ruining what I want to hide.¡±


    The sound of wooden flip flops appeared in the hallway again. Marcus immediately turned to the door. Though he was pretty certain it was properly closed and locked, there was no way he could be certain that the man wandering outside could not go through doors.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Just this moment, Mick¡¯s painful groan came from behind. Marcus turned back again, and found that Mick was holding his right arm with his left hand, while his right arm seemed to be limp and powerless.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus rushed to Mick¡¯s side.


    ¡°I - I just tried to reach for the mirror. ¡± Droplets of sweat appeared on Mick¡¯s forehead, his face turned slightly pale as he spoke through his teeth: ¡°Something seemed to have poked me - or I tore something in my arm¡­ I don¡¯t know what!¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Marcus moved to Mick''s right side and slowly lifted up his right arm. Mick gasped as he did so, and the entire arm was trembling uncontrollably. Seeing that Mick was under intense pain, he pushed a little bit of his Qi into Mick¡¯s arm, in an attempt to provide him with some relief.


    ¡°Oh, god - I think I need to sit down.¡± Mick¡¯s entire face became more pale and he was sweating and shaking more profusely than before. Before long, his legs gave out. Marcus caught him by his shoulders just in time to prevent him from falling onto the ground. Instead, Mick was able to sit on the edge of the dirty bathtub, taking long deep breaths in an attempt to not pass out.


    This was definitely not a delusion of his, with just a tiny trace of Qi in Mick¡¯s arm, Marcus felt that there was some kind of sharp energy inside Mick¡¯s muscles and meridians. It was not moving, but just stayed and laid dormant. Marcus was relieved by the fact that it was calm for now, otherwise he would have no doubt that Mick¡¯s entire arm could sustain serious damage or even be destroyed. But even so, it was still a ticking time bomb. So without a hint of hesitation, he pushed more of his Qi into Mick¡¯s arm, in an attempt to soften, chip away and dissipate the sharp energy lingering.


    Marcus¡¯ plan worked - to a certain extent. Before, the energy was like a piece of sharp glass in Mick¡¯s arm. And now, it was like a piece of dull and melting shard of ice. Marcus¡¯ Qi melted the hardest and sharpest exterior, and the life force of Mick himself should be able to gradually handle the rest.


    ¡°Ugh - I - ¡± Mick took a few deep breaths: ¡°I - I feel a bit better now¡­ But - but I still can¡¯t lift my arm.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back. You might need the help of a medic, or even go to a hospital.¡± Marcus checked Mick¡¯s entire arm and his wrist just to make sure there was no other presence of dangerous sharp energy he missed. ¡°You okay to walk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - yeah.¡± Mick let out a long exhale: ¡°It just - just got better. I don¡¯t know what happened. Did you do something?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Marcus shook his head and helped Mick stand up straight: ¡°Let¡¯s go back, okay?¡±


    Before they left, Marcus looked back at the Bagua Mirror one more time. There were no traces of energy on the mirror itself.

 Chapter 76. Too Long Ago

    Mick was going to make it, so was his arm, according to the doctors in the urgent care. The explanation given by the doctor was that it was probably an intense muscle cramp and muscle tension. It was relatively rare but could still happen. Both Marcus and Mick just concluded that the doctors might have jocked this idea down because they could not find anything wrong. So they ended up just prescribing him with some painkillers and muscle relaxants.


    ¡°Go home, Mick.¡± After leaving the urgent care center, Marcus shook his head at Mick: ¡°You can¡¯t function like this.¡±


    ¡°I - I am sorry, detective.¡± Mick was barely able to walk straight, even though the sharp energy was melting away and was still dormant in his arm.


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Taking advantage of the fact that he was holding Mick, Marcus slowly pushed more Qi into Mick¡¯s body to help dissolve the energy faster. He tried to do so more discreetly while still neutralizing the energy as fast as possible. Though the energy is dormant, there was no telling how it would affect Mick if it stayed in his body for a prolonged period of time. ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡±


    ¡°Nonono, please, detective, just let me take a taxi. I don¡¯t want to trouble you - ¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Marcus shook his head as he pushed Mick into the passenger seat of their squad car: ¡°I¡¯ll drive you. How far can it be? You¡¯re at the precinct early all the time.¡±


    ¡°I - ssss¡­¡± Mick tried to protest once again, but the pain just stopped him from speaking.


    ¡°Okay, tell me your address.¡± Marcus sat in the driver¡¯s seat: ¡°I have your original contact address, do you want me to drop you off there?¡±


    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s actually another place - ¡± Mick laid on the back of his seat and grunted again.


    After seeing the address, Marcus frowned lightly - it was just a few blocks away from the precinct. An old apartment complex, which thanks to its being close to the precinct was still relatively safe. But it did not change the fact that it was old, small and slightly run down, compared to other places to live nearby. He was under the impression that Mick was a rich kid with a background and connections trying to experience life more, but was not expecting him to go full out like this.


    ¡°Okay, good, not far.¡± Marcus nodded and started the car.


    ¡°How you¡¯re feeling?¡± When Marcus helped Mick go up to his apartment door, he asked before taking Mick¡¯s keys and opened the door. ¡°Is the pain better now? Can you move your arm? Do you need more painkillers?¡±


    ¡°I - maybe later.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°This prescription stuff - too much of it and I can get into trouble if I give a pee test.¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s a few months till our next examination.¡± Marcus practically carried Mick into his apartment. ¡°And I¡¯ll report this to the captain so you won¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    It was as small as he expected. But clean - as clean as an apartment like this could be. Everything was tidy, and instead of a TV, there was a big board on the wall. On the board, there were several drawn-on sections with sticky notes filled in them. And one of the sections was named ¡°cases on hand¡±, and the sticky notes were referencing the cases Mick was assigned as well as the ones he took. And there was another section named ¡°Learning abt. Dets.¡± The sticky notes on there each had the detectives¡¯ names on it.


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    ¡°You¡¯re pretty dedicated to getting to know us, huh?¡± Marcus joked as he laid Mick down on his chair.


    ¡°I - it¡¯s the first thing my father taught me.¡± Mick answered with a soft tone and a strange smile on his face: ¡°You know what, Detective Cai? I think I¡¯ve really learned a lot in our precinct. And a lot of it was thanks to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the painkillers talking, you should go to bed.¡± Marcus put the paper bags with medicines inside on a small table at the corner of the living room: ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good here.¡± Mick laid on a soft pillow and giggled: ¡°You know, I thought the ¡®real actions¡¯ would be dangerous and - and exciting. But it¡¯s actually much more gritty - and nuanced, and frustrating - you know? And I truly think that¡¯s a good thing - a very good thing. Because I am making a difference, and not just resolving some random bullshit dispute between rich families about their wine cabins and dog poops.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯ve been there before and everything sounds very passive aggressive.¡± Marcus went to the closet to grab a blanket.


    ¡°But this is still a bit too much for me! I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m getting isolated!¡± Mick grabbed Marcus¡¯ sleeves when Marcus handed him the blanket: ¡°Something changed in the precinct today, and I don¡¯t know why! How can I convince everyone I¡¯m not just some random rich brat showered with family money?¡±


    ¡°Sleep well.¡± Marcus put the blanket on Mick and checked his arm one more time.


    ¡°Detective! I¡¯m gonna make it!¡± Before Marcus closed the door, Mick yelled behind him.


    ¡°Sure, sure, but when you¡¯re sober and no longer hurting.¡± Marcus smiled before closing the door.


    Time was already late - after everything, it would be just another 20 minutes before the day shift officers could call it a day. After dropping off the squad car, he rushed over to a popular deli nearby to pick up some food.


    When he got home, his father was cooking, just that not as excited as the few times before Marcus caught him. He seemed worried, and bothered.


    ¡°Hey Dad, I brought some takeout. ¡± Marcus put the bags on the dining table: ¡°Something from a popular deli near my precinct, thought you might enjoy it - ¡±


    ¡°Ah, good, good.¡± Elvin turned around, nodded and forced a smile: ¡°Didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d be home early. Hope you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°Starving. Long day.¡± Marcus sat down by the dining table.


    The food was good, especially when it was fresh and needed no reheat. His father cooked stir fry pork kidney, which would take no small amount of effort and time to prepare. It was yet another childhood dish, one he did not like too much when he was very young but gradually came to appreciate as he grew up.


    ¡°How is it? Do you like it? It¡¯s not easy to find fresh kidneys these days - I had to go to three markets.¡± Elvin shook his head and sighed: ¡°If not, I can switch to a different market next time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good, I like it.¡± Marcus nodded, then chuckled: ¡°A bit too heavy on the soy sauce though.¡±


    ¡°Really? Damn. I¡¯ll try to be lighter with it next time.¡± Elvin chuckled as well: ¡°You know the trouble with kidneys, hard to get the marinate right.¡±


    ¡°And today¡¯s pigs are different from before as well - they¡¯re fatter, but somehow their meat gets looser, so no need to marinate as long.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I don¡¯t know what happened either. Maybe it¡¯s because the pigs are better fed. Or it¡¯s something with what they¡¯re fed today.¡±


    ¡°Or the hormones.¡± Elvin laughed out loud.


    ¡°Dad?¡± When they were done, Marcus asked after he proactively put the dishes away into the sink: ¡°You seem worried, what happened?¡±


    Elvin hesitated and stammered for a brief moment, then shook his head: ¡°I -  well, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it - ¡±


    ¡°You stopped seeing mom.¡± Marcus interrupted his father.


    Elvin almost dropped his cup of tea, but he eventually laid it down on the table: ¡°Yes - how did you know? Did you - did you see her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus poured himself a cup of tea, then sat down by his father: ¡°I saw her, actually just last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Oh? What did she say? Did she tell you something?¡± Elvin immediately looked his son in the eyes.


    ¡°No - not that much actually. She told me that she did not have a lot of time - I think whatever power that brought her to us, it¡¯s running out.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And she told me that she¡¯s worried she would not have the chance to say goodbye to you. And - she asked me to say goodbye to you if she doesn¡¯t get the chance. ¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Elvin took a deep breath, then wiped the corners of his eyes and sniffled: ¡°What  - what else did she say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just asked me how I am doing. I told her I am doing fine.¡± Marcus held his father¡¯s trembling hand: ¡°I think she was happy all this time as well. So, dad, I hope you can  - maybe be happy as well.¡±


    ¡°... I see. ¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°You¡¯re a good son, Marcus, you always have.¡±


    ¡°Thank you dad.¡± Marcus debated whether he should tell his father more, like he had many times before.


    ¡°And, uh - did she tell you anything else?¡± Elvin took another deep breath, sniffled and asked: ¡°Did she - did she tell you about the book? Your favorite childhood book?¡±

 Chapter 77. Good Start

    ¡°Yes, she told me.¡± Marcus nodded after a moment of silence: ¡°When did she tell you that?¡±


    ¡°Last time I saw her, it was just a few days back.¡± Elvin sighed and shook his head: ¡°But - I wanted to ask her to clarify on it. Because - because I am not sure which book - I¡¯m so, so sorry son.¡± His voice shook and was almost inaudible when he got to the last words.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay dad. I liked a lot of books.¡± Marcus sighed and smiled, trying to console his father: ¡°Also, I found it. But I don¡¯t know how significant it is - ¡±


    ¡°You found it? Which - which book is it?¡± Elvin took a deep breath and finished his tea.


    ¡°The Legend of the Burnt Queen and the One-armed Knight.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I kept it in a small box after that thing - I still have it. I haven¡¯t got a chance to look into its connections yet - do you - do you know what¡¯s with it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t - I really don¡¯t.¡± Elvin shook his head and wiped his eyes: ¡°All I can think of right now is that it has something to do with the lake - and the lake - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I figured as much.¡± Marcus nodded, thinking about all the traces of evidence and information he gathered so far: ¡°But I think I kinda know where to start - can you tell me about what happened that day, Dad?¡±


    Elvin became silent, then stood up, went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. With one gulp, he finished almost the entire bottle. Marcus watched and waited, with no intention to push at all.


    ¡°Do you remember, when I finally got back, I became sick for a few days?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Yes. I had to take care of you for two weeks.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°I was that way - partially because I actually saw your mother.¡± Elvin shook his head, his eyes grew red: ¡°I saw her when I - when I went back for her.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus already knew it, but wanted his father to keep talking, at his own pace and flow.


    ¡°I - well - ¡± Elvin took another deep breath and a gulp to finish his beer. And Marcus stood up to bring his father another bottle, and one for himself as well. Elvin continued: ¡°I couldn¡¯t - I really couldn¡¯t do anything. I got there, and I dived into the water - she¡¯s - she¡¯s impaled by a metal bar. I think it might be a broken handrail or something - but - she¡¯s not responding to me. And - I can¡¯t really move her.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m very sorry Dad.¡±


    ¡°But - that¡¯s not all.¡± Elvin took another gulp of his new bottle of beer, then continued while evading Marcus¡¯ eyes: ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you believe in this, son. I still have a hard time believing everything myself. But - I saw faces, dozens, maybe even hundreds of them, deep down in the water. Staring at everyone struggling trying to find safety. I - do you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Just let me know what you saw.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes and nodded: ¡°What do these faces look like? And - what did they do?¡±


    ¡°Well - I just can¡¯t tell. I was very scared. Scared out of my mind.¡± Elvin shivered and coughed: ¡°I just remember their stares, and some of them are actually slowly getting closer and closer to me, or the ship, or the people - I don¡¯t know. But it was then I decided to swim back, I just had to get back to you to make sure you are okay. So I grabbed something as a weapon and started swimming like hell.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus held one of his father¡¯s hands: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad. There¡¯s nothing you could have done. And plus, sounds like you made the right decision and saved me.¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know.¡± Elvin lowered his head and rested his forehead on his arms. Before long, Marcus could hear his father¡¯s weeping. He did not say anything and just stayed by his side. In the meantime, he got his hand on his father¡¯s wrist, and slowly pushed his Qi inside his father¡¯s wrist. He had been doing this for a quite some time, thus he was already quite familiar with his father¡¯s meridians at this point. It took around half a minute before he completed a quick ¡°check up¡± on his father. Still the same result, healthy, nothing of concern to him.


    ¡°Sorry, my son.¡± Elvin raised his head again after a short moment, then he sniffled and wiped clean the corners of his eyes and under his nose: ¡°You have more questions? I - I feel like you have more questions.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus sighed and nodded: ¡°Do you remember anything about the faces? Do you recognize any of them?¡±


    ¡°What - I - I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Elvin frowned as he tried to recall: ¡°I still remember their faces - some of them even had their hands on me, trying to pull me into the water. But I fought them off - I don¡¯t know how, I don¡¯t even know what I did that drove them away - ¡±


    ¡°Some of them grabbed you? What happened after that?¡± Marcus immediately started looking at his father¡¯s arms: ¡°What happened after that?¡±


    ¡°Well - do you remember I asked you to buy ginger and crush it for me then?¡± Elvin nodded as he continued working through his second bottle of beer: ¡°I guess you might not remember this - I had a period when I covered both my arms with bandages. And after the first two weeks, I went to the local temples, do you remember that?¡±


    ¡°... yes.¡± Marcus nodded. He only had faint memories of that time, because he was young, and it was a time where he was also processing the idea of losing his mother.


    ¡°That was for that. ¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°After they grabbed me, my skin started cracking, and my hands were becoming weak and I was losing the feeling of them. I did not know how to deal with it, so I just used what I remember as a child - ginger soaked warm towels around the upper part of the arm. It worked but not too well, so I had to go to the temple and ask the monks for help. ¡±


    ¡°And they were able to?¡±


    ¡°No - the temples around us could not. I have to go to some South-Eastern temples to seek out someone who actually knew what they were doing.¡±


    ¡°And this is why we moved?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Yes. Because I was in fear. I did not know what to do.¡± Elvin looked up at the ceiling and sighed.


    ¡°Thank you, Dad. I understand now.¡± Marcus nodded and patted his father on the shoulder: ¡°And - I must still ask this, do you remember anything else about the faces? Were there anyone you recognized? Or knew any of them?¡±


    ¡°I - I really can¡¯t remember - I don¡¯t think - ¡±


    ¡°What about characteristics, anything you can tell me about?¡±


    ¡°What are you investigating, Marcus?¡± Elvin frowned: ¡°Is this - is something your precinct¡¯s looking into? It - it¡¯s not safe! I - I can¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dad. We¡¯re more ready and prepared than you think.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And just so you know, we will consult experts as well. Don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    ¡°I worry, son. I will worry. What happened at the lake - that was a nightmare!¡± Elvin grabbed Marcus¡¯ hands and looked him in the eyes: ¡°If it weren¡¯t for all these days with your mother I wouldn¡¯t even¡­ Just - promise me you¡¯ll be careful, okay?¡±

 Chapter 78. Return

    ¡°Honey, I¡¯m home.¡± About an hour after Marcus departed from the precinct, Captain Ko also returned home, with two paper bags in his hands. One was brown, and the other was bright red and was made of better packaging paper. He threw the keys into the bowl on the top of the shoe shelf to the side of the door, then asked into the empty feeling house: ¡°Honey, I brought some food back.¡±


    No one in the house responded to him at all.


    Captain Ko sighed, then walked over to the master bedroom, the one with the redwood door that had a beautiful carving on it and a frame that was covered with red patterns of similar style. He knocked on the door three times and said: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave the food at the door, if you feel like you can just get it there. I¡¯ll be in my study.¡±


    The study was just on the side of the living room on the ground floor, by the end of a hallway leading to the kitchen, the stairs to the upper floor and the guest room. Captain Ko sat down on a wooden chair with a soft cushion with the brown paper bag in hand. The cushion had a red thread-woven exterior and was filled with some kind of hay instead of regular stuffings like cotton. And the chair was made from three separate pieces of wood that were red in color but also had a certain light fragrance to it.


    There was one thick brick of a book on his table. One that also had a thick cover made of old wood wrapped in leather. The leather had a certain texture and touch to it, and it glowed under the desk light. A grimoire from a yet unknown underground group. And one that not many even knew existed. He flipped to the page where he left a bookmark, a page that showed the drawing of a blood red circle on it.


    ¡°Clunk¡± Something knocked on his window. Captain Ko immediately stood up, with a hand on his gun holster.


    The perimeter alarms around his house were not triggered at all. But there were two sets of light footsteps in the house, one from the second floor, and one near the staircase to the second floor, right around the hallway. Both were very light.


    Captain Ko brought out his gun, checked its barrel and slowly cocked it, then took a small snowglobe placed on the bookshelf. He then lowered his body, and carefully listened to the footsteps as they headed his way.


    They seemed to know he was in the study, which meant that they were listening while he came in. Captain Ko thought for a short moment, then activated his Qi in silence. If they dared come into his house, with enough patience to wait for him to come back, and were actually cautious enough to not trigger the in-house alarms or monitors, it stood to reason that they would do the basic research to know that he was a registered Mystic Martial Arts practitioner and his style. So he needed to strike with surprise.


    When one of the footsteps came close, he rolled out of the study and threw the snow globe at the general location of the closest footstep. A shadow at the end of the hall cursed in a low voice and hopped to the side, into a guest bedroom. Captain Ko immediately opened fire in the direction to which it jumped.


    Bullets pierced through the wooden walls, and a few pained grunts came out from behind. But just while Captain Ko was about to put in another magazine, a shadow lunged right at him from his back. This was not the other set of footsteps. There was someone he did not know was here.


    Captain Ko tried to turn around and moved to the side, and he managed to evade a dagger to his back. His Qi formed a barrier around him, and without a direct angle, the dagger slid to the side and only left a small cut on his shirt and a shallow cut on his waist.


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    With a forceful roar, Captain Ko swung his left fist at the shadow¡¯s head. His Qi left a light blue trail in the air, powering up his fist strike slamming towards the shadow¡¯s face. The shadow responded by raising his palm at the captain¡¯s fist. Their hands collided. The layer of Qi on the shadow¡¯s palm burst and deflated. The shock and impact from Captain Ko¡¯s fist was mostly absorbed, like a ball thrown at a mattress. The shadow rode the force and glided back towards the empty living room behind.


    Captain Ko tried to reload his gun again, but this moment, the footsteps coming down from the floor above came at him. This was also someone wielding a dagger. This shadow was not as good as concealing their movement, but their attack was much more swift and powerful. Captain Ko tried to dodge at the last second, yet the edge of the dagger still dug into the muscles on his back.


    ¡°Die!¡± The cold sensation from the blade and the grueling pain brought out the fury and rage within the captain. One quick step forward to prevent the blade from sinking any deeper. Next, he turned back with his right hand in a cleaver-like form and his Qi concentrated on the edge of his palm.


    The cloaked shadow behind him was still trying to push the dagger in. Against the palm chop attack from the captain, he was not prepared. The edge of the palm struck the shadow right on his left shoulder.


    Light blue Qi exploded and crashed against the shadow¡¯s clothes, skin, tendons, muscles and bones like a tsunami. The shadow flew to the side following two loud cracks and a grunt in pain. His shoulder was dislocated, and a part of his left upper arm was crushed like a flattened noodle.


    Using the residual momentum of this spinning attack, Captain Ko jumped towards his study and pulled the sliding door shut.


    The shadow with the inaudible footstep lunged at the study with his dagger lit up in a light green glow. The dagger thrusted forward, and crescent-shaped blades of Qi shot right at the door of the study.


    The wood and glass door was instantly sliced into many pieces. A chair tossed at the door from the inside suffered the same fate, broken and torn up hay from a red cushion exploded and filled the air.


    ¡°Bang bang!¡± Two loud gunshots occured behind the nonexistent door and the floating hay. The shadow outside was not expecting this and was shot in the chest and stomach.


    Captain Ko lunged out from the study with his right palm pushing forward. A glowing shape of a palm made of pure Qi landed at the shadow¡¯s chest. Blood jetted out like water from a hose from the exit wound, and their chest was caved in.


    The daggers were laced with poison, and Captain Ko fell onto the ground the moment he saw the shadow splatter over the living room floor. The two barrel single shot handgun he kept in a hidden compartment under his desk dropped and bounced on the ground.


    ¡°Honey, it¡¯s fine! Don¡¯t come out!¡± Captain Ko crawled towards the master bedroom, hissing and trying to tap his own meridian points to stop himself from bleeding out. But before he could make it to the door of the master bedroom, the front door was forcefully unlocked from the outside.


    ¡°Too bad you made us do this, Captain Ko. Before now we just wanted to ask you for a quick favor.¡± Two shadowy figures came in, each with a handgun pointing at him.


    ¡°Huh, I guess the assholes DO have guns.¡± Captain Ko ticked his tongue and scoffed: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say so and make an appointment with me? Everyone knows I am very welcoming of any questions.¡±


    ¡°Cut the shit.¡± The figure on the right cocked his gun: ¡°Last chance, come with us and we can pretend this never happened.¡±


    Captain Ko shook his head with a wry and somewhat sarcastic smile: ¡°I really can¡¯t, my wife will kill me.¡±


    Cold metal muzzles poked Captain Ko on his forehead and his cheek: ¡°I will not repeat myself.¡±


    An eardrum piercing scream exploded from the master bedroom. The lights in the house flickered and dimmed. The two figures immediately turned their heads at the door. A pale face went through the door. It was a woman, with dried blood and tear marks below her eyes, and a wooden nail right on top of her head. The door was not damaged in any way, yet the face just went through it, completely unhindered.


    ¡°Shit!¡± The two figures activated their Qi and tried to escape. Two pale cold hands appeared on their chests out of thin air before they could turn. Fingers sunken into their flesh and bones. The two figures¡¯ bodies twiched and shook, choking and gurgling as they were lifted in the air. The next moment, both of them were pulled into the master bedroom through the door and wall, without damaging any part of them.


    Captain Ko took out a small vial from his pocket, poured the few droplets inside into his mouth and started meditating on the ground. Shortly, dark and pungent blood seeped out from his wounds and steam arose from his skin. His bleeding continued, and he had to stop himself from bleeding again. This time he did not have as much Qi in his body to help, so he crawled to the guest bathroom as fast as he could to find his first aid kit.


    The other three figures were also gone, leaving their blood, their rags and weapons behind.

 Chapter 79. Visits

    ¡°Now, the typical time for non-relative visits is 5 minutes. But I talked with the related departments and they are willing to give you 15.¡± Bulu Wang said to Marcus right in front of the gates of a special burial site.


    ¡°Thank you, Old Wang.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Please let me know how I can repay this. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Meh, don¡¯t mention it.¡± Bulu Wang waved his hand: ¡°You¡¯ve done enough for the community, just continue working with our investigators on the - well, the mess of a case.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Marcus sighed, clutching the paper bag in his arms closer.


    ¡°I know this is important for you.¡± Bulu Wang took a deep look at the paper bag: ¡°Thank you for letting us look at it first.¡±


    ¡°And thank you for your flexibility, and willing to help me get it back.¡± Marcus smiled.


    The lights on the gates lit up, and the gate slid open after a string of warning sounds. Behind the gates was a long winding road up a hill with small tombstones on either side. Some of which had talismans stuck on them, and some even had clearly religious artifacts like gilded Bagua Mirrors or peachwood swords wrapped in chains of copper coins around.


    ¡°Looks like there are - many people here.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°There are many that died without reason. And some of them also carried great grudges and hatred in death.¡± Bulu Wang shook his head: ¡°There had been less incoming victims until recently. A lot of times we just couldn¡¯t find enough resources to give a lot of them out there a proper burial. We had to resort to quick burns, which no doubt would come back to haunt us later.¡±


    ¡°Aside from the rise in crimes and these paranormal incidents, what else is causing the community collective trouble?¡±


    ¡°Well, crime is such a broad umbrella. It¡¯s technically true but it¡¯s glossing over a ton of details.¡± Bulu Wang shrugged: ¡°For example, do you know which crime is showing a disturbing rising trend in our district and community?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, which crime?¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Robbery? Bigamy? DUI?¡±


    ¡°Ghost Weddings.¡±


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    ¡°What?!¡± Marcus clutched the paper page with a sudden force from his arm and made the bag creak: ¡°That¡¯s still a thing?¡±


    ¡°It has always been, it¡¯s just heavily controlled.¡± Bulu Wang shook his head and almost seemed like he was about to spit in disgust: ¡°All these years, the collective has done a lot of work to make sure that no trafficking ring dare operate in the open. There are some remote villages or small but hardened families and groups that keep the practice, but they are no longer doing it with the living like before. We have several big busts and we caught them doing it with stolen bodies and paper dolls. We put a few of the main brains behind bars and gave the entire families or communities really heavy fines. And we let them know that if we ever caught them doing it with living brides - they¡¯ll be wiped, entire families or communities.¡±


    ¡° - but?¡±


    ¡°But recently we got word that they are getting contacts from some unknown groups and started practicing using stolen bodies again.¡± Bulu Want continued: ¡°We don¡¯t know who the suppliers are. But from what we heard, some of the bodies being supplied are actually transplants in other districts.¡±


    ¡°Just like the kids.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Just like the kids.¡±


    Before long, Marcus got to the lot with a newly placed tombstone. On it there was a simple carved line denoting who was in there under an engraved photo: ¡°Loving Mother, caring friend and neighbor.¡± No name on it, same as other tombs.


    Marcus placed the paper bag in the small empty platform before the tombstone. Then he took out a small flask, took a sip of the high concentration alcohol inside, then poured it on the paper bag.


    ¡°Loving Mother that rests here. I here now return what once belonged to your child to you. May you get a chance to hold him where you went.¡± Marcus lit up the alcohol residue on the tip of his right index finger, then flicked the spark onto the paper bag. ¡°Please watch over me as I seek the justice you deserved.¡±


    The paper bag soaked in alcohol was lit up, revealing what was inside - a red hoodie, already damaged by fire with chars and burn marks. The flames started burning orange, then turned red. After a short moment, some bursts and cracks came from the hoodie, as it caught on fire as well.


    Marcus exhaled in relief. From what he was told, this meant that the offering was accepted. He was not sure if it was just superstition or it actually meant something. But he was in no mood to figure out or question it.


    The hoodie eventually turned to ash and the flames died. Marcus and Bulu Wang both bowed towards the tombstone before they left.


    ¡ª------------------------------------------


    Someone knocked on a heavy wooden door with metal frames before opening it. It was Wuzui, holding a wooden tray of simple food and drink.


    Behind this wooden gate was a small fortified room with candles burning in each of the corners.


    On the floor, sat a man stripped of most of his clothes and had his arms and legs chained to a wall behind him.


    ¡°Oh, here you are.¡± Lord of Green Bat Dragon, now a prisoner under the Temple of Forgetfulness, with dozens of silver needles embedded in his flesh and meridian points, said to Wuzui with a smirk: ¡°It¡¯s you again today.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Master Liaoran is busy, with his meditation and scribing of his manuals.¡± Wuzui put the tray before the prisoner.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he come and face me himself?¡± Lord of Green Bat Dragon asked.


    ¡°Master told me he would be willing to face you when you are ready to talk. Otherwise there¡¯s no point.¡± Wuzui shook his head and carefully backed away.


    ¡°Why so worried? You should be more afraid of him than me.¡± Lord of Green Bat Dragon laughed as he reached for the food with his trembling arms: ¡°I am but a pathetic old man now, ripped from one set of shackles to be placed into the next. ¡±


    ¡°I will come back later to collect the tray. Please don¡¯t damage them again.¡± Wuzui shook his head and backed out of the room.


    ¡°Clank!¡± The wooden cup slammed at the wooden gate as it closed down.


    ¡ª--------------- TO BE CONTINUED ¡ª---------------

 Book 2 Chapter 1. Temp home is not home

    Fuman Coffin Home, a small place for the locals to temporarily place their dead, had two people working there today. One was Sue Xu, the mortuary makeup artist, and Gloria Lee, the temp who served as watcher while the full time watcher was traveling.


    It was not the first time Gloria served as the temp watcher, yet she still carried the watcher¡¯s notes around and took it out every few hours just to make sure she had every little detail in mind.


    There were nine coffin spots in the coffin home, five on the left side of the door and four on the right. Eight of them were filled, with incense burners placed at their feet. There were three incense sticks burning in each incense burner, and one crucial job of the watcher, was to monitor the condition of the incense sticks every 15 minutes. If there was anything abnormal with the coffins or the incense sticks, they would need to handle it and report to a local temple as soon as possible.


    Among the eight bodies, three of them were from this day and the day before, which were the reasons Sue needed to be here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have enough makeup and lipstick for today..¡± Sue said to Gloria as she was stuck halfway trying to beautify the pale skin of a middle aged man who died of overdrinking and liver cancer: ¡°Gloria, can you make a note for us to buy it tomorrow? We need both red and purple. It¡¯s getting late, so we¡¯ll have to wrap up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Gosh wish I noticed it earlier.¡± Gloria sighed as she put down the notepad hanging from a wooden pillar in the main room. ¡°And we need additional paper talismans and incense sticks as well. Why is everything running out so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Their portions are getting smaller, even though the prices remain the same.¡± Sue sighed and chuckled: ¡°I mean, just barely a year ago, the lipsticks would last almost twice as long, and the makeup boxes did not have any paddings at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°What changed?¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe because the materials are getting more expensive? Maybe the workers at the plants need higher wages?¡± Sue smiled while continuing with her work: ¡°But what can you do? These people still need to rest looking decent.¡±


    ¡°Hello? Is anyone here?¡± An old woman with two young men behind her came to the door of the coffin home: ¡°We have someone here we would like to place.¡±


    ¡°Hi, my name is Gloria, I am the watcher today.¡± Gloria immediately rushed to the door. The two young men behind the old woman were carrying a wooden coffin on a bamboo shoulder pole. The coffin looked new and crude, with a red talisman drawn with golden patterns sticking to the top. ¡°My apologies, we didn¡¯t know you were coming. Do you have the death certificate with you? And do you have a placement order or application?¡±


    ¡°Here. The placement order from the local chapter of the community collective.¡± The old woman nodded and handed Gloria a small red envelope .


    According to the death certificate, the one in the coffin was a young man, barely 19 years old. The cause of death was noted as an accident, and the date of death was two days ago.


    ¡°Okay, but before the coffin could be placed, I¡¯ll need to check the body.¡± Gloria sighed, the certificate looked authentic, just that it was way too simple and vague on the cause of death. The placement order had an authentic seal from the community collective as well. Even though things seemed somewhat strange and even a bit suspicious, she did not really have much of a choice.


    ¡°Yes, but please be quick, and respectful.¡± The old woman nodded and signaled the two young men to put the coffin down.


    The two young men pulled some bamboo sticks from behind their backs, laid them on the ground and put the coffin on them so the coffins would not touch the ground. Then one of the young men stood on the side to hold it steady, while the other pulled the lid ajar.


    The upper body of this unfortunate deceased was burned beyond recognition, there was but a shriveled charred head on the equally boney and shrunken shoulders. The lower part of the body seemed to be in better condition. But still, nothing with which for Gloria to verify the identity.


    Gloria double checked the photo on the death certificate then frowned: ¡°Apologies again, I cannot identify this body at all. It would be a bit - out of the norm and unorthodox to accept a body like this. I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°And I hope you¡¯ll understand, a young man with no family, having tragically died in a fiery accident, is in dire need of a place to rest. It¡¯s almost three days, you as a watcher should know how urgent it is.¡± The old woman sighed but responded with a stern tone: ¡°So please, take him in. Too much time has passed already.¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gloria checked the death certificate and the placement order once more. With the placement order alone, she did not really have that much of a say in the matter anymore. ¡°We¡¯re at capacity now. So have you brought - ¡±


    ¡°Green bean cakes. Here.¡± The old woman handed Gloria red cloth wrap, then waved at the two young men behind her: ¡°Bring him in, be careful.¡±


    The young men put the coffin in the last spot in the main room, then the old woman handed Gloria a bag of yellow paper coins, made of relatively good quality paper, along with a small wooden box. ¡°These are for the already placed. And the box is for this house, prime cinnabar, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll put it to good use.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu Kuo will definitely appreciate it. ¡± Gloria handed Sue the green bean cakes to free up her hands for the paper coins and wooden box.


    There were certain processes and rituals needed when new coffins arrived and when the coffin home was filled. The green bean cakes were the ¡°gifts¡± from the ¡°newcomer¡± to the ones that were already there. The paper coins were just add-ons as signatures of goodwill. Additionally, all the incense sticks at the foot of each coffin needed to be replaced, so that all the incense sticks in the room would be burning in sync.


    A small piece of green bean cake in a small porcelain plate was placed at the foot of each of the coffins, on the left side of the incense burners. The paper coins were placed on the right side of the burners, with small wooden paperweights on top. All of this was to make sure that the ones who were placed earlier would ¡°welcome¡± the newcomer, as the newcomer had brought them snacks and money for them before they went on their way.


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    There was barely any skin on the new body¡¯s face, so there was very little Sue could do to make him look better. The most she could do was try to get a suit of decent looking shroud. Luckily for both of them, there were quite a few of them safely and soundly stored in a box made of Pao Rosa wood.


    ¡°Let me help you.¡± When Sue picked a shroud and was ready to put it on the new body, Gloria rushed over to lend a hand. It was a sign of respect for both the already placed and the new body that every one of them was dressed before the sun set.


    They managed to put the shroud on at the last light of the sun, and the time to close down. A night alone awaited Gloria, since Sue¡¯s work here was done.


    ¡°Alright, long day. Good luck. See you tomorrow..¡± Sue let out a sigh of relief, grabbing her coat and her purse and was ready to head out the door: ¡°Hope you can get some sleep tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Gloria shrugged and shook her head: ¡°Just a minute, I need to check on the incense sticks first.¡±


    Sue nodded and waited by the door for Gloria to check on all of the incense sticks. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but drift towards the incense burner at the foot of the new coffin.


    Out of the three incense sticks, the two on the side seemed to have burned extra fast and only had half its full length. But the one in the middle barely burned, sticking up like a sore thumb.


    ¡°Gloria - this doesn¡¯t look right¡­¡± Sue asked with a trembling voice, and with a hand on the door, her fingers became slightly pale.


    Gloria turned to where Sue was pointing at. She froze for a moment. And before she could react, Sue already stumbled out of the door.


    ¡°Wait! Sue! Come back!¡± Gloria¡¯s left feet tapped the ground and launched her body towards her friend. Sue felt a sudden pull on the back of her collar, and with a surprised scream, she was yanked back in.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave, not now. This is the worst kind of burn.¡± Gloria steadied Sue¡¯s body with her left palm on her back: ¡°We¡¯re likely both marked. We need to stay somewhere safe through the night. Then we should go to the Kshiti Temple tomorrow, that¡¯s the closest temple to us.¡±


    ¡°What - what¡¯s happening?¡± Sue had been working at this coffin home for quite some time, yet this was her first time seeing something like this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Gloria immediately locked the front door, then she rushed to one of the pillars in the main room and pulled on a red rope. Two large red nets rolled down from the ceiling, enclosing the coffins to the left and right parts of the room. She then grabbed Sue by the arm and rushed into the back room and bolted the door, separating them from the main room. There were talismans on the door as well as symbols carved on the door frame that would serve as their protection. They should be safe for now. Should. For now.


    ¡°Oh my god. Oh my god. What¡¯s gonna happen to us? What is happening?¡± Sue burst into tears the moment Gloria locked the door and a breath of chilly breeze blew through the gap under the door, lowering the room temperature and making the candles flicker. ¡°I - I don¡¯t wanna die! I don¡¯t wanna die!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. Stay here.¡± Gloria looked under the altar in the room, and pulled out a small bag of paper talismans, two thick red candles and a small jar of thick light yellow liquid: ¡°Sit on the mat, recite some scriptures, close your eyes and block your ears.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay!¡± Sue immediately sat down on a hay mat in front of the altar, blocked her ears with her hand and started chanting scripture verses with her eyes closed.


    Gloria, on the other hand, had to act according to the notes for the watchers. There was a short straight sword made with peachwood with red threads wrapped around its blade on the altar, between two red candles. There was one small metal jar right in front of the peachwood sword, inside stored some blessed oil and some grains of sticky rice.


    Bang bang bang! Someone or something banged on the door. Sue jumped from where she was and hid in the corner of the room behind the altar, trembling but still reciting scripture verses. The hairs on the back of Gloria¡¯s neck stood up and her back tightened. But she needed to proceed according to the notes.


    Gloria picked up the short peachwood sword with her right hand, opened the metal jar and put a grain of oil-soaked sticky rice on her left index finger. She then dipped this finger on the flame of one of the candles. The rice caught on fire, along with the oil on her finger. Not even flinching, she pushed the grain of sticky rice on the bottom of the peachwood sword¡¯s pommel. Under normal circumstances, she would not want to do this in front of Sue, for it would only draw unnecessary attention. But now she just did not have a choice.


    Bang bang bang! The door was banged on once again. Sue whimpered and curled up harder in the corner.


    ¡°Who¡¯s in there?¡± A hoarse voice came from the outside: ¡°Who¡¯s in there - let me in!¡±


    ¡°Hang in there. I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± Gloria patted her friend on the shoulder, then snuck towards the door with raised heels. She could see a pair of pale bare feet through the gap under the door, covered in black root-like veins.


    There was a small sliding window on the door, but it was clearly not a time to use it. Gloria bit her right middle finger and drew a little bit of blood from her fingertip and smeared it on the body of the wooden blade. At the same time, she concentrated her Qi and infused it into the wooden blade. Not many could work against manifested spirits, and she hoped that this could, like the notes suggested.


    After putting the candles at both sides of the door and waiting for a moment, the feet behind the door started walking away, mumbling. After a few breaths, she slid open the sliding window with trembling hands.


    Not the burned young man like she was thinking, but a middle aged man with only half his face covered in makeup and unfinished lipstick. Right now, the incense sticks at the feet of all the coffins were still burning. The man stood in the middle of the main room with his hands in the air. Smoke rose from the incense and somehow from the coffins. The smoke condensed and weaved into long threads, slowly flowing into the man¡¯s nostrils and mouth.


    Gloria did not know what this man was doing, but with her Qi concentrated on her eyes, she could see a blood red glow on the man¡¯s shoulders and chest getting brighter and stronger. Whatever it was, it must not be good for anyone.


    After a short moment of hesitation, Gloria moved the two candles to Sue¡¯s side, then walked back to the door.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Handling this.¡± Gloria said as she opened the door.


    ¡°Wait! Gloria!¡±


    Sue only heard the slammin of the door responding to her cry.


    The middle aged man was clearly not expecting anyone to fight back. His attention was only drawn to Gloria when a glowing wooden blade in her hand pierced through the barely visible shield of gray mist shrouding his body, along with his skin and flesh. Orange and red sparks burst from his wound. He was thrown to the side as if he was hit by a speeding car.


    The man disappeared in a puff of dark smoke before he hit a red net. Gloria felt something coming at her from behind. She jumped forward and rolled right. Her leg was scratched by a cold claw and sharp nails. After the sharp pain, a chilling sensation was trying to seep into her muscles from the wound.


    The middle aged man was barely donning a human shape anymore. His skin was cracking up, leaking dark and blood red tar. Gurgling roars gushed through his crooked, stained teeth from his seemingly charred throat. After letting out an ethereal and high pitched scream, his eyes turned dark red and melted away. With his arms extending forward, he lunged.


    Gloria tapped her feet on the ground and leapt toward a red net with her Qi coursing through her meridians and muscles. The man disappeared in a puff of dark smoke again. The same sense of danger struck her. Out of pure instinct, Gloria tossed three folded paper talismans in her left hand to her left.


    The paper talismans ignited and exploded like firecrackers. A deafening scream made her ears ring and her visions blurred. But she was only stunned for a brief moment, before she spun around and sunk the peachwood sword in the middle aged man¡¯s chest, pushing him into the red net behind him.


    The red net stuck to the man¡¯s body like a spider web. His cracked skin started melting and crumbling. Pungent tar-like liquid gushed from his eye sockets, his nostrils and his ear holes. The peachwood sword ruptured and burst into flames, and Gloria had to let go of it, leapt back with the last remaining paper talisman in hand.


    The man struggled for but a few more seconds, before his entire body burned up and ashed. Leaving a dark human-shaped mark on the red net, and a lingering smell of charred, rotten flesh.


    Only until the next morning, when the first light shone through the window, did Gloria and Sue dare step out of the back room. The last talisman was luckily not needed, and the middle aged man was the first and only source of danger throughout the whole night.


    When Gloria checked on them, all other bodies showed some kind of cracking of the skin, and their figures all became slightly thinner than before. The body of the middle aged man, on the other hand, seemed to be totally burned down and carbonized.


    The new body, the one whose face was almost completely burned beyond recognition, also underwent some change: the area of burn seemed to have grown for some reason; his arms seemed to have shifted in positions. And most obvious and jarring of all, his head turned. If he still had eyes, they would be staring right at the coffin in which the middle aged man lay.

 Book 2 Chapter 2. Close Down

    ¡°How¡¯s it look?¡± After getting off the phone with Tae Kuo, the actual full time watcher of the Fuman Coffin Home, Sue went to Gloria¡¯s side, who was examining the now almost completely charcoaled body of the middle aged man: ¡°Sifu Kuo said to keep the bodies here and postpone all burials till he comes back. And he said he¡¯ll be back at the latest tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good.¡± Gloria sighed, her frown was not gone and her body was trembling even now: ¡°Sue, you should go to the Kshiti Temple and ask a clergyman for help. We lasted through the night, but there was no telling if there would be nothing left on us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡± Sue let out a sigh of relief, then picked up her purse again. She hesitated when she was at the door: ¡°Gloria, are you gonna be okay? I mean - you were out here last night - I think it¡¯s best if you come to the temple with me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Gloria shook her head with a wry smile: ¡°I need to stay here for a bit. I need to seal off the bodies for now, and I need to close the entire coffin home down before reporting to the local community collective chapter and the temples.¡±


    ¡°I understand, thank you.¡± Sue sighed before heading out the door: ¡°Let - let me know when you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll ask the folks at the temple if I could bring you anything. Please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. And take care as well.¡± Gloria smiled and waved at Sue. But before Sue left, She had to run out and asked Sue for a lock of her hair. Sue was confused, but obliged.


    Believe it or not, there were a few pages detailing how to deal with the aftermath of a spirit attack in the watcher¡¯s notes. Only about eighty percent of the recommended action items were applicable to Gloria right now, for she was not officially trained or ordained as an official clergywoman.


    The first thing she needed to do was to put a notice on the door, telling everyone that this coffin home was closed to all inquiries and operations, none of the bodies should be transported out, nor should any new body be coming in. It should be written with either red ink or on a piece of red paper, to warn the locals not to come close.


    The next thing she needed to do, was to perform a kind of cleansing ritual using certain materials and supplies stocked in the coffin home. The ritual needed red threads soaked in rice wine and coated in cinnabar, the same kind that was used to weave the two red nets that helped her trap the angry spirit of the middle aged man, a lot of sticky rice, some rice wine, some paper coins, some copper coins, and lastly, optionally but preferably, some straw dolls.


    From a hidden compartment under the main floor of the storage room at the back of the coffin home, Gloria found a large roll of the red threads she needed. They were old, covered in dust, the cinnabar rice wine soak had worn off by quite a bit. There were ways to mend them, which in theory would make them more effective. But she did not have the time right now.


    After lightning up incense sticks in burners at their feet, Gloria double checked that the lids on all of the coffins in the main room were tightly closed. Then she wrapped the red threads around the coffins by several cycles like ribbons on a gift box.


    There was not enough sticky rice, so she had to make do with what she had. A circle of sticky rice was made around the coffins of the burned young man and the middle aged man. The grains in the inner part of the circle had some rice wine splashed on them. Gloria then took out two cloth towels, soaked them in rice wine and placed them on the coffin lids.


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    All of this was just a preliminary measure to prevent the appearance of dangerous spirits. Before this, Gloria activated her Qi and examined each of the bodies in the main room, just to make sure there were no traces of the same kind of cold, grim and dark energy from the spirit of the middle aged man lingering on the other bodies. Lucky and unlucky for her, there were none on any of the bodies. So all she could do now was operate under the assumption that the new body and the body of the middle aged man were the only ones afflicted.


    The red threads wrapped around all of the coffins were the first level of ¡°defense¡± against any potential uprising of malicious spirits from these bodies like the middle aged man. If they were as effective as the watcher¡¯s notes suggested, then the spirits should be trapped inside the coffins for a while, and give her time to react should they try to come out. The towels soaked in rice wine and the circle of sticky rice were the second layer of defense, as they would form a circle that would literally burn the spirits if they dare walk or fly out of it.


    She then took out another incense burner of bigger size and visibly better quality from under the altar in the back room, along with three thicker and longer incense sticks and a batch of copper coins. These were traditional round paper coins with square holes in the middle. She placed three coins on top of the flattened earth and ash in the burner, then stuck three of those thicker and longer incense sticks through the square holes before lighting them up.


    This slightly bigger incense burner needed to be neatly placed on the altar, as a ritual of asking for aid from the Wuchangs, or the capturers of wandering spirits and guides that would lead them to travel to the nether world. This was the part about which Gloria felt the least comfortable, for the simple reason that she had never actually seen Wuchangs, while she had plenty of experience with spirits and ghosts.


    With the Spirit Cat Style Mystical Martial Arts she practiced, she was much more sensitive to the presence of supernatural and paranormal energy in her surroundings. When she concentrated her Qi on her eyes and ears, she could see spirits that were normally invisible to other humans and hear them, like their voices or the noise they made when they bumped into or even got into fights with each other. But even with all these years of practice, last night was still the first time she had ever come into contact with a spirit this angry and dangerous.


    After setting up barriers for the potential spirits per the watcher¡¯s notes, the next thing she should do to protect herself, Sue and other innocent civilians close by, was to close the front and back doors of the main room and tie the remainder of the red threads around the door frames as well as the door knobs. But before this, she wanted to do something additional to protect her and Sue - there were not any straw dolls in this coffin home, but there was plenty of hay in the backyard, so she had to make do.


    She tore off her two sleeves, pulled the thread out so that she could use them to make two straw dolls, with the lock of Sue¡¯s hair in one and a lock of her own in the other. She then wrapped two short strands of the red threads she used on the coffins on around the necks of the two dolls made of hay. She then cut a small incision on the tip of her left index finger and drew a circle of blood on the ground, enclosing the two dolls. After three rounds of recitation of a simple spell documented in the notes, she brought the dolls onto the altar in the back room.


    After all of this, she was finally able to lock down the coffin home. By the time she locked the front door, there were a few curious kids in the neighborhood gathered around the front door, reading the notice she stuck on both the door and the wall.


    ¡°Ooh, something bad happened?¡± A tall, slim boy asked.


    ¡°Yes. And we need to lock down because of it.¡± Gloria shook her head, then pointed at the boy and stared at all of the kids with a stern look and said with a cold voice: ¡°You know what this means. Play elsewhere, or else I will have to tell your parents or beat you up. You understand me? I am not kidding, stay away. This place is dangerous now, until Sifu Kuo came back, no one should take even one step in.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Another short boy asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of unclean things, go ask your moms and dads if you don¡¯t understand. ¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Two boys asked with smirks on their faces.


    ¡°One more ¡®why¡¯ and I¡¯ll give you one more lesson on your parents¡¯ behalf.¡± Gloria raised her hand and acted like she was about to backhand some of the kids. The kids scattered, laughing and still chattering.


    Gloria thought for a brief moment whether she should warn the parents of these kids so that they could be controlled. The pro would be that their parents would help her make sure that these local kids would stay away; but the con would be that right now she was relatively certain that there was still some kind of dark energy attached to her, if not directly physically, it would be looming over her. This kind of dark energy would definitely be infectious like a disease.


    There were several temples around the Fuman Coffin Home, and the closest one, Kshiti Temple, would just be at maximum around half an hour away on foot. She decided to run there and ask the clergymen and clergywomen to perform a cleansing ritual on her first.

 Book 2 Chapter 3. Spiritless (Part 1)

    ¡°Gloria Lee?¡± When Gloria got to the front gate of the Kshiti Temple, a clergywoman in a beige robe was already waiting for her. Gloria had seen her around these parts before and could recognize her face, she just did not know of her name or her role at this local temple.


    ¡°Yes. I need help.¡± Gloria let out a breath of relief: ¡°How¡¯s Sue? She okay?¡±


    ¡°She just left. We gave her some talismans, some candles and a straw doll just in case.¡± The clergywoman nodded at Gloria, then made a ¡°come on in¡± gesture to let Gloria go into the temple. ¡°Let¡¯s help you first. Your friend told us everything. Did you really confront an angry spirit?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At least I think it was an angry spirit.¡± Gloria shook her head with frustration: ¡°The situation¡¯s more complicated than that - it¡¯s - probably has something to do with a strange body I had to place in the coffin home.¡±


    ¡°We heard about the body.¡± The clergywoman led Gloria to a restricted side area of the temple, away from the locals that came to pray and worship: ¡°Lucky for us, we have one of our elders here. She could help you make better sense of the situation. I trust that you have already locked the place down?¡±


    ¡°Yes. According to the protocol.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°But - if possible, I would just need to do a quick cleansing ritual. There are some - really troublesome local kids, who may be too curious for their own good¡­¡±


    ¡°I see what you meant. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll send someone to warn their parents. And we will put an official notice on your door as well.¡± The clergywoman sighed while continuing to lead the way into a small personnel-only room on the side of the temple, where the ground was paved with small colored tiles that resembled the patterns one would see on paper talismans. It was her first time ever to be here, and right when stepping into the patterns, she felt something tingling on her shoulders and ears. Something heavy, cold, sore-inducing and gloomy seemed to be lifted off her.


    ¡°Here.¡± The clergywoman stopped at the door to a side room: ¡°Elder Mu is in there, I suggest you think carefully about the questions you want to ask her. She¡¯d dislike it if you ask too many dumb questions. And also, listen carefully, she dislikes explaining over and over again as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria nodded.


    ¡°Elder Mu.¡± The clergywoman knocked on the door, then pushed open the door: ¡°This is the temp watcher of Fuman Coffin Home, Gloria Lee, she¡¯s here to see you.¡±


    Inside the room, there was a small wooden table by the only window, with a small altar and an incense burner placed on top. An old woman was kneeling in front of the table, seemingly praying. There was another red wooden table at the end of the room, with wooden plaques placed on top of a red wooden shelf with three levels. On the top level, there were three plaques made of red wood and golden metal main pieces. On the lower levels there were more that looked less meticulous and detailed.


    ¡°Come in.¡± The old woman turned and waved her hand at Gloria.


    ¡°Please let me know if you need anything, I¡¯ll be outside.¡± The clergywoman bowed towards Elder Mu, then backed off from the door.


    ¡°Thank you for seeing me, elder.¡± Gloria sat down on a hay mattress in front of the old woman.


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    Elder Mu looked like a kind old woman with a hidden sharp edge, wearing a robe of white and red. Her eyes were clear, and there was a scar on the left side of her face, like she had been slashed in the face before by some kind of sharp object. The slash appeared to be quite serious, as Gloria could easily tell that it altered her facial bone structure to a not severe but noticeable extent.


    ¡°Okay, sit tight, and let me take a look at you.¡± Elder Mu nodded at Gloria, then reached into a compartment under the table by the window and pulled out a piece of talisman. This one was made of some kind of red paper, and the symbols and words on it were painted with golden paint, all signs of a specialized talisman of high quality.


    Elder Mu held the talisman with her right hand and let it dangle in the air, then with a low chant of some kind of spell, she flicked the talisman with her left middle finger, with a little bit of Qi concentrated on her fingertip.


    The talisman went up in flames and turned into ashes completely within the blink of an eye. The ashes lingered in the air, slowly swirling and spinning like a small tornado. This small ash tornado grew in size while it moved towards Gloria and in a span of a few seconds shrouded her entire body in it.


    Gloria concentrated her Qi in an attempt to see what these ashes were doing. It turned out, though appearing like simple, gray ashes to the untrained naked eyes, with the help of her Qi she could see every particle of it glowing in some kind of orange and golden light. These glowing particles were inter-connected with thin but bright lines of energy, and along with the particles they formed a much more magnificent whirlwind of energy surrounding her.


    When the current of energy died down, the ashes fell onto the ground, dimmed and seemingly somehow heavier and more solid than before.


    Elder Mu leaned forward to take a closer look at the floor around Gloria, then used a small broom and dustpan to collect the fallen ashes. ¡°Go out there and ask for a small bow of blessed water.¡± She said to Gloria: ¡°And an incense stick.¡±


    Gloria nodded and headed to the closed door. There was a small wooden tray by the door outside, with a small clay bowl and two incense sticks. Seemed like the clergywoman was already familiar with the process.


    Elder Mu nodded in approval when she saw Gloria not having to go far to get what she needed.


    The elder lit up one of the incense sticks and let some of the ashes fall into the bowl of water. After a few dips, she then brushed the ashes in the dustpan into the water, and let them mix and interact with what was already in the bowl.


    The ashes from the incense had a light gray color, and they took a while to absorb water and sink below. The ashes collected in the dustpan, on the other hand, had a darker color and swiftly clumped up and drowned like little chunks of coal.


    Elder Mu kept staring at the bowl as the change slowly took place. There were a couple of moments when Gloria wanted to ask something, but she decided against it and waited for the elder to speak first.


    After about two minutes, almost all of the ashes had sunk into the water.


    ¡°Looks like you are in the clear. No unclean energy.¡± Elder Mu nodded, then pulled out another talisman from under the table and handed it to Gloria: ¡°But just to be safe, before you leave today, take this, then ask for a glass of blessed water. Burn it and drink it with the water.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, elder¡­¡± Gloria nodded and took the talisman with two hands.


    ¡°Now, tell me what happened.¡± Elder Mu looked Gloria straight in her eyes: ¡°I already heard from your friend Sue, but I figured you would know more.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gloria let out a long slow sigh, then proceeded to explain to the elder what happened, with no details spared, as well as the precautionary measures she applied to the coffin home before she came here.


    ¡°Okay, okay. You did good.¡± Elder Mu¡¯s acknowledgement lifted a huge weight off Gloria''s shoulders: ¡°With everything you¡¯ve given, it seems like you¡¯ve done the right thing to the best of your abilities. But I do need to ask, how come you only have so few sticky rice stored?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t really know¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Young Tae is a friend of this temple, so you can ask for some before you leave as well. And remember to splash it all over the ground, covering all the ground in the room. ¡± Elder Mu continued: ¡°When will he come back?¡±


    ¡°Sue had a call with him this morning, and he said he should be back soon. Latest tomorrow.¡± Gloria shrugged then chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s just bad timing that he¡¯s gone to visit the family outside of the city.¡±


    ¡°He should have done his job and filled all the provisions before he left.¡± Elder Mu shook her head: ¡°Now, you understand that with an issue like this, you¡¯ll need to report it to the community collective?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Gloria nodded and rubbed her temples.


    ¡°Bureaucracy aside, when you¡¯re certain that the bodies are secured, it¡¯d be wise to take another look at them and try to see if you can find anything.¡± Elder Mu continued: ¡°It¡¯s very rare that a body would be able to do something like that. And what¡¯s even weirder is that the spirit of another body somehow was brought to life by it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Elder Mu looked down at the ground and went silent for a bit, seemingly thinking about something. When she looked straight at Gloria again, her eyes were filled with worries: ¡°The new body was burned beyond recognition, you said?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 4. Spiritless (Part 2)

    ¡°Yes, why?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Elder Mu asked.


    ¡°Twenty - twenty eight.¡± Gloria was confused but still answered straightly.


    ¡°Do you remember something that happened roughly 15 years ago?¡± Elder Mu looked to the window, sighed then asked.


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Gloria nodded, then with some hesitation, she muttered: ¡°I was on that cruise ship.¡±


    Elder Mu turned to Gloria, surprised, then her eyes became warmer and softer: ¡°I am sorry, my child.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, but what does it have to do with¡­¡±


    ¡°Something horrible like that happens every 15 years.¡± Elder Mu stood up and pointed at the table at the back of the room: ¡°Here, some of these plaques have been here for quite a while. Take a look at the ones on the top.¡±


    Gloria went over and picked the rightmost wooden plaque up, turned it around to look at its back. ¡°In loving memory of those who were lost on Lake Aqiu¡± was inscribed on it.


    ¡°That one was for the cruise ship on the lake, 15 years ago.¡± Elder Mu picked up the plaque on the left side of the one Gloria just picked up: ¡°And this one here, was for the memories of a series of utterly devastating abductions of children and younglings. It happened around 30 years ago.¡±


    ¡°I think I might have heard of it when I was young.¡± Gloria frowned as she received the plaque from Elder Mu and read the words on the back: ¡°This is what - what kinda triggered the inter-district conflict right? I just remember I was forced to stay at home, when the people were gathering outside and ready to fight ¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was horrible. It was, one may think, the first time something like this had befallen the already wounded Poison City.¡± Elder Mu took the next plaque in order: ¡°But it was not - it started much earlier. Just on a smaller scale, and during a time of much chaos and misery.¡±


    ¡°In memory of the lost souls to misguided frenzy and fervor.¡± These were the inscribed texts behind the last plaque.


    ¡°What happened? This would be¡­ 45 years ago, right?¡± Gloria asked as she carefully put the plaques back.


    ¡°Some kind of armed conflict, stirred up by a series of disputes over the roads and streets, as well as the construction of the railway and earlier division of the districts and their jurisdiction.¡± Elder Mu sighed: ¡°People fought in the streets, almost armed to the teeth. The city police just stood by while the people of our districts were beaten and their livelihoods burned down, and it was a factor that inspired the forming of the local watch and patrols team. I can still remember the smell of blood on the streets, even weeks after the fights were done. Thousands of people were injured, and by our count, close to six hundred lives were lost, young and old, but mostly young, hot headed men.¡±


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    ¡°And - the time is for sure 15 years apart from each other?¡± Gloria asked while frowning: ¡°I mean - wouldn¡¯t it be very strange and jarring?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only strange and jarring when you¡¯re paying attention and keeping track. That¡¯s unfortunately not the case for most.¡± Elder Mu sighed and signaled Gloria to sit back down on the hay mattress: ¡°And to be honest, things become tough and dangerous whenever someone tries to ask too many questions regarding that cycle, or just what happened to the cruise ship. I guess you may understand that more than me.¡±


    ¡°... yes, unfortunately. ¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can try to go to the collective¡¯s archives and try to look into some historical records. But that would certainly bring some attention to yourself.¡± Elder Mu sighed as well as she sat down.


    ¡°But - elder, what makes you think what happened last night at the coffin home is linked to this cycle?¡± Gloria scratched her nose and raised her hand.


    ¡°Because for one, it¡¯s almost that time now.¡± Elder Mu looked out the window: ¡°And more importantly, things didn¡¯t just happen. There¡¯d be unfortunate signs, omens and freak incidents beforehand. And only after I gained some - experience, in dealing with matters such as these, did I put the things together and realize how some things far from normal were already happening before the big incidents. 15 years ago, weeks leading up to the cruise ship incident, there had been strange unexplainable drownings all over the city. For our district, we were seeing an alarming rise in kids, especially young kids drowning in their homes or just along the docks and in the Mud River. 30 years ago, there were also a series of incidents happening all over the city, where people were murdered and had their bodies embedded in trees or braided in bushes. Those cases remained in the Blue Envelopes of the city¡¯s police archives. Which I¡¯d imagine you¡¯ll need some help getting into.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes and went into her thoughts. Everything did seem quite unusual, the timing was uncanny, but she just did not know yet. The things Elder Mu said seemed plausible, but she did not know if she was ready to completely believe everything.


    ¡°Now, take some time to think about it. But we need to act fast.¡± Elder Mu sighed, ¡°How about this, you go get some incense sticks and talismans before you leave, try to hold down the coffin home until Tae comes back. He should know what to do with the aftermath. Hopefully I am wrong and this is just a strange, one time occurrence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, elder.¡± Gloria stood up, bowed and was ready to leave.


    ¡°And one last thing.¡± Elder Mu raised her hand: ¡°Ask for some cinnabar paint, I think you might need it.¡±


    When Gloria got back to the Fuman Coffin Home, she found that there was another notice stuck to the door, this time in the official letterhead of the Kshiti Temple. There were some scratches on the lock and other signs of attempted break-ins.


    After a quick sigh, she ran around the coffin home to check for other signs of people, especially local troublesome kids and teenagers. Lucky for her, the walls looked the same as she left. She even put her ears against the wall and tried her best to listen to who or what might be inside. No sound of anything.


    Before she could go and confirm with the parents of some local youngsters, her phone rang, it was Sue: ¡°Hey, Gloria, are you still at the Kshiti Temple?¡±


    ¡°No, I just came back to Fuman.¡± Gloria sighed and looked around: ¡°How are you feeling? You feeling okay?¡±


    ¡°I - I feel much better now. But - can I stay over at your place for a couple of days? I - ¡± Sue stammered: ¡°I - I am really scared. And I really don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    ¡°Um - I think I¡¯ll come back home soon with some preparations. I have some sticky rice, some cinnabar soaked threads and talismans. I can set something up at my place - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great! But when can you come back!?¡± Sue sounded really relieved.


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t really go back now. I need to check on some local parents around first, see if they got the warning about not letting the kids go around the place.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°If you want to feel safer, you can stay in my apartment. You know where the emergency key is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in the flower pot next to the door.¡± Sue sighed: ¡°Can you just come back as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, I¡¯ll try.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I have some talismans in a wooden box on the bookshelf. And there is a metal plate with some patterns engraved on it. It¡¯s something I am working on with a friend, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, fine, just get back to soon.¡± Sue begged once again: ¡°Please, be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Gloria! Gloria!¡± Just when Gloria put down her phone, she heard a familiar man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hey, Sifu Kuo, finally you¡¯re back. ¡± Gloria turned to the middle aged man with sweat stains on his shirt, carrying a small handheld briefcase.


    ¡°Sorry, the train got delayed, but I took a taxi and the road was luckily clear. The reception is terrible on the train, so I couldn¡¯t call.¡± Tae Kuo, the actual watcher of the Fuman Coffin Home apologized and then threw down the briefcase: ¡°I heard about everything, so - are you okay? Is Sue okay?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 5. Spiritless (Part 3)

    ¡°We¡¯re fine - we¡¯re fine for now. Thank you for rushing back.¡± Gloria patted Sifu Tae Kuo on his shoulder: ¡°And what do you wanna know? I did what the notes said, then went to the Kshiti Temple and met with Elder Mu¡­¡±


    ¡°You met Elder Mu?¡± Tae Kuo¡¯s eyes opened wide: ¡°What¡¯d she say to you? Was she harsh? Did she give you a palm spanking?¡±


    ¡°Uhh - no?¡± Gloria thought for a moment then shrugged: ¡°She seems very direct and - nice.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you were lucky.¡± Tae Kuo nodded, then he opened his briefcase and took out a small glass jar, in it was some kind of thick light yellow liquid: ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    The liquid was a specially brewed sticky rice wine mixed with certain oils, the recipe to which still needed to be properly documented by Tae, who still kept putting it off.


    ¡°Now, Sue told me just about everything. But from what I heard, YOU handled things, so what did you see?¡± Tae Kuo ruffled through his briefcase to finally find a small pouch full of copper coins.


    ¡°Well, it all started with the body, and the three incense sticks, two short and one long.¡± Gloria proceeded to tell Tae Kuo everything she saw, and everything Elder Mu told her, including the elder¡¯s theory about the 15 year cycle.


    ¡°... fuck.¡± Tae Kuo sighed, then shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know about the 15 year cycle, but this is definitely not normal - and dangerous. You got the talisman and blessed water right? Drink it down now before we go in. Not that I don¡¯t have faith in the capability of Elder Mu, it¡¯s just¡­ just in case.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gloria let out a sigh, then handed the bag of rice wine, a cloth satchel of cinnabar, threads and talismans to Tae Kuo. She then proceeded to screw open a small bottle of blessed water she got from the Kshiti Temple, lit up a talisman and let the ash fall into the water.


    Water with talisman ash tasted slightly bitter and salty. But she chugged it down. This was not that uncommon a practice, and usually reserved for cases where one was in danger of being possessed or cursed.


    ¡°Is this all?¡± Tae Kuo weighed the bag of sticky rice: ¡°This would not be enough to cover the ground - we need more.¡±


    ¡°Should - should we go buy more now?¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°I asked a few shops on my way here. Looks like many shops were out. I don¡¯t know what happened, seems like we¡¯re having a shortage right now.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°Alright, I guess we just have to make do. If its scale is too big, we¡¯d have to ask the Kshiti Temple for help.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it then.¡± Gloria sighed.


    They left the door to Fuman Coffin Home ajar when they came in. The air was filled with a light but still foul scent of decay and rot. It had only been a few hours, but somehow thick dust had been collected on the coffins, especially the two that were circled by sticky rice and rice wine. And to both Tae Kuo and Gloria¡¯s horror, the grains of sticky rice in the inner ring were showing signs of being blackened.


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    ¡°Bad, this is bad.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head, then twisted open his glass bottle of specially brewed wine with oil: ¡°Pour the sticky rice on the ground, and lay an extra layer around these two.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Gloria tore open the sticky rice bag and started pouring it on the ground. The people at Kshiti Temple were quite generous and gave her a big bag of it, but it was still barely enough to cover most of the ground loosely. She left extra around the two coffins, and Tae Kuo poured some of his custom concoction on the new layer of sticky rice.


    ¡°Okay, watch this, this is not in the notes, but I figure you could learn, you¡¯re here very often anyway.¡± Tae Kuo looked back at Gloria while standing straight in front of the sticky rice circle: ¡°And your Qi is actually more Yin-oriented, so it could be easier for you. But you¡¯d need to be extra careful as you¡¯re more vulnerable during this ritual, you understand?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Gloria nodded without hesitation: ¡°Please proceed.¡±


    ¡°Now, all you need right now is one of these.¡± Tae Kuo chose one paper talisman from his pouch, flattened it and showed it to Gloria: ¡°I assume that you¡¯re pretty familiar with some of the basic talismans right now. This is a kind of talisman we don¡¯t let anyone touch lightly - you see the patterns here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria nodded, she could vaguely read the old characters written on the talisman: ¡°This means - clearing of the eye?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We just call it ¡®Ethereal Eye Talisman¡¯. A bit complex to make, but not expensive.¡± Tae Kuo nodded back in approval: ¡°And the reason I don¡¯t let anyone touch this is - this is a revelation talisman, once activated, it could reveal the signs of paranormal activity within a small radius, and with well crafted ones like this, and activated with Qi, it could reveal quite a lot. You¡¯ll learn to read the signs with experience, I¡¯ll explain when we see them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria took a deep breath, for some reason she had a lousy feeling about this.


    ¡°Now, activate your Qi to protect yourself, then slowly infuse this talisman with your Qi.¡± Tae Kuo raised the talisman right in front of his face using the index and middle fingers of his right hand, ¡°And then, this is the spell you¡¯d need to chant. Once you''re experienced with the process you¡¯ll no longer need to do it, but I¡¯ll do it just so that you can memorize by heart.¡±


    Gloria flexed her arms and shoulder, so that her Qi would flow more smoothly through her muscles and meridians.


    ¡°The Gods of Three and Nine, the Righteous Power of Two and Eight, heed my call, connect with me.¡± Tae Kuo chanted, enunciating each word: ¡°Come to my aide, be my eyes and ears, lift the veil off the fog. Be it so!¡± After the last word, the talisman stood up straight in the air, the patterns and words written on it started to glow, then an orange flame arose. Before long, the talisman was completely consumed, and ashes of it were blown into the air.


    An orange wave of energy swept through the entire room, and along its path, dark threads, fingerprints and even faces made of dark smoke were revealed.


    Eight faces, seven of them were on the lids of their coffin. The face of the middle aged man, along with his body, on the other hand, remained where he was extinguished, melted, twisted and fractured. There was a shining object with the shape of a blade embedded in his chest, capturing the moment of his annihilation. There were footprints all over the ground, but judging from their sizes and trails, they seemed to be from one single person.


    There was no face on or around the latest coffin. Instead, what was revealed on it was something else. Something that brought chills to Gloria, even as she was expecting the worst.


    It was some kind of web with a giant, egg-shaped center cluster sitting right on top of the lid of the coffin. The web was convoluted and irregular like a spider web, while its threads were full of thorns. Some small strands from its many threads connected to all of the coffins, but the coffin of the middle aged man was covered with the most of it, for it was right next to the new coffin.


    ¡°Fuck me.¡± Tae Kuo cursed, looking around: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gloria stepped closer to the latest coffin, careful not to step on any vines and threads from the web.


    ¡°Some kind of foul energy, or the remainder of it, a remnant, it appears.¡± Tae Kuo showed Gloria his right hand, it seemed some of the webbings have attached to him as well: ¡°And it is still active - you¡¯re wise to send Sue to Kshiti Temple and go there yourself, it could have left marks on you, possibly making you more vulnerable, and attractive to malicious spirits. But what¡¯s more troublesome to me is - ¡±


    ¡°No spirit in this coffin?¡± Gloria asked, with a heavy frown.


    ¡°No spirit in this coffin.¡± Tae Kuo acknowledged Gloria¡¯s question: ¡°And it¡¯s an indication of - of some really heavy grudge or torment before death. Simple accidents would not cause this.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 6. Questions and Timing (Part 1)

    ¡°So, what should we do with this?¡± Gloria walked around the latest coffin and asked: ¡°Should we just destroy it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°Go get a candle. And bring me some copper coins from under the altar.¡±


    Gloria went to the back room to fetch the requested items. Tae Kuo took the copper coins and put them in his sleeves, then gestured to Gloria to hold the candles before him, between their position and the coffin.


    ¡°Now, you already know that specialized candles like these can protect people from malicious spirits.¡± Tae Kuo raised the glass bottle of special rice wine in the air, ¡°But do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Is it because of the candle wick with some kind of special thread woven in?¡± Gloria answered without even thinking.


    ¡°That¡¯s half of it, and the other half is in the wax that makes the candles.¡± Tae Kuo nodded, his eyes still fixed on the coffin: ¡°You may say: ¡®woah that¡¯s literally the entire candle¡¯. True, but here¡¯s the thing to remember, different combinations of the wick and the wax makes for different candles. For example, this one, there¡¯s cinnabar added to the wax, and the wick is made with sage, cotton, and some linen, soaked in special rice wine and oil. And this kind of candle, as you have experienced, can create barriers of protection for people inside. But on the other hand, what can touch you, can hurt you. So if we know how to use it, it can become a weapon. Just like this¡­¡±


    Tae Kuo concentrated his Qi on his left palm, then poured some rice wine on it. His Qi had a light yellowish green glow, and the droplets of wine sizzled the moment they made contact. He then handed the glass bottle to Gloria, then took the candle from her hand.


    ¡°Watch closely.¡± Tae Kuo said to Gloria. ¡°And be careful, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s in that thing.¡±


    Gloria swallowed and nodded. Her right hand clenching a talisman, and her left holding the glass bottle.


    Tae Kuo swung his left palm across the candle¡¯s flame, the wine on his palm caught on fire. With this move, his palm seemed to have been coated with a layer of orange and red energy. He clenched the fingers on his left hand aside from the middle and index fingers. With his Qi flowing from his palm into the tips of the two still standing fingers, the flame and the energy from the candle went along and condensed. The next moment, he swung his fingers horizontally like a sword. A crescent-shaped energy blade shot right at the egg-like cluster at the center of the web.


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    Gloria¡¯s eyes opened wide as the energy blade sunk into the cluster, igniting it from inside while blasting it into pieces. The orange and red flame spread through the vines and threads that made up the web, turning it into ashes and smoke. A faint scream echoed in the room, and a shadow arose from ashes. Before either Gloria or Tae Kuo could make out what it was, the shadow darted at the door, seemingly trying to escape.


    Gloria launched herself at the door. Her movement left a string of faint, light blue shadows behind her. Her Qi was concentrated on her right forearm and right hand, some of which was infused into the talisman tucked in her fingers. She swung the glass bottle in her left hand, throwing a splash of sticky rice wine at the shadow, while her right hand was thrusting forward.


    Tiny blades of Qi extended out from Gloria¡¯s fingertips like claws. They sliced through the air and some of the airborne droplets of rice wine. The talisman clutched in her palm lit up from her Qi, emitting a purple flame that instantly shrouded over her entire hand. Within the blink of an eye, a bulk of her Qi left her hand, along with the purple flame and formed an energy claw in the air. It left a trail of purple sparks behind, and caught up to the shadow in no time.


    Poof! The energy claw slashed the shadow into several pieces. It then turned into a ball of purple flame, consuming everything.


    Her fingers felt a gentle chill, it was the same feeling of when she entered into a room of lower temperature, or when she exuded a large amount of Qi and she temporarily lost the protection it would normally provide.


    A strange sense of soreness came, the same symptom of overexerting her Qi.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tae Kuo asked: ¡°That was quite a strike¡­ you may need to rest a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I - I think I¡¯m alright. Just - I used more Qi than I intended, for some reason.¡± Gloria shook her head, then looked at his right hand, which was shaking: ¡°What¡¯s in that wine? ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, uh, a lot of ingredients.¡± Tae Kuo scratched his head: ¡°One of them being mandragora - but don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a very low dose, it only serves as a catalyst for your Qi flow. And - you just splashed a lot, so... My apologies, it should wear off soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay - ¡± Gloria nodded, then sighed: ¡°Good to know. As long as there is nothing unclean left.¡± She looked around, while her hand was still recovering. It seemed the initial strike from Tae Kuo and her follow up finished the job. There were no traces of the web or that egg-shaped cluster left. The shadows of the faces on the coffins still remained but appeared to be more blurry and transparent. And the shadow of the middle aged man had almost completely disappeared, leaving only a light orange shadow of his outline.


    ¡°Have you caught its shape? The shadow, I mean.¡± Tae Kuo checked around once more, then asked.


    Gloria thought for a while, then shook her head: ¡°I - I didn¡¯t really see that clearly. It just looked like something with - with roots and tentacles.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw the roots as well - and a little bit of its head. If you could even call it a head.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°But - back to the more pressing matters. Have you informed the community collective on this yet?¡±


    ¡°No - I haven¡¯t really got a chance to yet.¡±


    ¡°Good, then we can report to them now and have a better report with more details.¡± Tae Kuo nodded: ¡°Do you still have the placement order? And a copy of the death certificate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let me get it.¡± Gloria went back to the back room.


    The man who answered the phone seemed to be uninterested and lazy at first when Tae Kuo called, but as he proceeded to describe what happened just now and what led to this, the man seemed to grow more and more concerned. When Tae Kuo finished his description, he asked Tae Kuo to wait a moment, then proceeded to put him on hold, before telling him the community collective will be sending someone really soon.

 Book 2 Chapter 7. Questions and Timing (Part 2)

    Bulu Wang, or some others would call him, Old Wang, was one of the higher level executives of the community watch and patrol division in the South-Eastern District. Normally for any other kinds of incidents, paranormal or not, he would not even be there. But he was here right now. And he was here with only one assistant.


    ¡°Mr. Wang!¡± Tae Kuo was almost stunned into silence. ¡°Wha - what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I am here because of the report you just called in to file.¡± Bulu Wang nodded with a gentle smile, while his assistant was standing on the side, stern and brooding like a tall and buff bodyguard. He might be just the bodyguard.


    ¡°I - thank you for coming, please let us know what else we can elaborate on.¡± Tae Kuo showed Bulu Wang into the Fuman Coffin Home.


    ¡°How long have you been operating?¡± Bulu Wang looked at the nine coffins, his eyes stayed on each one for a similar amount of time, then he looked up at the ceiling, the ceiling and the beams, and the way to the back room.


    ¡°I have been the watcher here for about 10 years, sir. And before that the previous watcher has been here for more than 20 years.¡± Tae Kuo answered.


    ¡°I see.¡± Bulu Wang nodded and walked up to the two coffins surrounded by the most sticky rice: ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - let me start from the beginning. Gloria, please correct me if I get anything wrong.¡± Tae Kuo coughed to clear his throat, then went on to retell the events during last night and today.


    Gloria budged in to explain some details a few times, but overall Tae Kuo did a pretty good job in sifting through the details and retelling. She awaited a response from Bulu Wang. She would not want to be the one talking to him right now, for right now, a simple misspoken word could have bad consequences for her and the coffin home. She was only the temporary watcher, she did not need to be on the hook. She could only offer Tae Kuo help when he needed it.


    ¡°... I see.¡± Bulu Wang carefully stepped over the sticky rice and looked into the two coffins. He stared into the latest one for a particularly long period of time, then he put his hand on the lid, and slid it completely open, and did so with ease.


    Very impressive control of Qi, and with the Qi barely leaking out. Gloria commented in her mind. The words on the street were that Bulu Wang possessed a much higher level of mastery in mystic martial arts, and right now they seemed to be true.


    The lower body of this corpse of a supposedly young man who supposedly died of a fiery accident seemed to have withered, dried up and even cracked a little since it was placed. Definitely unnatural looking. Gloria herself did not have much in-depth knowledge of how bodies like this would decay. But judging from the look on Tae Kuo and Bulu Wang¡¯s face, they seemed to have somewhat recognized what was happening.


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    ¡°What is it?¡± Since Tae Kuo and Bulu Wang were silent for quite a while, Gloria couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Spirit Gu?¡± Tae Kuo looked at Bulu Wang.


    ¡°Maybe, too soon to tell.¡± Bulu Wang shook his head, then turned to Gloria: ¡°I have some questions for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Yeah, sure¡­ ¡± Gloria was stunned for one quick moment, then acknowledged rather reluctantly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the back room then, we¡¯ll have a seat first.¡± Sensing Gloria¡¯s nervousness, Tae Kuo immediately stepped in to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Alright. Before that, why don¡¯t you seal these coffins first?¡± Bulu Wang gestured to his assistant to follow him.


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t be too nervous.¡± While sealing the coffins with talismans, threads and symbols drawn on the lids, Tae Kuo said to Gloria: ¡°Just be honest, and try to remember what the old woman looks like.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay¡­¡± Gloria had to take a few deep breaths before calming down. If it wasn¡¯t a potential issue of liability that could threaten the normal operation of Fuman Coffin Home, she would not be so worried and nervous.


    After clearing her head, Gloria went into the back room. Tae Kuo had already gone in before her, serving tea to Bulu Wang and his assistant/bodyguard. Judging from the smell, Tae Kuo had really busted out his good stuff.


    ¡°Okay, thanks for the tea, Sifu Kuo.¡± Bulu Wang put down his cup and looked straight at Gloria: ¡°Have you tried to verify the body? I can¡¯t help but notice that the body was nowhere near recognizable.¡±


    ¡°She had a placement order from the local chapter of the community collective. So Gloria didn''t really have a choice.¡± Tae Kuo handed the copy of the death certificate along with the placement order to Bulu Wang.


    ¡°Hmm, interesting. ¡± Bulu Want took a long, slow, careful look at both documents, then he looked up at Gloria: ¡°I can understand. But this placement order seems to be forged. You see this order¡¯s serial number? It¡¯s missing one digit. ¡±


    ¡°I just double-checked the serial number, it¡¯s not in our records.¡± Bulu Wang¡¯s assistant looked up from his phone: ¡°Looks like we need to look into this.¡±


    Gloria sighed: ¡°My - my apologies, I am really not familiar with how placement orders - ¡±


    ¡°The death certificate is real. I just checked in our system.¡± Bulu Wang¡¯s assistant added from the side: ¡°And the cause of death is true - just not officially issued yet. There is a pending investigation into the actual accident, so the details still need to be added.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Bulu Wang shook his head, then looked at Gloria: ¡°When you were spending the night here, why didn¡¯t you contact the collective?¡±


    ¡°We locked ourselves in the back room in a hurry, Sue¡¯s phone was dropped on the ground, and mine was in my bag and - it was on the clothing rack.¡± Gloria rubbed her temples: ¡°I¡¯m sorry - it¡¯s just - everything happened so fast, I had to act quick¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. You acted in accordance with the best practices of a watcher. And this is really an abnormal situation. Though the process dictates that there will be an official inquiry into how you handled this incident.¡± Bulu Wang sighed and shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, sir. This is clearly not her fault.¡± Tae Kuo budged in once more from the side: ¡°We are the victims of forged community collective documents.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s just a common procedure. Because it¡¯s tied to an ongoing investigation, and involves forged official documents.¡± Bulu Wang stood up: ¡°Alright, I think I have everything I need. And I don¡¯t think I need to remind you, that the details should not be released to the civilians or any other individuals who are not involved?¡±


    ¡°Please, Mr. Wang. Help us here. This is clearly some kind of direct attempt at sabotage. ¡± Tae Kuo sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a delicate situation, which is why I suggest you keep us updated.¡± Bulu Wang nodded: ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure the inquiry wraps up as soon as possible. A speedy wrap up means speedy investigations.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 8. Questions and Timing (Part 3)

    When Gloria opened the door to her small apartment, she found sticky rice on the ground, some talismans stuck to the frame of the door, and Sue asleep on her small couch, holding a knot made by red threads.


    She put the glass bottle of sticky rice wine gifted to her by Tae Kuo on the counter, then placed a few more talismans on the small wooden table next to her sofa. She then took one Ethereal Eye Talisman out from her jacket¡¯s inner pocket.


    She cleared her throat, then chanted with a low voice and a tiny bit of her Qi on her fingers: ¡°The Gods of Three and Nine, the Righteous Power of Two and Eight, heed my call, connect with me. Come to my aide, be my eyes and ears, lift the veil off the fog. Be it so.¡±


    A light blue energy wave swept through the room, revealing traces of light orange and light red energy, and most interestingly, some kind of red mist shrouding a part of her bookshelf. When she came closer, she could see that it seemed to have come from the wooden box, where she stashed her talismans and blessed knots she collected from the temples she frequented. To her utter relief, there were no traces of any ominous or grim energy remaining on Sue. But to be safe, she still decided to relay Tae Kuo¡¯s advice to her and Sue via a note.


    Taking one look at the time, Gloria wrote faster - she needed to go to her other job. If it was any other time she would have stayed. But today was just unfortunately the busiest day of the week for her - she had to go to a waitressing shift, then go to the Northern District to babysit for a rich family. Neither of which were good jobs, but they helped her keep the roof over her head, and other things in check.


    The bus ride over to the little coffee shop near the docks took around half an hour. It was late afternoon, so it should be a relatively casual shift for her. But when she got there, the coffee shop was filled with people, and there were some that were waiting outside as well. So she could only go in through the personnel door on the back.


    ¡°Hey, what - what happened?¡± As she changed into her uniform, she asked Gabby, the new temp waitress that the shop hired.


    ¡°Looks like a tour bus broke down nearby.¡± Gabby shook her head as she tried to ruffled through the spice and condiment cupboard trying to find something the customers asked for. ¡°Gloria, sorry, do you know where we keep the cinnamon? And do we have any sugar substitutes?¡±


    ¡°We - we don¡¯t have any sugar substitutes.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°Did anyone ask for that? And let me guess, South-Western District tourists?¡±


    ¡°I guess, I can¡¯t really tell. And three out of six of them asked for it, so I guess you¡¯re right. And they needed some soy milk¡­ the other guy, I forgot his name, he just got off his shift, can you help me? ¡±


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    ¡°Sure. You go talk to the customers. We¡¯re out of anything that would replace sugar, and we are low on cinnamon and soymilk.¡± Gloria put on her apron and rushed to Gabby¡¯s side: ¡°Tell them if they want honey instead, or almond juice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Gabby was about to go to the front desk, but then turned around and asked: ¡°Almond juice? Do you mean almond milk?¡±


    ¡°No, almond juice.¡± Gloria shook her head and sighed: ¡°It¡¯s very similar, but thinner, and sweeter. So, ask them if they want that - ¡±


    Gloria was the most senior employee of this shop, for the owner of this shop, Luoshan Zi, a no-nonsense aspiring business woman, is somewhat of a personal friend of hers. She was one of the few people she grew up with and helped raise Gloria, when she drifted into these stiff and sometimes dangerously unfriendly lands.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what. What do you mean you¡¯re out of sugar substitutes?¡± Just when Gloria found a small bottle of cinnamon and some packets of chocolate powder, she heard a female customer complaining to Gabby.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gloria went to the front desk and asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have sugar substitutes? Why don¡¯t you have sugar substitutes?¡± The one customer complaining was a middle aged woman with a pair of sunglasses on her forehead, for some reason she appeared to be agitated by this very simple fact.


    ¡°We actually ran out, because not many of the local customers ask for it. I am very sorry.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°But if you¡¯d like, you can try our local baked tea, it has a certain special scent - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a coffee shop! How the hell do you not have any sugar substitutes?¡± The woman scoffed: ¡°Do you wanna do business or not? What do you mean there is no sugar substitute? Can¡¯t you go get some now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we can¡¯t right now.¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit! That¡¯s bullshit!¡± This middle aged woman started spitting from her mouth, as she pointed her finger straight at Gloria: ¡°You! Get me those sugar substitutes now!¡±


    Gloria frowned, she couldn¡¯t help but feel something was off with this customer. The other customers were staring at them, but none of them seemed willing to say anything. Judging from some bright yellow sticker they all shared, they seemed to be with the same travel group. Not one of them was willing to say or do anything, they just stared at her, Gloria and Gabby.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t do it. If you¡¯d like to order something else we¡¯d be glad to help you. But if not, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to help other customers with their orders.¡± Gloria pointed at the coffee machine behind, gesturing to Gabby to start making the drinks. ¡°Now, would you like just regular coffee or tea without sugar or sugar substitutes?¡±


    The middle aged woman stared at Gloria for a short moment, then grabbed the metal napkin box on the counter, raised it above her head and tried to throw it at Gloria. But before the box left her hand, Gloria already snatched it from her with a speed to which almost nobody else could react.


    ¡°What - ¡± The middle aged woman was stunned where she was, and she did not know what to do or say. It was as if there was no logical next step for her.


    ¡°Honey, let¡¯s go.¡± Just this moment, a middle aged man with a hunched back walked up to the middle aged woman and begged: ¡°Let¡¯s just try another coffee shop. Maybe there¡¯s another one around the corner somewhere. I¡¯m sure they have it.¡±


    ¡°You better watch out! You better watch out! You fucking bitch!¡± This middle aged woman shook her fist at Gloria before she turned around with a huff.


    Gloria narrowed her eyes and concentrated her Qi on her eyes - she did not know why this idea came over her, somehow it just did. And there she saw it - a shadow of some kind of long worm, whose body made of sections was wrapped around the middle aged woman¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Nine-legged Worm?¡± Given the woman¡¯s outbursting demeanor and the shape, Gloria muttered to herself. She saw this kind of creature only once before, and it was far smaller back then.


    ¡°What? ¡± Gabby asked from the side.


    ¡°Nah-nothing.¡± Gloria shook her head, still frowning.

 Book 2 Chapter 9. Questions and Timing (Part 4)

    For anything abnormal or obviously supernatural, usually Tae Kuo would be the one to ask. But there were many reasons that she would not turn to him for help right now. For instance, Tae Kuo did not like to divulge too much information regarding the paranormal, even though he had known Gloria for a while. He was warm and kind, but still guarded.


    But this was not an issue for her - she had another person she would turn to for this kind of help. Gyuu Park, the official clergyman in charge of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. It was a little far away from where she lived, and it was a little too run down for her taste. And apparently the man himself had a bit of a drinking problem. If not for these factors, and the fact that the temple was almost completely bankrupt, she would have been going there more often.


    ¡°Hey. My dear Clergyman Park, I brought your favorite drink. And then some.¡± Knocking on the rickety wooden door with a rusty metal frame, Gloria called to the man she came to visit.


    ¡°Oh god, I thought you were not coming.¡± A ruggedly looking man just barely older than Gloria with an unshaven face and uncombed hair answered the door. His eyes lit up when he saw the plastic bag in Gloria¡¯s left hand with a tall bottle and several metal cans inside. ¡°And you brought more stuff with you. Good! Come on in!¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I closed the coffee shop early today, just so that I can get these for you.¡± Gloria chuckled and raised another small bag in her right hand: ¡°And I brought some snacks for you - you know, because you¡¯re so great.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you have any ghost troubles? Or you wanna venture into some sensitive knowledge?¡± Gyuu Park shrugged and led Gloria into the yard: ¡°I am not that cheap, you know? I am still an official member of the Association of Local Churches.¡±


    ¡°Inside this very humble but neat looking bag, is a piece of prime steak.¡± Gloria smiled: ¡°Cooked to medium, pre-sliced, with the black pepper sauce you like. And added smashed purple yam per your usual special request.¡±


    ¡°You know me so well. What can I say, no?¡± Gyuu Park pulled out a hay mat and threw it on the floor: ¡°Go ahead, ask away. As always, things stay between us, and anything I say to you, you didn¡¯t hear it from me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I am here only for some gossip and chat between friends.¡± Gloria put the alcohol and food down on the ground. The dirt got on the bags but Gyuu Park wouldn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Okay, what do you need?¡± Gyuu Park twisted the tall bottle open, gulped down almost one third of the entire bottle, then asked Gloria after a comfortable and content ¡°Aaah¡±.


    ¡°Okay, first off, how common are Nine-legged Worms? And - uh, what would happen if one was possessed by it for a prolonged period of time?¡± Gloria nodded at Gyuu Park - she decided to start off with some relatively simple questions.


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    ¡°Well, not super common, but it¡¯s not rare either.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°They normally appear around water and places with a lot of vegetation, and could only infect young children, old people or just folks that are prone to bad temper and resentment, and if untreated or the host was not able to reject it, it could make the host more violent and easily irritated, more susceptible to outbursts - what, you saw one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just now, actually.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°At the coffee shop. It was wrapped around a customer¡¯s neck. And it was bigger than usually described. Much, much bigger. It¡¯s like a snake already.¡±


    ¡°Wrapped around the neck? That¡¯s - not good. ¡± Gyuu Park frowned, his hand froze: ¡°Describe it, what is it like?¡±


    ¡°About as thick as my thumb, very ugly and somewhat ferocious looking.¡± Gloria raised her right hand: ¡°Length-wise I don¡¯t know, but I think it¡¯s wrapped three or four circles around her neck. It could choke her if it wants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely on the dangerously longer side.¡± Gyuu Park looked down, still with the frown on his face, seemingly thinking about something. Then after a short moment, he looked Gloria straight in her eyes: ¡°Did you notice anything unusual about it? Like - features that would not normally appear on a Nine-legged Worm?¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯ve never seen one that big.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°The only one I saw before today was just a very small one, like a thin hay, barely moving. If not for the customer¡¯s strangely aggressive attitude and temper outburst, it wouldn¡¯t have come to me to check on her. It was kind of a surprise so I didn¡¯t get a good look.¡±


    ¡°What kind of customer was it?¡±


    ¡°Some tourist from a tour bus. Maybe in her mid forties. Looked like they came from the South-Western District.¡±


    ¡°South-Western District, huh?¡± Gyuu Park nodded, then after a short moment of consideration, he continued: ¡°I¡¯ll need to check on something - I think the district is relatively more vulnerable to Nine-Legged Worm infestation. But - it¡¯s still strange that one could grow that big, and still remain on someone in their forties.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what do you know about this weird thing about a 15 year cycle? You know, of abnormal, even terrifying things happening. ¡± Gloria tried to ease into the question.


    ¡°Hmm, where¡¯d you hear that?¡± Gyuu Park raised his left brow: ¡°That¡¯s - well, not a safe thing to know.¡±


    ¡°I kinda promised I won¡¯t say.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°I respect that. And I appreciate your secrecy.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled: ¡°But like I said - it¡¯s kind of - dangerous knowledge, or should I say theory.¡±


    ¡°Okay, do tell then.¡± Gloria giggled.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to tell you, how much trouble people get into for investigating the cruise ship incident 15 years ago.¡± Gyuu Park looked Gloria straight in her eyes: ¡°And the mass disappearance 30 years ago. I haven¡¯t looked too deeply into it further, of course. But it¡¯s definitely a thing, and in case you¡¯re wondering, things do tend to ramp up to it. And it¡¯s getting to that time again. So - I¡¯d stock up on talismans, blessed artifacts and maybe those wine soaked threads.¡±


    ¡°But what kind of ramp up do you mean? I was thinking maybe the Nine-Legged Worm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, I get it now.¡± Gyuu Park put down the almost empty bottle of wine: ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s very possible, but I can¡¯t say for sure unless we know how long that worm¡¯s there around your customer¡¯s neck. Smart move though. Real smart move there Gloria. Too bad I don¡¯t have enough money to put you on payroll.¡±


    ¡°Keep that precious intel coming, and I¡¯ll keep bringing you the good stuff.¡± Gloria laughed out loud, then she brought her serious face back: ¡°So, if the cycle is a thing, what would you advise me to do? Aside from, you know, stocking up.¡±


    ¡°The next thing I¡¯d advise you to do is to hit one of the community archives. And probably not the one around here, but the central one.¡± Gyuu Park thought for a brief moment, then handed a small wooden plaque to her: ¡°There, not sure how much this will help. But go there and check some historical paranormal records.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But - as you said, it¡¯s dangerous knowledge.¡± Gloria took the plaque and put it into her jacket: ¡°What if they refused?¡±


    ¡°Then - ¡± Gyuu Park looked up at the sky: ¡°I¡¯d hope it wouldn¡¯t come to that - just try your hardest to find things out either from the city¡¯s archives or the community collective archives. If neither works - then, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gonna say this - maybe try the old ruins.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 10. Ruins And Legends (Part 1)

    On a quiet night, a group of teenagers were on their bikes, riding across the empty streets, passing through some deserted warehouses and buildings in some of the run down parts of the South-Eastern District.


    ¡°Shhh! Careful!¡± When some boys fallen behind started huffing because they were trying to pedal harder, the older boys leading the way immediately stopped and tried to shush everyone: ¡°We cannot make a sound! If anyone hears us, we¡¯d be in big trouble!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± One of the boys who fell behind apologized.


    ¡°Sshhhh!¡± The leading boys immediately shushed again.


    ¡°Sorry - sorry.¡± The body lowered his voice and apologized again.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break, we need to ride at a steady pace. ¡± An older teenage girl wearing a headband raised her hand: ¡°If we don¡¯t keep it steady, some of us are gonna get lost!¡±


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s take a break.¡± The leader boy, who was in a windbreaker jacket, whom the kids called ¡°Jax¡± said: ¡°Five minutes, okay? Just five minutes, we still have about halfway to go. And it¡¯s across some very rough road, so everyone pace yourself, have a piece of chocolate, or whatever you bring.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not gonna be dangerous? ¡± Just this moment, a young teenage girl wearing a pair of glasses raised her hand and asked: ¡°Whenever I ask my mom, she just tells me to hush and play somewhere else. The grown ups never tell me anything. And if I keep asking they¡¯d just get angry and yell at me¡­¡±


    ¡°My mom says it¡¯s super dangerous. ¡± Another teenage boy with a thread hat leaned on his bike handles and said: ¡°They told me it¡¯s a place with ghosts and monsters. They also told me, that there have been many people who go into the ruins, and they never come back. None of them come back.¡±


    ¡°Like your dad?¡± Some other teenager asked.


    ¡°Hey, fuck you! He¡¯s just working in the Northern District okay? He sends us money!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just sending you scraps!¡± The annoying teenager heckled again.


    ¡°Fuck you! Why don¡¯t you go eat a bag of shit?!¡±


    ¡°Silence! You fuckers! You wanna get caught?!¡± Jax the leader raised his voice: ¡°Alright, break¡¯s fucking over! Let¡¯s get our move on!¡±


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    ¡°But - you said five minutes!¡± The slow boy in the back was still panting.


    ¡°Yeah, but these fuckers are just too loud! We¡¯ll get caught if we stay longer. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The teens continued on their way. This time, the group rode slower than before. It was mostly because the terrain started to get rough, and the road was not as straight and easy to spot anymore. And partially because the younger boys in the back were falling further behind.


    Fog started forming around them as they continued to ride uphill. Some pillars and walls of the old ruins had become visible for them. The leaders of the group started to get visibly excited, and they stopped caring about making noises, presumably because right now they had made it far enough away from the residential areas.


    They passed a breach in a wooden fence. They rode past the point where even the roads of dirt and dried grass ended. Now what surrounded them was old but deserted buildings that looked like they were villages of the old times. The houses were all made of wood, bamboo and hay, and only a few of them seemed to be made of stones and earth. There were no signs of living people or livestock anywhere.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there! We¡¯re almost there! Pedal up you suckers!¡± Jax laughed and yelled at the other teenagers behind him.


    ¡°Wait up! I¡¯m tired!¡± The slowest and youngest boy cried behind the team: ¡°Hey! Wait up!¡±


    ¡°Grow a better pair of legs! Gyuu-uge baby! Grow a better pair of legs!¡± The same heckler teenager yelled back at the slow boy, then giggled and sped up some more.


    The fog around them grew thicker, and the visibility was dropping to a dangerously low degree. It did not take long, before the youngest slow boy started seeing less and less people in front of him.


    ¡°Dewy! Dewy! Please wait for me!¡± The last boy could barely catch his breath - after just a while, there was only one red headed slightly chubby boy in front of him. His voice started shaking, and his eyes were becoming teary.


    ¡°I need to catch up to them! I need to go! ¡± Dewy looked back at the last boy, his pupils somehow gained a light gray-ish blue hue. His mouth was smiling, yet his facial muscles just seemed stiff and unnatural. Then out of nowhere, he gathered up the energy to pedal harder and start to speed up. Just a few breaths¡¯ time, he was almost lost in the fog.


    ¡°Dewy! Dewy!¡± The last boy tried to grind his sore and uncontrollable legs with tears running down his face: ¡°Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t go! Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    The chubby boy in front still proceeded to leave him behind.


    ¡°Dewy! Dewy! If you leave me behind, I¡¯m gonna tell your mother! I¡¯m telling everyone who threw that dead rat in the temple chimney!¡± The last boy almost cried his lungs out: ¡°Please! Dewy! Don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Dewy let out an uncharacteristic, and slightly unhinged laugh, then continued into the fog. Nowhere to be seen again.


    The last boy cried and kept pedaling. The fog became thicker and thicker, pretty soon he was not able to even see anything just a few more steps out. His muscles were screaming at him, he could feel his joints creaking. Eventually he could not hold on anymore and lost control of the bike, unable to get up.


    ¡°Dewy! Jax! Please!¡± The last boy cried and yelled, he felt his throat burning, his lungs were leaking more air than they were taking in.


    No one responded to him, no one waited for him. He tried to get up again, but his legs gave out once more and he bumped his nose and his forehead on the ground. There was dirt and grass stuck on his face, he could smell the salty, irritating warm liquid in his nostrils.


    ¡°Please¡­ please don¡¯t leave me here¡­¡± Young Gyuu wiped his face and his nose as he looked around him. The fog was so thick, he could see neither the way forward nor the way back.


    Gyuu laid on the ground for a couple of minutes, and when his legs felt better and his clothes were already soaked in dirt and mud, he tried once again to stand up. He did it, though his legs were shaking and his knees were hurting.


    ¡°He-Hello?¡± Gyuu asked, looking around.


    The fog was still one moment, and without any hints or signs, it started rumbling and rolling. After a while, Gyuu saw the shadow of a woman, wearing a silky white dress and donning a full head of flowing golden hair.

 Book 2 Chapter 11. Ruins And Legends (Part 2)

    ¡°The Lady in White? You¡¯re telling me you saw the Lady in White?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes at Gyuu Park: ¡°That¡¯s - how are you still here?¡±


    ¡°From what my parents told me, more like the Witch in White.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°But yeah, I¡¯d prefer ¡®Lady¡¯ as well. But that¡¯s less about how much respect I have for her, and more about ¡®I don¡¯t believe in witches¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Really, you, the watcher and clergyman for this very Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple, and the dedicated investigator of the paranormal, don¡¯t believe in witches?¡± Gloria snickered.


    ¡°There¡¯s no evidence that they even exist.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°Female watchers, female taoists, even female voodooists. But witches that could cast spells on anyone just by the look of their eyes? I am not convinced.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what happened after you saw her?¡± Gloria shook her head, not going to dive into what the differences were.


    ¡°Actually - I don¡¯t remember much of the details. Everything¡¯s kinda - foggy.¡± Gyuu Park took a sip of the last can of beer in his hand, then scratched his jaw: ¡°I just remember seeing some kind of well - a small well in the middle of the ruins. I took only one good look at it. There¡¯s something special about it, and I am pretty sure it has some really interesting knowledge inside.¡±


    ¡°She invited you into the depths of the ruins?¡±


    ¡°She BROUGHT me in there. To be honest, I don¡¯t really remember how I even went there. The fog just swirled around me, and when it dissipated, I was there.¡± Gyuu Park responded with a confused frown on his face: ¡°But I wasn¡¯t able to control anything or even just simply walk around. I was led through the ruins, with her holding my hand. She said something to me, but I just can¡¯t for the life of me remember what it was. I saw some stone pillars, the well, and some kind of altar made of lava stones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s a bit - ¡± Gloria struggled to find the right word to describe it: ¡°How can I say it - strange, you¡¯re sure you were not just dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Good question. I¡¯ve spent weeks and even months considering the probability of this.¡± Gyuu Park nodded and took another sip of his beer, seeming savoring the last bit of the gift brought over by Gloria: ¡°Do you happen to, you know, have any more drinks with you?¡±


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    ¡°No. And you need to cool it with the drinking.¡± Gloria shook her head then slightly hardened her tone: ¡°And how did you know you weren¡¯t dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Because before that, I did not know shit about running a temple, or how to read the old texts and scriptures, not to mention the ability to decode and write special talismans.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°If you remember what I told you about my past, I kinda became the protege of talisman making after missing for three days, which was why they awarded me this temple.¡±


    ¡°Assigned, they assigned you this temple.¡± Gloria couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s run this temple for years. You know that part, and being here doesn¡¯t help me at all.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°But yeah, I didn¡¯t learn that from any of my family or from my school time. I am pretty sure she taught me all of that, and I just don¡¯t remember how.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I see what you meant.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°You think she actually has some kind of in depth knowledge about the paranormal and mysticism. If I could not find anything about the incidents or the 15 year cycles through normal means, I could in theory resort to turning to the Lady in White for help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯d still suggest you check the archives first. The other kids that abandoned me in the fog were found the next day along a road leading up to the ruins, and they were sick for almost half a month right after.¡± Gyuu Park finished up the can of beer in his hand: ¡°But that¡¯s all I can help you with this. Maybe I can give you some help deciphering old texts if you ever get to bring some back. And if there¡¯s any incidents, I¡¯d be happy to help you investigate them.¡±


    ¡°What made you so proactive all of a sudden?¡± Gloria tilted her head and smiled. ¡°You want to stash some favors first?¡±


    ¡°That. And I think you are onto something. Not to mention, I am indeed a little worried.¡± Gyuu Park threw the empty can back into the plastic bag with which it came in.


    Just when Gloria was about to say something, her phone rang. It was not anyone calling her, but an alarm she set for herself.


    ¡°God dammit.¡± Gloria sighed and stood up: ¡°I need to go to the railway station. I have a babysitting job in less than an hour.¡±


    ¡°Well, then you¡¯d better get to it.¡± Gyuu Park stood up as well, and extended one hand at Gloria: ¡°Good chat my friend. Thank you for the gift, and let me know what else you need.¡±


    ¡°Take care.¡± Gloria smiled and shook her hand: ¡°And remember, moderation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, before I forgot.¡± Gyuu Park ran to the back of the temple, then came back with a small black cloth pouch.


    ¡°Talismans?¡± Gloria opened up the pouch and saw two pieces of folded completely black paper with some strange symbols written with golden ink on them. ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still experimental, but it should be able to mask you in the eyes of the spirits, even some malicious ones, if you find yourself in a pickle.¡± Gyuu Park nodded: ¡°It needs a little bit of Qi and your blood to activate. And it will make you feel gross and uncomfortable. But it works, at least from my own experience.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Gloria put the pouch in her jacket. ¡°And I¡¯ll come back to haunt the shit out of you if they don¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Good, then you can tell me more about the other side.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled as he accompanied Gloria to the door: ¡°See you around.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 12. Troubling Trend

    The Rails was the only public railway running through Poison City. It went alongside the official border between the South-Eastern and South-Western Districts, and into a final station at the center of the Northern District. On the other end, the rail went across the areas beyond the lands surrounding Poison City and ended at another city. For many residents of Poison City, this was the only way to travel outside, or even across the city.


    Gloria was one of those people - she only had a bicycle, which would be fine for South-Eastern and South-Western Districts, but not across the mountainous lands leading to the Northern District where her babysitting job was. And right now, she just needed to wait for the outpour of the tourists to leave the station so she could board the train.


    ¡°Oh god, finally we¡¯re here.¡± A male tourist scoffed as he got off the stairs: ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. What are we gonna enjoy here? Dirt and dust sprinkled street food? Or superstitious mumble jumble about how little babies need to be bathed in oil?¡±


    ¡°Oh, pipe it, Alex. ¡± A female tourist behind him smacked him on the shoulder: ¡°Be respectful of the locals and their tradition. Keep your snark and attitude to yourself while we¡¯re here, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ll be very careful. Suuure.¡± The male tourist waved his hands and raised his eyebrows: ¡°I better not let them curse me by tricking me into drinking pork blood. That would be sooo scary.¡±


    Gloria moved close to this tourist, then with a light bump on his arm, the man¡¯s pocket was slit open by her fingertips, and his wallet ended up in her hand.


    ¡°Ugh, big talk for a man with only 50 dollars of cash.¡± After finding a corner away from security cameras, Gloria shook her head, then carefully tossed the emptied out wallet with all of the IDs and credit cards still in it onto the ground.


    The entire car she was in was slightly crowded, with stilled air and smell of sweat and armpits. She was used to it by now. It was not pleasant, but if the chance came by, she could spot some interesting figures going through cars to cars. And before long, one of those figures appeared: a man with dirty hair and in a loose dirty cloak came to the car where she was in, and started asking everyone if they needed ¡°something exciting¡±.


    ¡°What kind of excitement do you have?¡± When the man swept by her side, Gloria asked with a low voice. ¡°Do you have any fragrances?¡± This was a coded way of asking if the man had talismans or other possibly illegally obtained blessed items. If she was to ask about candies or sticks, then she would be asking about drugs or weapons.


    ¡°Sorry, lady. No fragrances at this time.¡± The man shook his head: ¡°You want some sticks? I¡¯ve got some good sticks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. Thanks.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°Thank you though.¡±


    ¡°You sure, little lady? ¡± The man insisted: ¡°It¡¯s not a good time out there, folks¡¯ve been up to some really shady stuff. A nice stick¡¯ll make you safer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I need fragrances more, I can¡¯t afford sticks anyway.¡± Gloria shrugged. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯ight.¡± The man nodded, revealing a mouth full of crooked but clean teeth: ¡°Come find me if you change your mind.¡±


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    Gloria didn¡¯t. When the train got to her station, she just headed right off and toward a bus stop. The sun was ready to set, after a busy day for her. Sue still did not call her yet, it seemed like she was sleeping soundly.


    The bus ride took around 15 minutes, faster than normal, and Gloria ended up getting where she needed to be a few minutes earlier - the residence of Brian Teith, Samantha Teith, and their young 12 year old son Kevin Teith. It was a two-storey single family house with blue roof shingles, looking almost completely the same as the other houses on the same side of the streets. This was an area some called ¡°Verpflanz-Burg¡±, or a place for transplants, in which many people that were born in, or had spent most of their lives in other districts lived.


    ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± Brian and Samantha seemed to be in quite a hurry, and with some kind of worry looming over them: ¡°Sorry, but there¡¯s been a change in plans, we¡¯ll still pay you in full, but -¡±


    ¡°Oh, what happened?¡± Gloria asked, not too concerned about her payment but more so with the Teiths¡¯ troubled look: ¡°Can I help?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uh - nothing to be worried about.¡± Brian Teith exchanged looks with his wife, then said: ¡°We¡¯re going to come back early, and we will probably check with you a few times while we¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Not that we don¡¯t trust you.¡± Samanth Teith tried to reassure Gloria: ¡°You know us, we completely do. It¡¯s just recently there¡¯s been a few crimes, break-ins and stuff, happening around the neighborhood. And we¡¯re worried. If it weren¡¯t for this dinner being a critical business meeting, we¡¯d never go out at this time.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll make sure all the doors and windows are properly shut.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°Drive safe.¡±


    ¡°And - uh - we also installed some security cameras. And you can watch the feed on all of them with that tablet.¡± Brian pointed at a brand new tablet on the main table of the living room.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed. Anything else you¡¯d like me to keep an eye on?¡± Gloria glanced at the tablet - there were six smaller screens, each displaying a different camera¡¯s live recording.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t hesitate to call us if you see or hear anything. We¡¯d be right back.¡± Samantha said as she handed Gloria a key: ¡°And - uh, if you need anything for - for protection, we have some pepper spray locked in the kitchen counter and that locked drawer under the coffee table.¡±


    ¡°I see. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an extra eye on everything.¡± Gloria nodded, ¡°Drive safe.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave Kevin with you then.¡± Samatha and Brian waved to their young boy who was lying on the couch and playing with a tablet of his own.


    ¡°Bye Mom and Dad!¡± Kevin moved his head out from behind the tablet.


    When the door closed, Gloria immediately headed to the backdoor, the kitchen, and all the rooms to check on the windows. She even checked the windows in the attic to make sure that they were locked. Though the Teiths did not tell her what was going on, she could easily tell that the thought of any crime in the streets even getting close to this household bothered them. So she would just need to be extra certain that all the safety precautions are in place.


    ¡°So, Kevin, we meet again.¡± After this, Gloria sat down by Kevin¡¯s side and asked: ¡°What do you wanna do tonight? You¡¯d better think of something soon. You heard your mother, the dinner will be quick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to play anything right now.¡± Kevin threw his tablet to the side. Gloria glanced at its screen - it was news. What would a 12 year old boy read news for?


    ¡°Okay - what do you wanna do? You recently picked up reading?¡± Gloria nodded, then smiled at the boy.


    ¡°I know why they¡¯re worried.¡± Kevin looked Gloria in the eye, stern and serious unlike anyone of his age: ¡°It¡¯s the missing kids.¡±


    ¡°Missing kids? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Over the past few days, there have been two children missing in this area.¡± Kevin picked his tablet up and showed Gloria some of the bookmarked web pages. One showed that there was a young boy missing just five days ago. And the other showed that a girl went missing on her way home. Neither of the children had been found.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you know this?¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°Your parents¡­ you should not be reading news like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, child blocks. I worked around it.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Dad¡¯s passwords are all the same with a little variation. But - pay attention! Things are happening here! And - I¡¯m afraid they may come for my friends!¡±


    ¡°Why - why your friends?¡±


    ¡°The missing kids.¡± Kevin leaned in a little and lowered his voice: ¡°They saw ghosts before they went missing. And some of my friends saw ghosts - just yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Saw ghosts? How is that?¡±


    ¡°The first boy, he saw ghosts under his bed and in his closet, he cried for days until he was taken.¡± Kevin nodded, as if he was there when things happened: ¡°And the girl, she heard people calling to her from the sewers and docks. She heard it for days! Days!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Gloria thought for a while, and couldn¡¯t help but look out of the window.


    There was a hint of the sun¡¯s last flare in the distance, just above the horizon. The night was here.

 Book 2 Chapter 13. Charms and Archives (Part 1)

    The night wind was especially cold, even though Gloria was able to leave the Teiths¡¯ residence more than an hour earlier than she normally would. The wind grew more chilling and more cruel with each minute.


    Sensing something getting close to her, Gloria immediately looked back, but there was nothing behind her. Even when she concentrated her Qi, she could not see anything in her surrounding area.


    She stepped up her footsteps and practically started running towards the railway station. Dried leaves and stones scratched the ground, and patches of dark cloud moved gradually to cover up the moon.


    The station was empty at this hour, as it usually was. When she stood on the edge of the platform, she kept looking around even though she did not see anyone or anything following her. This feeling only dissipated when she got on the rail and started heading back. About halfway, she received a phone call from Sue.


    ¡°Where are you!? When are you coming back!?¡± Sue sounded a little hysterical.


    ¡°Relax, take a deep breath. I¡¯m coming back now, how do you feel?¡± Gloria sighed in relief and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay - I¡¯m okay. But I¡¯m scared! Can you come back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way back now. Don¡¯t worry. I checked on you before I left, you should be good.¡± Gloria immediately tried to console Sue: ¡°I will bring some food back, I¡¯m thinking soup. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Just - just come back as soon as possible! Okay!?¡± Sue calmed down slightly, but was still anxious: ¡°Bring - bring me whatever soup you order for me. Thank you. Please come back as soon as possible.¡±


    There was only Gloria in her car, so she did not need to worry about disturbing others with her call. But right before she hung up, the train stopped at a stop, and a group of three men came up onto the train.


    They seemed to be weary and all of them were sweating. All of them had similar exhausted and numb looks on their faces. One of them had a small spot of red liquid on his face. But he quickly wiped it off after finding out that Gloria was looking at him.


    ¡°Whatcha looking at, girl?¡± One man with a bald spot on his head and wearing an old trench coat stared back at Gloria and growled: ¡°Mind your own damn business!¡±


    Gloria did not say anything, but simply moved away not saying anything. The three men found their places to sit, and remained in their seats for the remainder of the trip.


    ¡°Oh my god! ¡± Sue rushed to hug Gloria when she opened her door, almost making her spill the soup and steamed buns she bought. ¡°How can you leave me like that!? How can you leave me like that! Dammit Gloria!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry! This is my fault.¡± Gloria put the food down and hugged her friend back: ¡°I - I have some questions I needed to ask, and I kinda need to keep my promise to the Teiths, can¡¯t really cancel on them last minute. Plus I still need to make rent this month. But - but you would be safe nonetheless, all of those things I have would have kept you absolutely safe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Don¡¯t you dare do that again!¡± Sue hit Gloria on the shoulder, with tears in her eyes.


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    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Gloria hugged Sue again: ¡°... I brought buns and soup, you wanna have some?¡±


    ¡°... so, did you learn anything from that mysterious friend of yours?¡± Sipping the hot soup carefully and slowly, Sue asked: ¡°And - did he tell you if we are marked?¡±


    ¡°Did you make and drink the ash water like I said in the note?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Ye - yes. ¡±


    ¡°Then you should be good. ¡± Gloria nodded, then held Sue¡¯s face and looked at her from left to right: ¡°And you look good. Stay here for tonight, then we can check with Sifu Kuo tomorrow.¡±


    Sue let out a long exhale of relief, then immediately asked again: ¡°But - do you know what¡¯s going on? Will this happen again in the coffin home?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still looking into everything. And this has caught the attention of the community collective.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°And none other than Bulu Wang came to investigate. I would need to answer to an inquiry from them now.¡±


    Sue gasped. ¡°Oh my god. I - I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°No worries, Sifu Kuo will vouch for me. And I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong.¡±


    ¡ª------------


    ¡°Yeah, I think you should be fine. But we¡¯ll need to do a ritual to confirm.¡± The next morning, both Gloria and Sue got to Fuman Coffin Home right when it was about to open and asked Tae Kuo to examine Sue once again for any residual signs of being marked or targeted by the unclean beings from the coffin. Even with the assurance from the Kshiti Temple and Gloria, she was still worried.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all of these tapes?¡± Gloria raised her chin at the orange tapes around the building of the coffin home, some even sealing the door.


    ¡°The community collective did that, basically we won¡¯t be able to place any new bodies for a while.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°The existing bodies will be going through inspection, we¡¯d have to tell the relatives that. And hopefully they will be buried soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria thought for a moment, then asked Tae Kuo: ¡°Sifu Kuo, can you check me one more time? Last night when I was on my way back from the Northern District, I felt something was following me, and I just couldn¡¯t see anything - ¡±


    ¡°No problem, I will check for you both.¡± Tae Kuo pulled out a string of keys and opened the backdoor to the coffin home, through which they entered the backyard.


    The door to the main room was also sealed by tape, though all of them could easily look past them and see the conditions inside: all of the coffins had some more talismans stuck on them. There were some red ropes on the ground, connecting each coffin like pipes.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing some kind of ritual as well. They will come later today, both of you feel free to attend.¡± Tae Kuo took out two incense burners and some incense sticks from the back room, then two leaves with matte but slightly reflective surfaces, whose stem seemed to be hollowed out into tiny tubes: ¡°And I took the chance to ask them for some more supplies as well, it¡¯s not much, but should help you for now. You know what these are?¡±


    ¡°Processed tung-oil tree leaves?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Yes. And one ingredient for body makeup as well.¡± Tae Kuo handed the leaves to Gloria and Sue: ¡°Now, put the stems¡¯ ends between your teeth and keep them in the air. And hold these burners in your ends.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re doing that ritual? Wouldn¡¯t that be a little gross for the morning?¡± Gloria spoke through her teeth while holding the burner.


    ¡°Gloth? Wuuuat duh ya mean ith gloth?¡± Sue couldn¡¯t speak with her teeth clenched very well, but both Gloria and Tae Kuo were able to decipher what she was saying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s gonna be done in a minute.¡± Tae Kuo nodded as he put two incense sticks into each of the burners: ¡°Since you both drank the ash water, this would be the easiest way to tell. ¡± He then lit the incense sticks up: ¡°Okay, lift the burners up and try to scorch the leaves with the incense. Try to inhale some smoke. It¡¯s not super pleasant so try to endure a bit. The ritual needs a certain amount of smoke to work. But don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Both Gloria and Sue sucked on the leaves. A tiny trace of smoke entered their mouths. The smoke was pungent and dried up their throats. When it reached their stomach, it made their stomachs growl and rumble.


    ¡°What the - ¡± Sue was not ready for it. The burner in her hand dropped on the ground before she did. She heaved while kneeling on the ground, then vomited out a pool of thick, gray substance.


    Gloria had gone through this before, so she held the burner in and spit the leaf to the side in a much more graceful manner. A moment later a small pool of thick gray substance appeared on the ground before her. One thing that she noticed was that her pool of vomit had some kind of light green pattern on the edge.


    ¡°Yeah, here¡¯s some tea.¡± Tae Kup came back with two wooden cups and handed one to Sue: ¡°You look clean! No sign of further paranormal latching.¡±


    ¡°What is this ritual?!¡± Sue whined: ¡°And why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an after ritual for the ash water.¡± Gloria took the other wooden cup from Tae Kuo and sighed: ¡°If you drink it and do this within one day, then it can force you to vomit out some of the captured traces of unclean energy. ¡±


    ¡°Normally I would not do this. But since we¡¯re all worried, it might be good to let it out earlier so I can take a look.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll wear out soon.¡±


    Then, when he got to Gloria, he froze.

 Book 2 Chapter 14. Charms and Archives (Part 2)

    ¡°What? Is it serious?¡± Seeing the concerned look on Tae Kuo¡¯s face, Gloria asked, worried.


    ¡°I am not sure yet. I¡¯ve never seen this kind of signs before.¡± Tae Kuo knelt down by the pool and shook his head: ¡°You see this green stuff? It is a sign of someone being affected by some kind of omen. But it had always come with signs of being cursed or infected by unclean energy. It¡¯s very strange that you are affected by the omens but not did not show any signs of being infected by unclean presence.¡±


    ¡°Uh - so what do these omens mean to me? Should I be worried?¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. ¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°But from the looks of it, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something terrible or serious. Might just be mildly negative. ¡±


    ¡°Mildly negative? ¡±


    ¡°Possibly affecting your mood, and may increase your stress or make you more anxious.¡± Tae Kuo scratched his jaw: ¡°Aside from that, I am really out of my depth here. Like I said, it¡¯s actually my first time seeing this. I think I might need to go to the community archive and see if I can find any records on this.¡±


    ¡°What - what else can we do?¡± Sue asked, coming to Gloria¡¯s side: ¡°You sure know what to do with this, Sifu Kuo! If not anything specific, at least tell us what might help.¡±


    ¡°Okay - here¡¯s one thing.¡± Tae Kuo thought for a short while, then looked up at Gloria and Sue when the sound of footsteps from several individuals appeared: ¡°Try to stay away from any potential sight where there might be paranormal occurrences. And visit the temple and light some incense sticks, ask for some blessed water if you can. And maybe get some more protective talismans or artifacts to put in your house.¡±


    ¡°We - I mean Gloria already does that.¡± Sue looked at Gloria, then turned her eyes at the direction of the footsteps.


    ¡°Give me some time then.¡± Tae Kuo rubbed his temples while looking toward the direction of the footsteps: ¡°Excuse me, I think those might be the folks from the community collective. And if you have the chance, I¡¯d suggest visiting the community archive for records and manuals about omens. ¡±


    ¡°I was actually just about to go to the archives.¡± Gloria shook her head lightly then patted Sue on her left shoulder: ¡°Now, Sue, if you don¡¯t have anything to do, just go back to my place and I¡¯ll come back when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°No, nonono.¡± Sue immediately shook her head at Gloria: ¡°I¡¯m coming with you. Two can find things faster than one.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, update me if you find anything.¡± The footsteps stopped, then someone knocked on the backdoor of the coffin home, Tae Kuo went for it, about to let those outside in: ¡°I¡¯ll also try and see if I can find anything. Just remember, try to stay away from potential unclean beings. Now that I am back, Gloria you don¡¯t have to look after things here for a while.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, and we need more makeup.¡± Sue raised her hand before Tae Kuo opened the door.


    The community collective sent a total of four men, all wearing their uniforms and armbands, with serious looks on their faces. All of them brought suitcases with them, some big, some small but all had engravings on the exterior. But neither Gloria nor Sue had the chance or time to see them at work, they headed right to the local community archive, hoping to find some answers before they needed to jump through the hoops to visit the central one.


    The local community collective archive location was about five blocks away, going along some winding roads and passing through a local early flea market, they got there in just under 30 minutes. Normally, this would be a place for the locals to come look for district-wide records, which meant that there wouldn¡¯t be much of a crowd here. But somehow right now, there was quite a big one waiting in the main hall, waiting for the receptionist to call their number.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Gloria frowned, then turned to one of the security guards: ¡°What¡¯s the occasion today?¡±


    ¡°A lot of people are looking for blueprints to buildings in the older areas.¡± The security guard answered without almost any facial expression.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°New construction plans. People need copies of their blueprints so they can claim land reparations from the collective.¡±


    ¡°Sue? Sue!¡± Just this moment, a young man walked out from the gate leading to the inner parts of the archive: ¡°What - what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Turner.¡± Sue nodded at the young man: ¡°You¡¯re working here now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I was lucky to be appointed here, as the new senior curator.¡± Turner smiled while looking straight at Sue¡¯s face: ¡°So, what can I help you with? I mean, if you¡¯re in a hurry maybe I can help you without having to stand in the line.¡±


    ¡°Uh - ¡± Sue took a quick look at Gloria, then turned to Turner: ¡°Sure! We¡¯re actually in a hurry. And we¡¯d really appreciate it if you can help us.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, come over.¡± Turner immediately gestured Sue and Gloria to come with her.


    Both followed Turner to a counter in the back, where a middle aged woman was typing something in front of an old computer, with a big mug of steaming tea in front of her.


    ¡°Ms. Bao! How are you doing today?¡± Turner went up to the middle aged woman and greeted her with an upbeat attitude: ¡°I have some friends here who want to look for some records, can you help us and bring us the latest catalog?¡±


    ¡°Your friends?¡± Ms. Bao looked over from her computer monitor at the two girls, then her eyes fixed on Gloria: ¡°Gloria? Gloria Lee?¡±


    ¡°Ye - yes. Hi¡­¡± Sensing the slightly unfriendly tone, Gloria tried to play it cool: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, how did you know me?¡±


    ¡°You visited a few times before when I was here. Every time we tell you we cannot let you view some records, you threaten to go over our heads.¡± Ms. Bao scoffed.


    ¡°I - I am terribly sorry. Because I - I wouldn¡¯t have come here if I didn¡¯t have something really important.¡± Gloria immediately bowed.


    ¡°I - I can assure you, Ms. Bao, that she meant it.¡± Turner immediately interjected before Ms. Bao could say anything: ¡°And - right now they are burdened with another emergent issue at hand, so I really hope you can do us a huge favor. Not just us, but also the community.¡±


    ¡°What is this urgent issue then, Mr. Ouyang?¡± Ms. Bao sighed and asked.


    ¡°Yes, we have encountered something ominous, back at the Fuman Coffin Home.¡± Sue explained with a soft and slightly apologetic tone: ¡°We have trouble understanding what happened and needed help, so Sifu Kuo sent us to look for records and manuals on it. ¡±


    ¡°Do you have an official inquiry letter?¡± Ms. Bao adjusted her glasses and asked.


    Gloria exchanged looks with Sue: ¡°No, not really, it just happened recently, and the collective is sending people over, so everything¡¯s in a hurry - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but without an official letter, we cannot let you access the ritualistic, paranormal and supernatural sections of the archive.¡± Ms. Bao shook her head and was about to get back to her computer.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. Those sections are open to everyone. Only certain restricted sub sections require additional permissions¡­¡± Gloria wanted to call Ms. Bao out, but she pulled it back and whispered to Sue instead.


    ¡°Ms. Bao, I think you can appreciate the urgency. Can you do me a favor? I¡¯d be very appreciative.¡± Turner got in front of Sue and Gloria.


    Ms. Bao looked into Turner¡¯s eyes, then took a look at Gloria, sighed, then relented: ¡°Alright, let me get the catalog. But you¡¯d better bring the letter soon.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 15. Charms and Archives (Part 3)

    ¡°Thank you for the help.¡± When they finally went into the library of manuals with regard to omens and paranormality, Gloria whispered her gratitude to Turner: ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for the trouble - I don¡¯t remember her at all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, any friend of Sue¡¯s is a friend of mine. It¡¯s okay.¡± Turner smiled, while peeking at Sue: ¡°Now, what kind of information are you looking at? I am not an expert in this spiritual stuff, but I know someone who is. I can ask him on your behalf if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about omens, and potentially anything that could explain what happened back at the Fuman Coffin Home.¡± Sue sighed as she looked through the book spines on one level of the book shelf in front of her: ¡°To be honest, now that we are here, we don¡¯t know where to start at all. And - if possible, we don¡¯t want to alarm people. Not yet at least.¡±


    ¡°Um - why don¡¯t you tell me what happened?¡± Turner walked to Sue¡¯s side and scanned through the books she just looked at: ¡°Maybe that could help - I¡¯m no expert, but I am a curator and I still know a thing or two. That is - if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± Sue looked at Gloria - who seemed to have found something and started reading it, so she proceeded to describe to Turner what she knew and thought happened.


    ¡°Omens, to properly understand it, one must first have proper understanding of two core concepts: Karma and Qiyun.¡± The thin booklet in Gloria¡¯s hands read: ¡°Some simply regard these two concepts as things that tie in to ¡®luck¡¯. But it would be a gross, unjust simplification and reduction of their true meaning. Luck is nothing but a manifestation of omens, Karma and Qiyun.


    ¡°Karma, the reader should try to visualize it as streams of energy or chains of forces that enable the very happening of all events. And Qiyun, on the other hand, can be considered as grand trends of being, what was, what is and what will be; or the tides in the deep sea that are invisible to the human eye at first but are shaping the world as we live in its grace.


    ¡°Without diving too deep into the nature of Karma and Qiyun, the reader should take away this: that these two words describe the movements of every being in the world, across time and space. What we are experiencing everyday and every second is nothing but minute products from them.


    ¡°And with this understanding, one can view omens as pollutants or toxins that affect the flow and movements of karma and Qiyun. They influence, affect and even redirect the flow of karma and Qiyun, thus changing the course of things happening around beings connected to the affected karmic chains and flow of Qiyun¡­¡±


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    Gloria thought for a short moment, then turned to the back of the booklet - there was no name on it, nor were there any other descriptions of who wrote it or the time it was written.


    ¡°Gloria? Can I help you?¡± Turner, who was paying most of his attention to Sue, glanced at Gloria mid conversation and just happened to catch Gloria¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Yeah, I think this one is good.¡± Gloria raised the booklet in her hand: ¡°But - I can¡¯t find who wrote it. Anyway I can borrow this?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Turner walked over and got the booklet, flipped to the last few pages, then the first few pages, looking slightly confused: ¡°Hmm, interesting, must be one of those public domain folk records. Good that there¡¯s a serial number, so let me check.¡± He then proceeded to the computer desk at the corner of the library and opened a web page. After searching the serial number from the booklet, some details were finally shown.


    ¡°Notes on Omens, Karma and Qiyun, category: folk records, unknown author, unknown year. Presumed contemporary, time in collection: 4 years. Curator: [redacted]. Access: Public. ¡± Gloria got to read the first few lines of the page: ¡°Curator¡¯s notes: this is a collection of notes from some of the folklore scholars that studied omens. Since the sensitive nature of the subject matter and the lack of systematic research, please read and distribute with caution.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡± Turner shrugged: ¡°Looks like you CAN borrow it, since it is public. And uh - no author name so I must remind you that we take no responsibility for the truthfulness or accuracy of the content, read with your own due diligence.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But why is omens a sensitive subject?¡± Sue asked while staring at the screen: ¡°If things are so - so untouched, why would the study of it be so sensitive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t heard anything about it.¡± Turner frowned: ¡°Could be something at that particular time, could be because the atmosphere was not friendly back then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will borrow this one, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Gloria thought for a short moment, then nodded at Turner and Sue: ¡°We may also want to look at something else. This one is just - very vague and general. I think some more detailed records will be helpful here.¡±


    ¡°Sure, just look around some more. I¡¯m glad to help.¡± Turner nodded and turned to Sue: ¡°If you can¡¯t find anything here, I¡¯d be very happy to accompany you to other archives and see if you can find the records you need. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you Turner.¡± Sue nodded at him with a smile: ¡°That¡¯d be great! ¡±


    They ended up spending the rest of the day at this very library. The vagueness of what they were trying to find brought them quite a lot of trouble, in the end both Sue and Gloria reached the limit of records they could borrow, and had to leave and finish reading them before they could return for more.


    ¡°Well, your friend Turner was very helpful.¡± When they came back to Gloria¡¯s apartment carrying the manuals, booklets and reports they rented, Gloria smiled at Sue.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, he¡¯s a very nice guy.¡± Sue chuckled as she laid her bag down: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to become a senior curator so fast. He¡¯s always pretty smart.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. But okay.¡± Gloria giggled as she double checked everything in her apartment, including the threads, the artifacts, the talismans and some of her personal belongings: ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can find.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 16. Scenes and Luck (Part 1)

    ¡°Thank you for coming, Ms. Lee.¡± The next morning, at a local chapter of the South-Eastern District community collective, Bulu Wang poured Gloria a cup of tea: ¡°Hope I haven¡¯t disturbed your day too much. This should be relatively quick, just a few more questions regarding what happened at the Fuman Coffin Home.¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah, sure.¡± Gloria was nervous, for she was called here without any prior communication. ¡°I - I do have some shifts at the coffee shop this afternoon, so I¡¯d appreciate it if we can be quick.¡±


    ¡°I understand. ¡± Bulu Wang nodded: ¡°And don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a few quick questions, wouldn¡¯t even take one hour if everything goes smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gloria let out a quick exhale: ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Bulu Wang nodded then started going through his notes: ¡°Now, correct me if I¡¯m wrong, you told us that the new body was brought over by an old woman with two younger men, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, correct.¡±


    ¡°Aside from the documents they presented as placement orders and death certificates, they had green bean cakes, paper coins and everything, correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Gloria nodded, but then quickly realized something: ¡°Wait, ¡®presented as¡¯? I thought the death certificate was real?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. ¡± Bulu Wang shook his head, still looking at his notes: ¡°There¡¯s some unknown factors in this case, we are not assuming anything. Now, next question: when the incense sticks showed an abnormal burn, you locked down the coffin home and locked yourself and Sue Xue, the mortuary makeup artist in the back room and stood guard there right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, according to the notes of the watcher.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Now, you also mentioned that you went out of the back room after observing the situation outside from behind the door, right?¡± Bulu Wang looked up from his notes and right at Gloria.


    ¡°Ye - yes.¡± Gloria was slightly surprised this question got brought up again: ¡°That is because I saw - you know, I told you back at the coffin home.¡±


    ¡°The spirit of the man, now known to the collective as Mr. Jiayu He, somehow angry and malicious?¡± Bulu Wang kept staring at Gloria¡¯s eyes, his facial expressions were stern and serious, enough for Gloria to feel the temperature in the room drop.


    ¡°Yes. That is true.¡± Gloria took a deep breath and began to think more about wording her answers: ¡°He first knocked on the door, asking who was in the room and said that he wanted in. We didn¡¯t answer, so he wandered off to the middle of the main room.¡±


    ¡°And can you describe to me again what you saw that prompted you to go in there? ¡± Bulu Wang nodded and asked: ¡°It was - quite unsafe, and against the instructions in the notes, I presume.¡±


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    ¡°Yes. But I felt compelled to. And I moved the ritual candles to the side of the door, which should serve as a barrier to prevent the smell of live humans from leaking out of the room and keep Sue safe.¡± Gloria sat straight and answered: ¡°I saw him - he stood in the middle of the room, with his arms in the air, seemingly sucking something from the other coffins. It¡¯s - some kind of energy, or streams of smoke, like from incense sticks. I felt that he was somehow feeding off the energy drained from the other bodies, and thus becoming more and more dangerous. So I decided that I had to act, not just to prevent him from becoming more dangerous, but also to prevent him from desecrating the others.¡±


    ¡°Good answer.¡± Bulu Wang smiled as he wrote some notes down: ¡°Okay, thank you, just the last few questions: are you a practitioner of any mystic martial arts?¡±


    Gloria felt her body tensed up, some thoughts flashed through her head, then eventually she came to the answer: ¡°No. I - I¡¯m just - a bit gifted in dealing with the paranormal. That is all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay.¡± Bulu Wang added a few more lines, then clicked his ball-point pen and retracted the writing tip: ¡°That would be all for now. I on behalf of the community collective thank you for your cooperation. We would let you and Sifu Kuo know if we have any updates.¡±


    After this meeting, Gloria immediately rushed to a building in a small alley near a street with a lot of street vendors, some of whom were selling homemade decorations, small handicrafts and some were selling cooked food and snacks.


    Pulling out two small keys, Gloria opened a metal door on the first floor with no number or name tag on it. It was a small room with a single bed inside, along with a small table, a wooden shelf with some boxes on it.


    This was a small place she took over from Luoshan Zi, the owner of the coffee shop. It was actually a place where she used to come and hide when she was younger, and over the years it became a place where she would come to hide things, and sometimes to spend the night. Its rent was not that expensive, yet it was the reason that she needed the babysitting side job. And this time her intention of coming here was to stash an additional copy of the notes she gathered after reading through some of the records she borrowed from the community archives with Sue. If she had the chance, she would actually find a place to photocopy some of the more informational records. Too bad not many places would dare do that out of fear of scrutiny from the community collective.


    Sue was still staying in her place, worried and scared but much better than before - at least, she was relaxed enough to stay alone while Gloria was busy. This was the reason Gloria had the chance to go out today.


    Time was getting a little late, she still needed to go for a shift at the coffee shop. And then she would need to head to the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple - she called Gyuu Park earlier, because with Tae Kuo not being able to help her too much regarding the omens, he would be the only one she could turn to for help and answers, at least for now.


    ¡°Hey, sorry I¡¯m late.¡± Gloria rushed through the back door of the coffee shop, and was surprised to see Luoshan Zi, a tall and slender woman only a few years older than her working in the shop, instead of Gabby Virs the temp worker, who was assigned the shift. ¡°Luoshan, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Gabby called in sick today. So I had to come over here.¡± Luoshan shook her head: ¡°And I know you have a single shift today, and at a busy time, so I figured you could use a hand.¡±


    ¡°Well - of course, yeah.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°How¡¯s everything? ¡±


    ¡°Meh, nothing too exciting, but can¡¯t complain either.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged: ¡°I¡¯ve heard business is getting better, but things have become a little more expensive as well, so, eh - ¡±


    ¡°So, nothing much?¡± Gloria laughed out loud, when a young couple wearing matching outfits: beanies, sweaters, backpacks and jeans came in: ¡°Hello, welcome, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°We want your signature coffee, but use almond milk instead of fresh milk, can you do that?¡± The girl asked, after adjusting her thick framed glasses.


    ¡°Yes we can. But it will be a bit less foamy.¡± Gloria nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± The boy waved his hand: ¡°Two of your signature coffee please, and make them hot.¡±


    ¡°Okay, coming right up.¡± Gloria nodded, then typed up the charges on her computer and called out to Luoshan Zi: ¡°Two hot signature coffee! Almond milk instead of milk!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Luoshan Zi responded, then started with the ingredients.


    ¡°Hey, just out of curiosity.¡± The boy asked Gloria, holding out a printed poster: ¡°We saw this poster regarding the Food Festival recently, do they have a time and place yet?¡±


    ¡°Umm, sorry, but I don¡¯t think so.¡± Luoshan Zi brought two empty paper cups to the front desk: ¡°They are still deciding when, but it shouldn¡¯t be too long. Probably just in one or two weeks. The place I¡¯ll say they¡¯d probably pick the docks though. It¡¯s always there.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± The girl smiled.

 Book 2 Chapter 17. Scenes and Luck (Part 2)

    ¡°Hello there my dear poor clergyman.¡± Gloria greeted Gyuu Park with a bright smile and three plastic bags this time: ¡°Want some leftover cake waffles?¡±


    ¡°Fun!¡± Gyuu Park smiled back: ¡°Aaaand it¡¯s leftover because it didn¡¯t sell right? Not because it dropped on the ground or you sneezed on it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it couldn¡¯t sell, and you know egg waffles, leave it till tomorrow and they¡¯ll get soggy.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°And since it¡¯s evening, I brought you some specialty Ipomoea Wine. I heard they help you sleep nice and sound.¡±


    ¡°Geez Gloria.¡± Gyuu Park laughed and showed Gloria in: ¡°I have no intention of going to bed early. I¡¯ve been unusually busy recently. Your visit last time really got me to go back into the old manuscripts and scriptures. And reading those old dusty pages is just really headache-inducing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good, that means the drinks I bought were not wasted.¡± Gloria sat down on a mat with a candle nearby: ¡°I called you because I just found out about something - what do you know about omens? I found some records and documents on them from the community archives, and how they are linked to Karma and Qiyun. But they didn¡¯t exactly tell me what I should do to deal with it. I was wondering what you¡¯d think I should do.¡±


    ¡°Well, tell me again why you¡¯re looking into omens again?¡± Gyuu Park tore open one of the plastic bags brought by Gloria and took out a small black can, with a surprised look on his face: ¡°And - you bought the Bomb? How did you even get that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I went to the shop and the shop owner knows me.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°Oh, and I went into the omens rabbit hole because I did the puke ritual this morning.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, people still do that?¡± Gyuu Park cracked open the can, and the light brown foam burst out and dripped on the ground: ¡°And, uh - what¡¯d you find? Something ominous?¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha.¡± Gloria shrugged, as she opened a can of normal beer for herself: ¡°Yeah, Sifu Kuo told me that from the looks of it, I had some bad omens on me, but I don¡¯t have a lot of paranormal energy in my system. So it¡¯s strange, and with what happened at the Fuman Coffin Home, I went to the community archive with a friend. And borrowed some records. None of them were very clear, so I thought I¡¯d pick your brain on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not surprised. And you¡¯ve come to the right guy.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled: ¡°And I¡¯d imagine SOME of the records said that the study and investigation of omens is a sensitive act, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. And that¡¯d be my first question, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°And a wise question at that.¡± Gyuu Park smiled: ¡°The reason is simple - for one, looking into it doesn¡¯t really yield anything productive in the short or even mid term; and for two, you¡¯d think about voodoo in this instance, but in-depth investigation of omens could actually enable some ill-minded people to do a lot of harm. You study omens enough, you can actually learn to bring them upon people. You¡¯ll suffer some grave consequences yourself, of course. But in the hands of someone desperate, it¡¯s not gonna be pretty.¡±


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    ¡°... has it happened before?¡± Gloria laid down her beer.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a taboo for a reason - it must have happened some time before.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged and chuckled: ¡°And - do you know how it works? I mean, from what I¡¯ve learned, it always comes with unclean energy right? And this is why Sifu Kuo said my situation¡¯s weird and unusual.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s correct. But - does he know that you practice Spirit Cat Style?¡± Gyuu Park nodded and took a large gulp of his beer.


    ¡°He does. Wait - do you think it¡¯s because my Qi burned the energy off?¡± Gloria immediately realized what Gyuu Park was trying to allude to.


    ¡°It is a possibility. But the more worrisome possibility is that - since Spirit Cat Style is more of a Yin style, thus the Qi you cultivated has a more Yin affinity. Your Qi could have absorbed it. Which would be somewhat concerning. But don¡¯t worry, I can help you check and teach you how to do it yourself.¡± Gyuu Park stood up, went into the prayer room of the temple then came out with two pieces of yellow paper: ¡°Here, this should be easy to come by even for a civilian - talisman paper.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria took one piece of the paper: ¡°You wanna teach me how to make a talisman?¡±


    ¡°Sort of, but it¡¯s only for you, and it serves no purpose other than showing you the energy in your blood.¡± Gyuu Park laid down his piece on the ground, flattened it, then raised his index finger: ¡°Now, prick the tip of your middle finger to make sure you can drip blood, either hand is fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria pricked her left middle finger with her right hand, with a bit of Qi concentrated on the tip of her right index finger. ¡°I wonder why Sifu Kuo didn¡¯t use this method?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see - for Qi users and non-Qi users, the pattern you need to draw would be different. And, technically this is a trick among watchers and clergymen, not to be shared with the civilians. Now, follow my finger, make sure your blood is left on the trail.¡± Gyuu Park drew a circle on the piece of paper, then wrote a simple symbol in the middle of the circle: ¡°Now, when done, put it up on a candle flame but do not let it burn.¡±


    It actually took Gloria some effort to draw the circle and the symbol in full - blood from the fingertip did not flow as freely as ink from a pen. Then she dangled the piece of paper above the candle put forward by Gyuu Park.


    ¡°A bit lower. Aim the circle at the fire.¡± Gyuu Park advised: ¡°Make it so that you can see the paper getting a bit brown but not enough to burn.¡±


    Gloria lowered the piece of paper gradually, until her fingertips could feel the warmth coming from the fire and the paper itself. The circle and the symbol drawn with her blood turned dark, like blood from a wound that was about to scar. Shortly after the drawing turned almost completely black, it started to brighten in color. Little spots and lines of red and orange began sprouting from the darkened mark of Gloria¡¯s blood. And at the same time, the paper around the mark began changing in color as well. It was like soft paper stained by droplets of ink, a darker color began spreading from the blood marks into the surrounding areas, leaving trails behind. The further the stains spread, the lighter they became, making the trails into a strangely impressive gradient figure.


    ¡°Okay.¡± After a while, the marks drawn with her blood started dimming again, and the spread of the stains stopped. So she handed the piece of paper to Gyuu Park: ¡°What - what should I do next?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Gyuu Park examined the piece of paper, then pointed at a particular trail of stains: ¡°You see this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This is similar to the mechanism of test strips - the trail is a representation of the energy content in your blood, broken down and distributed along the trail based on how it interacts with the paper.¡± Gyuu Park explained: ¡°And IF your Qi had absorbed unclean energy, it would show up as some kind of green-ish lines or mark at the end of the trails. But - ¡±


    ¡°But there isn¡¯t any.¡± Gloria let out a breath of relief: ¡°This is good, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gyuu nodded, smiling. But almost immediately, his smile faded, as his finger traced to some dark spots that looked a bit like snowflakes with root-like patterns laid sparsely along some of the trails: ¡°This - this is curious. Looks like your puke ritual is accurate. You are affected by some omens. Not really serious ones, but - still concerning.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 18. Scenes and Luck (Part 3)

    ¡°¡®Some¡¯ omens?¡± Gloria sighed with a frustrated yet helpless shrug: ¡°Can you tell what it is? Do you have a way to tell? And see where they came from?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re thinking they come from the coffin with that poor boy who got burnt, I¡¯d tell you it¡¯s likely.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°And, uh, I actually don¡¯t know how to see where the omens came from. Believe me, if I did, I¡¯d not be here. And you wouldn¡¯t want to learn that skill.¡±


    ¡°And I think I know why already.¡± Gloria shook her head with a wry smile: ¡°It involves learning about the forbidden arts of tampering with Qiyun and karma, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct. Maybe one day if I retire, you can take over this temple.¡± Gyuu Park smiled: ¡°And aside from the forbidden art involving Qiyun and karma, there are always other options. Finding out what the matters were with that body, for example, might help you clear things up.¡±


    ¡°But if the bad omens really did come from that body, looking into it will inevitably lead me to more potentially omen-rich things and places.¡± Gloria shrugged again.


    ¡°And that is a risk you¡¯re going to have to take, if you are trying to figure out where they came from.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged back: ¡°And, before you ask this, there is no talisman that will reveal bad omens nearby. I can teach you how to make Ethereal Eye Talismans if you¡¯d like. It takes a while to learn though.¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but you know I - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still a temp watcher with no ritualistic or clergyship certification from the collective. I know.¡± Gyuu Park laughed with a hint of frustration: ¡°I wish I could help you with that. But you know I don¡¯t have the authorization to train you. Not yet anyway.¡±


    ¡°And good luck with that.¡± Gloria sighed then looked up at the night sky. The moon was out already, along with some of the brighter stars. ¡°Geez, I think I need to go now. Thank you very much, Gyuu. You¡¯ve been very helpful. I¡¯ll let you know if I find anything.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll update you if I find anything from the old manuscripts.¡± Gyuu Park tried to stand up, but his legs were wobbly from all the alcohol he drank: ¡°Welp, my mind and my brain both work, but my legs won¡¯t. So, uh, see you next time! And be careful on your way home!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Drink plenty of water tomorrow, it helps with hangovers.¡± Gloria laughed out loud as she walked to the door: ¡°Take care as well. I¡¯ll bring some tea instead of drinks next time.¡±


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    ¡°Later!¡±


    The wind was chilly in the night and outside of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple, as if an invisible wall was separating the weather outside from the atmosphere inside. Sometimes people question if the temples in the South-Eastern District were even worth keeping around, and it was times like these that made Gloria dismiss the questions. The street lights were flickering, along with the chirps of insects, everything seemed quiet but tinged with unwanted surprises and dangers hidden underneath.


    A peculiar smell tingled Gloria¡¯s senses when she was on her way to a nearby bus stop. It was rotten, sour, salty, and reeked of palpable hate and despair.


    Gloria hesitated for a brief moment. Then she activated her Qi on her eyes. She immediately started seeing light gray particles swarming in the air like flies, only not in groups but somewhat evenly dispersed in the air, distance wise.


    Something was clearly off, she had not seen anything like this before. Nor had she read or heard of it. Right now she was already some distance away from the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple, and it would take her some time to actually go back and ask for Gyuu Park¡¯s help.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gloria still decided she could not just stand by. The particles seemed to become much more dense when she traced them from a certain direction. So she let her Qi run through her whole body as protection, and slowly creeped toward the direction where the particles became denser.


    The particles grew denser and denser, eventually Gloria felt as if she was surrounded by hordes of mosquitoes and flies. Everything around her became blurry. The street lights along the road flickered more and more frequently and fell into darkness for longer periods the closer Gloria got to a crossroad.


    At the crossroad, there stood an electrical substation around the corner. But right now, the metal fences around it seemed to be almost completely torn down. An obviously luxury car appeared to have crashed into the substation, damaging some of the machinery and structural parts. What was more was that there were a few other vehicles around it, with symbols of a local electric power company ¡°S&S Corp¡± on it.


    ¡°Shit!¡± When she got closer, she saw a few people in glow suits lying on the ground, not moving. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that there were visible dark smoke that formed into long winding and moving tendrils around them, she would have assumed they were down on the ground because they were electrocuted.


    Whispers and murmurs of faint voices echoed in the air, some far away, some close, and some seemingly just right by Gloria¡¯s ears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna drown¡­ I don¡¯t wanna drown¡­¡±


    ¡°Help us! Help us! Help me! Please!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get out! I can¡¯t get out! Let me out! Let me out!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the assistant? Where¡¯s the security! There¡¯s water everywhere!¡± This time, Gloria heard a familiar male voice, echoing right in her head: ¡°We need to go! We need to go!¡± Then a familiar female voice resounded: ¡°There¡¯s too much water! The ship¡¯s going down! Find something to float! Find something to float! ¡±


    ¡°I found it! I found it! Gloria! You climb on top! ¡± The male voice echoed again, but somehow further away: ¡°Gloria! Gloria! Just swim out there! Swim! Your mother and I will catch up!¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Gloria broke out of the flashing imagery in her head right when she heard her own voice.


    Men, several of them. She couldn¡¯t tell the exact number due to the bad lighting. All of them were in glow suits and uniforms. All but one were lying on the ground with horrified expressions on their faces, bloated, wet and covered with aquaweeds and foul smelling tar.


    She had come too close to the scene, much closer than she was planning or ever willing to. And when she checked on herself, she found that some of the dark tendrils made of dark smoke were wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She looked around, then up - there was a blood red arch in the night sky, flickering, gradually dimming.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Gloria cursed. Qi exploded from her body after a quick push, and the tendrils were blasted off her. All the alarms in her mind were blaring as loud as possible, she needed to leave, as soon as possible.


    She tried to move, but something pulled on her left ankle.

 Book 2 Chapter 19. Scenes and Luck (Part 4)

    Gloria looked down. It was not the aqua weeds that were spread almost everywhere on the scene, but a hand.


    A hand and an arm, bloated and full of sores, some of which were even showing exposed bones. It was a severely disfigured person, with only the upper half of their body and long hair splattered all over the swollen, broken and puss-covered face. Its lips were like two wrinkly leeches, oozing foul, thick liquid through the cracks on it.


    ¡°Save me.¡± This person had the voice of a young woman. ¡°Please.¡±


    Gloria forced herself to calm down. Some kind of chilling energy was creeping into her leg through her pant leg. Even with the protection from her Qi, the energy still began to gradually numb her muscles and tendons.


    ¡°Save me.¡± This woman whispered again: ¡°Save me¡­ please. There¡¯s so much water¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gloria pulled her leg away from this woman''s grasp: ¡°But you¡¯re already dead.¡±


    The woman froze for a moment, then her heavy and chunky eyelids lifted and cracked open, revealing a pair of almost liquified eyes. ¡°Then¡­ Stay with me¡­ Stay with me¡­¡± She changed her words, with a gradually louder voice: ¡°Stay with me. Come - come with me! Come with me! COME WITH ME!¡±


    With a rope made out of weeds and grass tied to her exposed, broken spine, this woman lunged at Gloria with her arms extending forward.


    Gloria grunted, she tried to jump back and dodge. But the numbing, chiling energy remaining in her left ankle prevented her from fully moving away. She tumbled and almost fell onto the ground. A sharp pain shot through her body from her right shin, followed by a stream of similar chilling energy rushing into her body. She was scratched.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± This woman wailed, crawling on the ground towards Gloria and leapt into the air using her two arms.


    Gloria pushed herself again and jumped out of the way. Her Qi was flowing through her legs, trying to stop the cold energy and push it out of her body. It was difficult, but she was doing it. She searched her pockets while trying to move further away. In the inner pocket of her jacket, that was where she kept one or two talismans folded up just for emergencies like this.


    ¡°Come! Come with me!¡± Somehow, when this woman failed to grab Gloria once again and splashed some of her face and the skin on her forearms on the ground, she started giggling. When she turned around and faced Gloria again, almost half of her face was gone, revealing the gray, stained and cracked skeletal bones underneath.


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    Just when Gloria clenched the two folded talismans in her right hand and readied herself for the next incoming attack, the woman sunk into the ground, leaving a few ripples behind.


    The woman¡¯s figure disappeared, but something else did not: a small part of the rope made of weeds and grass connected to her broken spine remained on the surface. Before Gloria could react, the rope sped through the ground through the space between her legs.


    Gloria felt the hairs on her back and the back of her neck stood up. She immediately turned back, thrusting her right arm forward with the two talismans infused with her Qi.


    Shockwaves and fire exploded when her palm made contact with the half a woman¡¯s forehead. Her feet were lifted off the ground, her entire body was thrown into the air. Her face and her right arm were burning, along with other parts with exposed skin. But one benefit she did not expect was that the chilling energy in her body seemed to be instantly weakened from her close range exposure to this explosion.


    She tried her best to control and maneuver her body midair, and only managed to land her right leg. This was enough for her. Taking advantage of the enhanced jumping and balancing ability granted to her by the Spirit Cat Style, she bounced herself in the air, right across a corner of the electric substation and to the side of the concrete road not covered with dirt and mud.


    This time, she was able to land on both feet and with much better composure. Her right ankle felt slightly weak and pained with a tingling sore from the burst of maneuver she just performed. But she did not have time to care about that. She needed to get away and get back to the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± The woman reappeared in front of Gloria, but this time her entire body was fractured, exposing dark tendrils and some sort of dark knot made of grass and weeds in the chest cavity. Dark smoke arose from the cracks on her body, her eyes and her mouth, as she sped on the street with her two barely recognizable arms.


    Gloria kept running. Her right ankle was feeling weaker and weaker. The numbness in her left leg lingered. She could not go as fast as she wanted, and she could feel the cold aura and the foul smell from the woman behind her inching closer.


    Her eyes scanned the ground in front of her, and at the foot of a wall on her right, there was some broken glass on the ground. From the look of the shards they looked like they were from either a broken stained window or a shattered beer bottle.


    She forced herself to jump toward and grab the broken glass shards in her hand. With the protection of her Qi her palm and fingers were not injured by the sharp edges. The next moment, she pushed her Qi inside, making the light green shards glow in an ethereal purple color.


    ¡°Come with me! Come with me!¡± The woman¡¯s wails had become more throaty and hoarse, Gloria could even hear some traces of bone cracking mixed in.


    Gloria spun around, flinging the glass shards in her hand infused with her Qi using all the might she could muster up right now. The glowing glass shards blasted the half of a woman right in the face, their edges infused with Qi shredded her face and some of the tendrils in her chest cavity.


    This half of a woman let out an ear-piercing scream as she recoiled on the ground, her arms covering her wounded face like an actual human. This did not make Gloria hesitate for even one second. Instead, she concentrated the rest of her Qi on the tips of her right index and middle fingers and thrusted them at the woman¡¯s forehead as if she was using a dagger or a short sword.


    The tiny light blue blade made of Qi extended from her fingers impaled the woman¡¯s forehead. Her Qi disrupted and destroyed something within this woman¡¯s skull. And after a very brief moment of immobility, the figure of this woman exploded. Foul ashes as well as wet and rotten aqua weeds splashed all over the place.


    Gloria wiped her face. Then turned around and tried to limp away. Every muscle in her limbs was sore, but it was not the time to rest yet.

 Book 2 Chapter 20. Deliverer (Part 1)

    ¡°What the hell is this!?¡± Gyuu Park did not hide his surprise and concern at all when he opened the door: ¡°I thought you went home!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wish I¡¯d done that.¡± Gloria limped into the temple, panting: ¡°Fucking Blood Rainbow man. Can¡¯t believe I saw one of those. And - I fought a fucking ghost. Bitch almost scratched my leg off.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Gyuu Park couldn¡¯t help but gasp lightly, then he pointed at the inner sanctum of the temple: ¡°In there, now!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gloria nodded, this would be her first time going inside, too bad it was under such undesirable circumstances.


    The inner sanctum of the temple was a clean room, simple but tidy. There was a bronze chrysanthemum hanging on the ceiling above, and four pillars with chrysanthemum relief sculptures on them. In the middle there were a few hay mats, and at the back of the room there was a simple wooden altar.


    Gyuu Park locked the gates outside, then lit up the short candles in the stone lamps in the outer yard. After all of this, he rushed into the inner sanctum, opened a wooden closet on the side and pulled out a large wooden bucket from the lowest shelf.


    ¡°What, is this a shower bucket?¡± Gloria asked as she wiped herself down and brought out the aqua weeds she collected just now and threw them onto the ground, with one eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can keep your clothes on. In the closet, you can find some dried leaves, and a box of talismans. Find the evil repelling ones, burn three of them and then drop the ashes in the bucket.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head, then ran to a faucet in the bathroom and started filling up a smaller plastic bucket: ¡°Now, time is tight, so there¡¯s no time to actually boil the water. Be ready to climb in, the water needs to be at least over your ankles. And you¡¯ll need to dip your wrists in as well. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, done.¡± Gloria held the burning talismans in her hand, then let the last burning bits into the bucket, which floated in the air and completely turned into ash when they touched the bottom of the bucket.


    ¡°Make way. ¡± Gyu Park rushed over with the wooden bucket: ¡°While you¡¯re at it, grab an incense burner and three candles. The burner goes in front of the bucket facing South, and the three candles should be evenly placed. You know - cleansing ritual style. ¡±


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    ¡°On it!¡± Gloria rushed to the closet.


    Before long, the bucket was filled with enough water, the candles and the incense burners were in place. Gloria took off her shoes and climbed into the bucket, there was just enough water for her ankles and wrists to be submerged when she bent down.


    ¡°Okay. Time is of the essence. Let¡¯s get started.¡± Gyuu Park lit up the candles and put three smoking incense sticks in the burner. He then brought out a big painting brush and a small bucket of red paint, and started drawing symbols on the ground around the wooden bucket. ¡°Keep your wrists and ankles in the water.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I try to drink something as well?¡± Gloria asked, while leaning her rear against the interior of the bucket. Possibly due to the way she was half-squatting, the sore in her calves had become worse: ¡°And how long should I remain in here?¡±


    ¡°Since you came into contact with a spirit during the Blood Rainbow, and you are able to make it here, it¡¯s safe to assume that whatever unclean energy you contracted was mostly superficial. So we need to deal with that first.¡± Gyuu Park continued to write the symbols: ¡°And what¡¯s more, if you are attacked by a spirit under the Blood Rainbow, there¡¯s a high chance that you may be marked by something. So, let¡¯s get you unmarked first, then we can worry about unclean energy later.¡±


    ¡°Marked? ¡± Gloria was surprised: ¡°I - I think I checked myself already, I don¡¯t see anything on me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but just to be safe. We may need to do a puke test or blood test later. But now, let¡¯s take care of the mark first.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, when that ghost died, it exploded and got these weeds on me, I brought them back just so that we could take a look.¡± Gloria almost stood up due to the epiphany she had with it, but she squatted back down: ¡°Now, when will this be done? I want to confirm something with you.¡±


    ¡°Just a minute. ¡± Gyuu Park finished drawing the symbol, then he grabbed a handful of high quality sticky rice in his right hand, dipped his right fist on the flames of all three candles, then loosened his grasp and let the grains of rice slip into the incense burner.


    The grains of rice burst into flames while still in the air, turning into floating cinders and sparks sprinkled. Gyuu Park waved his hands across the floating and dancing cinders, two small fireballs formed on his palms and fell onto the symbols around the wooden bucket.


    The red ink used to draw the symbols had a certain concentration of alcoholic content, and when touched by the fireballs, the symbols immediately lit up in bright orange flames, forming into a ring of fire. ¡°Alright, Gloria.¡± Gyuu Park let out a long exhale: ¡°Now, jump out of the bucket. Be careful, there¡¯s fire.¡±


    Gloria stood up and looked at the ring of fire around the bucket, then with a push on the edge of the bucket from both hands, she leapt out and landed just out the ring of fire.


    Something cool, light and almost intangible was lifted off her, as if a very thin layer of plastic wrap was peeled off from her arms, her neck, her shoulders and her face. And when she looked back at the bucket, she could see a small cloud of dark mist spiraling in the bucket, while some invisible force was gradually condensing it into a small spinning ball.


    ¡°Okay, I stand corrected. Looks like my skill of using Qi still needs to be honed.¡± Gloria sat down at the foot of a wall and sighed: ¡°So - what next? Burn it all down?¡±


    ¡°Eventually. But not yet.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t have any blessed water here. So I can¡¯t really do the inner cleanse as effectively, but you know where the talismans are, so you could do it if you wanna. As long as the energy that has seeped into your body is less than what¡¯s in the bucket.¡±


    ¡°What - what do you mean? ¡± Gloria took a moment sitting down, then decided she still wanted to stand: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Your mentioning omens, your feeling targeted and your coming into contact with a Red Rainbow just made me very worried. ¡± Gyuu Park took out a talisman made of purple paper and threw it into the bucket: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Either way, it¡¯d be good.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 21. Deliverer (Part 2)

    The purple talisman went up in a puff of blue and orange flames. The flames rose and surrounded the ball of dark smoke floating in the bucket. And instead of burning the smoke up and neutralizing it, they turned into six long dancing snake-like ropes that wrapped around the ball made of smoke at the center. Just when the ropes completely circled the ball of smoke, they dimmed down. After a short moment, all that was left on the ball of smoke were glowing words and symbols, not unlike the symbols one would draw on talismans.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to trap something?¡± Gloria recognized some of the patterns, and immediately asked Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Yes. And I apologize in advance, but this is probably the only time to do it. Otherwise we would have no chance.¡± Gyuu Park slowly walked around the bucket, staring at the ball of smoke and symbols. Then he raised his right hand up, with his fingers tracing in the air along a very thin, barely visible semi-transparent gray line: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know if this is it. But it¡¯s definitely a mark of some kind. Just as I worried, you were marked. ¡±


    ¡°Do you know what or who could have done that?¡± Gloria walked up to Gyuu Park¡¯s side and looked up at the thin line: ¡°And what does this tell you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing more than what you just heard.¡± Gyuu Park sighed as he turned and ran to the closet, from which he pulled out a sword made of peachwood and some more incense sticks: ¡°Now all I need is to hopefully trap whatever that was put the mark on you, or at least the medium through which the mark brings you harm. Even if nothing comes of it, we¡¯d still - ¡±


    Before Gyuu Park could finish, a gush of strong wind blew open the main door of the temple, making all the tiny candles in the stone lamps flicker, even completely blowing out three of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s here. Get ready.¡± Gyuu Park threw some more talismans to Gloria while holding the peachwood sword.


    ¡°What are we waiting for? What are we fighting?¡± Gloria asked, while trying to activate the last bit of her Qi.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, but we¡¯re in an actual temple, standing on blessed ground. ¡± Gyuu Park pointed at the parts of the building around them: ¡°And this building is warded, with runes and symbols carved into the pillars and beams. We¡¯d be fine.¡±


    A faint, dark green shadow burst into the inner sanctum following a high-pitched shriek. Neither Gloria nor Gyuu Park was able to get a good look at what it was at first. When the shadow shrieked again, and the flames around the wooden bucket burned brighter and higher, forming a cage that prevented the creature from getting out.


    As the creature bounced around in the cage of fire struggling to break free, Gloria and Gyuu Park finally saw what it looked like: an obese infant with a bald, swollen head, crooked teeth and no lower body, with three long slender arms holding a scythe made of a material that looked like human shin bones.


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    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s face turned pale and he stumbled backwards, with his eyes fixed on the creature.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gloria immediately held onto Gyuu Park¡¯s shoulders to prevent him from falling down: ¡°You know what this is. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Deliverer. A special kind of Shiki-Kami. Or mini gods, if you will, they are ancient and unique supernatural spirits. ¡± Gyuu Park collected himself, then answered after a deep breath, frowning: ¡°This is not good. ¡±


    ¡°Ancient spirit?¡± Gloria looked the screeching and fuzzing spirit up and down. This creature appeared to be simultaneously obese and boney: its head was almost the shape of a mushroom, yet its torso was very slim; out of its left chest grew an additional left arm, the slender fingers from which wrapped around the handle of the scythe. Root and spider web-like veins were crawling all over its pale skin. ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t look like it. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Not many have seen them. It¡¯s not exactly human spirit or cupid.¡± Gyuu Park walked to the side of that bucket that was facing the door and had his eyes on the thin, dark red tube that connected to the stomach of the Deliverer and something outside: ¡°I - let me think for a bit. We really need to be careful with this.¡±


    ¡°Why not just kill it?¡± Gloria readied the talismans infused with her Qi: ¡°Just say the word and I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°No! Nonono.¡± Gyuu Park immediately raised his voice: ¡°Don¡¯t. We can¡¯t. Or else you¡¯ll doom us both. It is said that Deliverers have direct connection to the flow of Karma, they are the literal embodiment of omens and blessings. If we kill it, there¡¯s no telling what would happen to us.¡±


    ¡°How long can your trap last?¡± Gloria asked, her eyes following the Deliverer as it rushed in the air up and down, left and right. The flames from the red symbols on the ground created an invisible energy prison that locked the creature inside. Everytime it tried to fly away, a translucent orange energy wall appeared in front of it and pushed it back. The energy wall itself seemed to be hurting the creature as well, for each time its escape attempt was thwarted, there were more cracks and wounds revealed on its body.


    ¡°A couple of minutes. Ten tops.¡± Gyuu Park shook and scratched his head, frustrated: ¡°And I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to hold it for long. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, tell me what to do.¡± Gloria rushed to Gyuu Park¡¯s side.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡±


    ¡°Dammit! I know!¡± Gyuu Park couldn¡¯t help but yell. He looked up at the ceiling, then at some of the pillars and beams in the room. After a short moment of anxious silence, he rushed to the closet and grabbed some red threads: ¡°Fuck! Scapegoat doll it is! You know how to make one right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gloria immediately cut some hair then rushed to the closet and tried to find some straws and hay, but there weren¡¯t any. ¡°Where the fuck are your hay and straws?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have it! Just use your sleeves!¡± Gyuu Park yelled as he tore up Glorias left sleeve, took the hair from Gloria and started rolling it into the shape of a doll: ¡°Now, I know this hurts, but I need you to draw some blood from the tip of your tongue, and your left middle finger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gloria did not hesitate, she just used her finger to slice a small cut on her tongue as Gyuu Park asked. Then when the doll was almost finished, she spit the blood on the doll, then dripped her blood on the doll¡¯s chest.


    When the doll was done, Gyuu Park rushed to the paint bucket, dipped his fingers in it and started drawing on the ground. Before long, the rag doll made of Gloria¡¯s sleeve was laid into a circle of symbols drawn with red paint.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Gloria let out a sigh of relief, then asked Gyuu Park: ¡°You should make one as well, just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± Gyuu Park cut her off, pointing at the Deliverer.


    This grotesque creature stopped moving and just froze in mid air, its eyes were twitching, its arms were trembling, and the thin tube connected to its body was flashing in increasingly bright light.


    ¡°What is - ¡± Gloria did not even get to finish her question, for she was interrupted by the bright flames and powerful shockwaves that originated from the center of the Deliverer¡¯s body. Her back crashed into the wall behind her, the dull pain almost made her black out.

 Book 2 Chapter 22. Rest

    ¡°Gyuu! ¡± Gloria coughed and heaved as her lung tried to return to its normal function. Some of the wooden beams above them creaked from the wind blowing through the now open door, blowing the dust away and clearing the air. ¡°Gyuu, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m alright. Mostly anyway.¡± Gyuu Park coughed and responded to Gloria, he was half buried under some wood panels, presumably from the currently non-existent bucket, thus Gloria did not see him at first: ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Gloria grunted as she pushed herself to stand up and limped toward Gyuu Park. The explosion made her right ankles hurt worse, especially the right.


    ¡°Well. That¡¯s good, considering.¡± Gyuu Park stood up as well, and dusted off his clothes while looking around: ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay. Did you see the doll?¡±


    Gloria looked around on the floor, then without much hassle she was able to locate it - it was almost entirely buried under some broken wooden pellets and panel pieces at the foot of a wall.


    ¡°Well, it looks okay.¡± After examining the doll, now with a burn mark on the chest area and some scratches and scrapes, Gyuu Park handed it back to Gloria: ¡°Now, you know how to dispose of this?¡±


    ¡°Put it in clean water, light up incense by the bucket overnight. Let it naturally dry and burn it?¡± Gloria scratched her neck: ¡°I - I am sorry for this. I will definitely clean it up¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonono, you should go home.¡± Gyuu Park immediately shook his head: ¡°This level of damage from a supernatural entity to an officially recognized temple requires me to file a report. I¡¯d just ask that you be willing to give a statement if the community collective asks for it. Right now all we can do is to preserve the scene. If that doll wasn¡¯t connected to you I would have kept it as well. Now go and rest, you¡¯ll need it. And let me know if you need anything. Don¡¯t forget to take all the talismans, just in case.¡±


    ¡°... are you sure?¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°I mean, you have a lot of things that need fixing here. I mean - can you handle it? Where are you going to stay tonight?¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha. I don¡¯t sleep here. There¡¯s a small room in the back, that¡¯s where I sleep. Pretty sure it¡¯s okay to stay.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head and rushed Gloria: ¡°Just go back home. I¡¯ll need to seal off the inner sanctum and wait till the community collective to clear it. But don¡¯t worry, I have no regular visitors anyway.¡±


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    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± Gloria hesitated for a minute, but then took out her phone to check the time: ¡°Okay, and PLEASE let me know if you need my help.¡±


    ¡°Will do. Now go!¡± Gyuu Park rushed Gloria one more time.


    Gloria sighed, then went to the closet and took only two talismans from it, leaving the rest to Gyuu. She felt that Gyuu Park would need them.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sue came to the door with a cup of tea in hand when Gloria opened the door: ¡°You told me you¡¯ll be back before sundown!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m terribly sorry Sue.¡± Gloria patted her friend on the shoulder, then immediately rushed to the small, barely functioning TV and turned it on: ¡°Have you watched the news? Is there something?¡±


    ¡°Uh - no? What do you mean?¡± Sue appeared to be confused, then sat down by Gloria¡¯s side.


    ¡°Let me - let me just check.¡± Gloria clicked through several news channels, yet there was nothing about the massacre that led to several deaths in that electrical substation. ¡°I - I don¡¯t understand - it should be there at least.¡± Then she took out her phone and started browsing through several news websites, she even started searching for news on social media. Yet there was still nothing.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sue gently placed her hand on Gloria¡¯s left shoulder: ¡°You seem worried - did something happen at Gyuu¡¯s temple?¡±


    ¡°No - not really. I - ¡± Gloria stood up and started pacing in the room: ¡°I actually am kinda worried. And I think if you¡¯ll feel comfortable it¡¯s better if you stay with someone else for the time being.¡±


    ¡°What? What - ¡± Sue was confused for a moment, then she recoiled a bit and took a step back: ¡°You saw something, didn¡¯t you? You ran into something?¡±


    ¡°I ran into a fucking Blood Rainbow.¡± Gloria sighed and sat down on one of her small tables: ¡°I ran into another spirit - oh - ugh - I needed to tell Gyuu what I saw...¡±


    ¡°Another spirit?¡± Sue shivered at the notion: ¡°Did you - did you or Gyuu deal with it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we dealt with it. But it¡¯s hard to say. You know how these things are, it¡¯s hard to actually tell if one is marked or being followed. So I suggest you find another safe place to hang around first, I¡¯ll just have to - ¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°No, I¡¯m not doing that.¡±


    ¡°But I might be marked - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Sue sat on the arm rest of the small sofa, leaving it to Gloria: ¡°I¡¯m staying with you here, okay? I - I¡¯ve got a lot to think about these few days, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any place that¡¯d be safe for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡± Gloria smiled, then she shook her head: ¡°But - it¡¯s still dangerous okay? I got this feeling that it¡¯s not safe for anyone in the district right now. Bring more talismans with you when you work. And don¡¯t stay out late.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah I know the drill, Mom. ¡± Sue chuckled, then picked up the cup of tea she put on the desk: ¡°Let me heat this up for you. And - maybe you can tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°I - are you sure?¡± Gloria sat down on the sofa and sighed: ¡°You know how gruesome and dangerous it is. And I remember how scared you are. You - you sure?¡±


    ¡°I am sure. And don¡¯t push me again.¡± Sue chuckled as she reheated the tea in the microwave: ¡°And - uh, while you were out, I was back here reading all day. I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve read. But I¡¯ve read a lot. And I meant a lot. And I put my college degree to good use to cross reference different records and compare everything with things I found online - ¡±


    ¡°Which means you should be more worried.¡± Gloria giggled as well.


    ¡°Oh yeah. If I could, I would definitely pack up and leave. But you know how impossible that is.¡± Sue brought Gloria the tea and sat down beside her: ¡°And - this is my home, my friends. So - let me know what is happening. Or at least what happened.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 23. Guarded

    The scratches on Gloria¡¯s left shin and the pain in her right ankle did not wear off as soon as she hoped. Even with her Qi helping her with the recovery process, she was still unable to run or even walk too fast. Lucky for her this did not hinder her abilities to handle her normal day job too seriously - her work at the coffee shop owned by Luoshan Zi did not require that much quick moving around or heavy lifting.


    Gloria and Sue¡¯s lives slowed down slightly just when they needed it. For Sue, the need for her work of being a mortuary makeup artist remained constant. It was one of the oldest jobs in the district and the city, and one that despite rising demand, not many were willing to join ranks.


    For Gloria, being the most senior employee of Luoshan Zi¡¯s coffee shop was her main source of income, thus even with her side job of a temporary watcher for the Fuman Coffin Home up in the air, she would not need to worry too much, financially. And of course, there¡¯s also the ¡°side income¡± she could occasionally gain from unsuspecting, obnoxiously behaving tourists from other districts.


    Same could not be said of many of those in the district. When she pushed her way through the local railway station, she counted around ten to twelve beggars around the station in various corners. Some of whom were of course fake, yet most of whom were real, and whether they¡¯d get a good meal today would largely depend on whether some of the people traveling through the rail were feeling generous.


    It had been more than a week since she last babysat Kevin Teith. And the thought lingered in her mind about the rumors of missing children. It was an unpleasant thought, and knowing it''s coming from the Northern District, the arguably richest district in Poison City, did not help.


    The train ride to the Northern District was slightly more crowded than usual. This meant that there were more likely more tourists to the South-Eastern District today and now they were just on their way back. Her theory was later confirmed, as she pushed over a group of middle-aged people with the same orange, yellow and white stickers on their clothes. Tourist groups, the easiest way for one to explore the South-Eastern District without almost any hassle or research. Perfect for the folks who were busy in their daily lives, who just wanted to have a fun and different experience within the city, without having to deal with hassles of out-of-city travel.


    Pushing through a crowd once again and looking around for any potential targets for her ¡°additional income¡±, Gloria moved slowly and carefully from the cars in the back to those in the front. This time, there were no good targets, almost all of the tourists seemed just plainly tired, none of whom were behaving in a way that in Gloria¡¯s mind justified having their wallets lifted. They were just tired looking, and somehow all seemed to be in a gloomy mood.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m getting old.¡± One of the middle aged male tourists sighed to his wife: ¡°Just this little walking around, and legs are already hurting. My back is tense as well.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah I think it¡¯s the weather. It was chilly and windy all day.¡± His wife shook her head: ¡°We¡¯d be better when we get back. We¡¯ve not walked this long for quite a while, it¡¯s bound to be tiring.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I think it¡¯s more than the weather.¡± Another middle aged female tourist sighed: ¡°I have never been so tired before. I don¡¯t know why! And I¡¯m not getting old. No way!¡±


    Before Gloria could eavesdrop anymore, the train arrived at the stop of the tourists, and they all got up and off boarded the train.


    Gloria sighed at the sight of these tourists, feeling pity but slightly relieved. She was not proud of this source of income. But sometimes she just couldn¡¯t help herself in wanting to give some of the annoying outsiders a lesson, and sometimes, she just needed it.


    The ride to Gloria¡¯s station did not take long. She headed to the Teiths¡¯ residence without delay. The weather was warmer here in the Northern District, and the street lights of better quality were providing more ample lighting. This lightened Gloria¡¯s mood slightly.


    But this change was short lived, as when she was about to cross a street, a long and shiny silvery gray limo with loud music and bass blaring through blocked her way, along with many pedestrians¡¯.


    ¡°Hey! Move it!¡± It was a narrow pass on a small street, though everyone could walk around it, it still gave them a little bit of trouble, so one of the pedestrians yelled at the limo.


    ¡°Hey shut the fuck up you loser!¡± A butch woman with braids in her hair opened a side window holding a half empty glass: ¡°My friend¡¯s getting married! When are you gonna get some huh? You go back to your mom and suck on it!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you crawl back into a lagoon, you snail!¡± Just this moment, another car rushed through the yellow light and almost rear ended the limo, and the driver reached out of her window and yelled at the pedestrian: ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    Gloria tried to get around the limo, but her legs did not allow her to move any faster than what anyone with intact legs would call skipping. Her right ankle hurt and her right lower leg felt numb. The crowd around her kept squeezing and pushing her. The limo and the new car were blocking most of the cross walk. All of these just made her more anxious, yet she could only move to the other side at the speed of a snail.


    After almost fifteen minutes of painful and stressful walking, or dragging, she made it to the street where Teiths¡¯ residence was.


    The atmosphere was different than when she last came. The few people along the street were moving in groups. Almost every house in her sight had some kind of security or surveillance device installed: window bars, security cameras, alarm sensors, and even full metal reinforced doors.


    ¡°Hello, do you need help?¡± Just this moment, a man and a woman wearing a blue arm band crossed the street and asked Gloria.


    ¡°Uh - thanks. But I''m good for now.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°I¡¯m just on my way - ¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? If - if you don¡¯t mind us asking.¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to a friend¡¯s place.¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°I¡¯m sorry - but why do you need to know?¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡± The man nodded: ¡°We are members of a new local volunteer group. In light of recent events, we take up the responsibility of patrolling around these parts, to ensure the safety of the community. I¡¯m sure you can understand¡­¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t really feel very comfortable telling you where I¡¯m going. But I am definitely not up to anything.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°As you can tell, my legs are a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s with us! She¡¯s with us!¡± Just this moment, Samantha Teith¡¯s voice came from behind these two arm band wearers. ¡°My apologies, I wanted to tell you, but I wasn¡¯t able to find you earlier.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Teith.¡± The woman nodded at Samatha Teith: ¡°Can we know what she is here for?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s our babysitter for tonight. You know, because we have those important meetings.¡± Samantha Teith¡¯s looked weary, there were bags under her eyes and her hair seemed uncombed: ¡°Her name is Gloria Lee, she¡¯s from the South-Eastern District.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 24. Webs (Part. 1)

    ¡°Sorry to call you in at this inconvenient time.¡± Samantha Teith walked with a sense of haste Gloria never saw from her before: ¡°And, with everything going on, Kevin¡¯s father and I are going to stay with the kids more often, so¡­ I wish to tell you that we probably won¡¯t be calling you as much. But others would - I mean we have recommended you to some other parents, and they may call you as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Um, what happened?¡± Gloria asked, though a little disappointed at the loss of future income, she was more concerned about the worried looks on Samantha¡¯s face: ¡°What - you look so worried. What¡¯s troubling you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s uh - local safety issues. Some crimes involving - ¡± Samantha seemed to be having trouble saying what was on her mind: ¡°You know, involving children. Teenagers, sometimes. We have a few gone missing, none of them was found.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Gloria couldn¡¯t help but recall what Kevin told her last time: ¡°I actually don¡¯t remember seeing it on the news. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°We - even we don¡¯t know what happened - or what is happening.¡± Samantha Teith shook her head and huffed: ¡°None of the people living in this neighborhood knows. That¡¯s why we have to go to two different meetings tonight and - talk about organizing the local transplants and trying to pressure the local police departments to be more transparent. If not for these meetings, we¡¯d be staying with Kevin all night¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, I think you are doing the right thing.¡± Gloria nodded then sighed: ¡°How¡¯s the local police department responding? I don¡¯t really see a lot of police cars around here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re undercover now. And if there¡¯s anything they promise they can be on scene within three minutes.¡± Samantha sighed as she opened her door for them. But then she paused after unlocking the door: ¡°And, just between you and me, I think we should be safe for now. The kids in the ¡®Server Areas¡¯, they are more at risk than any kid here. I mean, here we at least can organize people to watch over them and chaperone them on their way to school. But for them? I heard they have to rely on the older kids¡­¡±


    ¡°And not to mention the richie rich folks can just let drivers go to their expensive schools where they can afford 24/7 surveillance and armed security guards.¡± Gloria shrugged and chuckled: ¡°Oh well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and from what I¡¯ve heard, even some of those rich kids have stopped going to schools. They have home tutors, so they don¡¯t have to worry about that too much.¡± Samantha sighed again and opened the door.


    ¡°Hey dear, hey Gloria.¡± Brian Teith the father was ready to run out and head to his car: ¡°Hopefully the meeting won¡¯t take too long. I¡¯ve heard there are around fifty people coming.¡±


    ¡°Only fifty?¡± Samantha frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t really expect everyone to be present when most of them are still working. Even if this is an emergency meeting.¡± Brian Teith shrugged: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off. See you soon dear. And Gloria, thank you so much for coming. I¡¯ve double checked all of the windows and doors, they should all be closed. Don¡¯t forget to lock them up after you open them.¡±


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    ¡°I remember. And I won¡¯t open anything unless absolutely necessary.¡± Gloria nodded.


    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Brian Teith kissed his wife goodbye then started running to the car on the driveway.


    ¡°I should be going soon.¡± Samantha said as she took the light brown handbag on the kitchen counter, opened it up to check the documents inside for one last time: ¡°Text us if you need anything, we¡¯ll be at the meetings but we will check our phones regularly. And - uh¡­¡± She leaned in and whispered to Gloria: ¡°Do you know how to use pepper sprays and retractable batons? I think I might have asked you this before¡­¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Gloria was surprised, but then was not: ¡°I actually know them quite well. Spent some time in a rough neighborhood. And yes, you told me about the pepper sprays.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Samantha zipped her handbag up and whispered again: ¡°You know the main bedroom? We have more pepper spray and batons in the bedside table drawer. Even - even a knife, don¡¯t let Kevin find it. There is also a can of pepper spray in the kitchen, hidden behind the bag of salt, you can check their locations and be familiar with where they are - you know, just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! It¡¯s okay! We¡¯re gonna be okay!¡± Gloria put her hands on Samantha¡¯s shoulders: ¡°I cooked in your kitchen before, remember? You have some really nice bone choppers and chef¡¯s knives. We¡¯ll be okay!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Samantha took a deep breath, then took a look at Kevin, who was still on the living room couch, quietly watching TV: ¡°Kevin! Behave tonight! Your father and I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Bye Mom! Drive safe!¡± Kevin waved at his mother, eyes still fixed on the TV screen.


    ¡°Drive safe, and I¡¯ll turn my phone volume up and keep it charged. So you can find me anytime.¡± Before Samantha left, Gloria assured her.


    ¡°Oh yeah, one more thing.¡± Samantha almost reached the driveway before she doubled back and said to Gloria through the gap of the door: ¡°I left a note on the dining room table - we have the contact information from our neighborhood emergency contact team members there. If anything, call them as well.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Noted. Do not worry. I¡¯ll take good care of everything.¡± Gloria nodded again with a smile.


    ¡°Okay, Gloria, can we talk? ¡± After Gloria¡¯s sending Samantha off, Kevin immediately turned off the TV and changed his posture on the sofa - sitting straight with a stern and serious look on his face and his arms crossed as if he was trying to act like an adult: ¡°I think we have a serious problem.¡±


    ¡°Wow, okay, geez.¡± Gloria couldn¡¯t help but grin: ¡°Okay, Mr. Kevin Teith, what do you want to talk about, sir?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a laughing matter, okay!?¡± Kevin shook his head, then pulled out his phone and showed Gloria a web page.


    ¡°A total of five children are missing in a week. PCPD¡¯s shameful inaction.¡± Gloria read the headline out loud: ¡°Looks like it¡¯s not news but a forum post? Why are you reading this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to stay in touch, you know. One of the guys missing was in the same grade as me! He¡¯s living just down the street!¡± Kevin frowned and swiped on the screen to pull to a lower part of the article: ¡°He was taken from his home, when his parents were out one night!¡±


    ¡°Okay. But your parents made extra sure that your house is safe.¡± Gloria sat by Kevin¡¯s side.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s parents could have done the same.¡± Kevin scoffed.


    ¡°What about your friends? Are your friends okay? I remember you telling about your friends seeing ghost and hearing - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re fine. Thank goodness. But things are bad, and people are looking in the right direction! They¡¯re not going to find anything!¡±


    ¡°But what is the right direction? What have you heard from - you know, your friends and those websites?¡± Gloria let out a long sigh, then asked.


    ¡°Can you do me a favor?¡± Kevin did not answer, but simply retrieved his phone, slightly nervous.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can you buy some salt, some sage, some talisman paper and have them delivered to my school as a gift? Choose for in-person delivery.¡± Kevin looked into Gloria¡¯s eyes: ¡°I know the prices, I can pay you with my allowance. Just - order everything and have them sent to a small store near my school.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 25. Webs (Part. 2)

    ¡°Why? Why are you buying these things?¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°And why can¡¯t you just buy them yourself? You have your own credit card right?¡±


    ¡°No I can¡¯t - I can¡¯t let my parents know.¡± Kevin shook his head.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because - they¡¯ll know I¡¯m up to something!¡± Kevin flailed his arms: ¡°I want to order a lot of salt and sage! Not many people will order them!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me what you are using them for yet.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°I am not going to help you buy something unless you be honest with me right now.¡±


    ¡°... fine!¡± Kevin thought for a while, then relented without even trying to resist - it seemed he was eager to tell someone his thoughts, or maybe even boast: ¡°You see - my friends and I have been doing some digging and some diving - and what do you know? I think we¡¯ve found out what was kidnapping all the kids!¡±


    ¡°What? You have?¡± Gloria frowned deeper, but then immediately lightened her tone: ¡°What I want to ask is - what¡¯d you find? Something you can share with me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. But you¡¯ll have to keep it a secret.¡± Kevin gestured to Gloria to come closer and with a lowered voice: ¡°Do you believe in monsters or ghosts, Gloria?¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Gloria was somewhat surprised, but thinking back on the fact that the boy was trying to order salt, sage and talisman paper, she could have definitely seen it coming. ¡°Maybe, what - what do you know? What kind of monster slash ghost are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°What do you know about - ¡± Kevin leaned in closer and lowered his voice even further: ¡°The Cat Granny?¡±


    ¡°The Cat Granny?¡± Gloria thought for a brief moment, then answered: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s an urban legend right? Why do you think it¡¯s her? And where¡¯d you learn all of this salt, and sage - and the talisman paper?¡±


    ¡°The internet?¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°You know you could learn anything these days.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t mean what you learned is true. Or even remotely relevant.¡± Gloria gently patted Kevin on the shoulder: ¡°But even so, tell me what you know, and how you know.¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Kevin looked Gloria straight in her eyes: ¡°You know, the legend says it, that the Cat Granny eats children, right? And she eats mostly young teenagers. And she can go on walls, squeeze through tiny cracks, open closed windows and even enter a house through walls. The guy in my grade, the night he went missing, nobody broke into the house. They said that it¡¯s like someone just went in and took him.¡±


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    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria nodded, noting it in her mind: ¡°But - it¡¯s still not enough to say that it IS indeed the Cat Granny, you know? What if he was lured out? What if he was just careless and he went out of the door?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is something the Cat Granny does as well.¡± Kevin started searching on his phone: ¡°And some of the other kids that are missing - almost all of them went missing on their way to school or on their way home. Cat Granny also does that - she lurks in the ways.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But do you have anything concrete? Or - do you have anything that can tell us exactly that this is the Cat Granny?¡± Gloria pretended to think for a moment, then asked.


    ¡°Well, we have this.¡± Kevin showed Gloria a picture on his phone.


    It was a picture of a metal-framed window with a desk lamp on its side. The lamp was not on, and there seemed to be only some very faint light source behind the camera that took the picture. A shadow was projected onto the wall around the window. And outside the window, was a long-haired shadow, wearing what seemed to be an old Qipao. The most significant thing on the shadow, of course, were the two green, glowing eyes.


    ¡°When was this picture? And who took it?¡± Gloria asked, grabbing Kevin¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Hey! Give it back!¡± Kevin stood up and took the phone off Gloria¡¯s hand: ¡°It was on our school forum. I saved it before it was taken down.¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gloria thought for a moment, maybe Kevin¡¯s theory had more merit than she realized: ¡°And - can you send this to me? I¡¯ll ask some friend of mine to look into it. If anyone could help you, it¡¯ll be him. And you still haven¡¯t told me what you need salt and sage for.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for fighting against the Cat Granny, of course, duh!¡± Kevin seemed to be frustrated by Gloria¡¯s attitude: ¡°Haven¡¯t you read about her? She is afraid of salt and sage. And - the talisman paper is for us to make talismans, of course. We¡¯ve found the recipe for some repelling talismans, and we¡¯re going to protect ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Well then, tough guy. I believe you.¡± Gloria nodded at Kevin, but still patted him on the head like treating a child: ¡°Tell me, what are you going to do to ¡®protect yourselves¡¯? You¡¯re gonna hunt her down? You¡¯re gonna set up traps?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ ¡± Kevin¡¯s body shook, almost as if he was caught in the act of mischief: ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Nice try. Then I am not gonna order it for you.¡± Gloria shook her head, then stood up and pointed at the kitchen: ¡°What I CAN do is cook you some snacks. You wanna eat something?¡±


    ¡°Please! You¡¯ve gotta believe me.¡± Kevin also stood up: ¡°We want to protect ourselves! The police are not doing anything! Our parents are trying to form some kind of group to patrol the street, but you know it¡¯s not gonna work against the Cat Granny!¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°But just like real life - if you want me or anyone to do you a favor that could get me in trouble - big trouble, you¡¯d better give me a detailed plan and be honest with me.¡± Then without waiting for Kevin¡¯s response, she proceeded to go to the kitchen.


    On her way to the kitchen, she walked past the Teiths¡¯ study. There were some pieces of freshly printed but crumpled up paper on the ground and some poorly painted ones dangling from the desk. Out of curiosity, she went into the study and picked those up.


    They were posters, and some organized notes regarding the missing children¡¯s cases. One piece of paper even had pictures of the missing children on it. She hesitated for a brief moment, then put them back where they should be.


    The spring onion pancakes were served on a plate 15 minutes later. As per usual, Gloria cooked Kevin¡¯s even though he didn¡¯t ask.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve changed your mind yet?¡± Kevin picked up the chopsticks, looking at Gloria.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°You¡¯re ready to be honest with me yet? And I¡¯m telling you, if you¡¯re trying to go out there and do anything, you¡¯re shit outta luck. You can¡¯t fix this. Your parents and the adults know more than you think. And if you go out there, you¡¯d be falling right into their traps - whatever ¡®they¡¯ are.¡±


    ¡°...I thought you were cool.¡± Kevin couldn¡¯t help but pout.


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯ll learn cool doesn¡¯t mean jack soon enough.¡± Gloria giggled, then responded with a serious tone: ¡°But do remember Kevin, your parents do love you very much. And maybe you can share a bit of your theories and worries with them. I can¡¯t promise they¡¯ll believe you. But that¡¯s when you¡¯ve gotta gather a bit more information.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even convince you.¡± Kevin stabbed his spring onion pancake with his chopsticks.


    ¡°You got me thinking. I¡¯m just not ready to say if I believe you.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°What other possible monsters have you considered?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 26. Webs (Part. 3)

    ¡°Hey Samantha, if you¡¯ve got a minute, can I talk to you in private?¡± Kevin¡¯s mother came back after less than 2 hours, and Gloria whispered in her ears just when she entered the door.


    ¡°Oh - okay. Just give me a second.¡± Samantha seemed tired, but she still nodded in acknowledgement: ¡°Let me just check in with Kevin first.¡±


    Gloria nodded back, then sat down in a chair just outside of the study and waited as Samantha Teith checked in with her son and sent him to bed early. It took about ten minutes, and when Samantha Teith came back, she looked even more worried than before.


    ¡°What did he tell you?¡± Gloria and Samantha Teith asked each other almost at the same time.


    ¡°Well, you first.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Samatha Teith pulled a chair over and sighed: ¡°He just told me he knows about the missing kids, and he¡¯s been looking at a lot of information about the cases on his own.¡±


    ¡°Well, I - frankly I¡¯m surprised you even tried to keep this from him for this long.¡± Gloria raised her eyebrows: ¡°He¡¯s a smart kid. And he¡¯s kinda - kinda, sorta, very resourceful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I know. I¡¯m proud and worried at the same time.¡± Samantha Teith sighed: ¡°What about you? What¡¯d he say to you?¡±


    ¡°Basically the same thing. And - ¡± Gloria hesitated for a brief moment, then still decided to pose the question: ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d like to share something with me, and I can ask around for any information. You know, if you need it - ¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Gloria.¡± Samantha Teith looked up, then sighed and shook her head: ¡°I really appreciate that. But I don¡¯t know if this is a good idea. We haven¡¯t looked back at our lives at the South-Eastern Districts for a long time, I don¡¯t know if anyone is able or willing to help - ¡±


    ¡°Just information would be fine.¡± Gloria shrugged, trying not to appear too concerned: ¡°For example, do you have some theories on who is behind this? I think, for crimes of this scale, it would be really strange and illogical if it¡¯s the deed of a lone wolf.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, yeah. Ummm¡­¡± Samantha Teith started evading Gloria¡¯s gaze, and seemed rather unwilling, or at least hesitant to share what she knows with Gloria: ¡°I¡¯m - I am really not sure if it is a good idea ¡­¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t feel comfortable.¡± Gloria immediately waved her hands: ¡°It¡¯s something with your local community right here, so I can understand. But if you¡¯d need my help, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I can tell you!¡± Samantha Teith cut Gloria off, seemingly having made a really hard decision: ¡°But please, keep this between us, okay? It¡¯s just something we recently heard, it¡¯s probably true though we can¡¯t be sure. Some witnesses said that there had been sightings of men in groups, driving vans and SUVs. So we are trying to communicate with the local PD to share more security footage with us so we can try to sip through them. But - it¡¯s just difficult, you know? The local police departments never take cases involving transplants seriously. So, we are trying. And - not saying I or anyone wishes this to happen, but - I would really appreciate it if you could ask around when you go back and see if anyone sees anything. We heard that similar things are happening all over the city¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay - I understand.¡± Gloria thought for a while - she was not paying too much attention to the news or the gossip on the street, she was too preoccupied with dealing with what happened at the Fuman Coffin Home and the paranormal events. Now maybe it was time to start - Elder Mu¡¯s warning about the 15 year cycle was still on her mind, and since terrible things had a habit of happening before the actual ¡°events¡±, it would make sense that the missing kids were the prelude to that.


    ¡°Hrm¡­ do you - I mean, have you heard of anything like this in the South Eastern District?¡± Samantha Teith asked: ¡°Doesn¡¯t have to be this exact thing, it could ¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Gloria considered for a moment whether she should tell Samantha about the paranormal occurrences, especially the incident at the electric substation, then she decided she wanted to probe before actually explaining her experience: ¡°Before I say anything, let me ask you this: what do you know, or think, about paranormality? Like spirits, ghosts - ¡±


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Samatha immediately interjected: ¡°I - I really don¡¯t want to talk about this right now. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯s gonna help us, okay? I mean, we left - ¡±


    Before Samantha continued to voice her displeasure with Gloria¡¯s bringing up of this topic, the locks on the front door turned, and in came Brian Teith, with his jacket covered in wet spots.


    ¡°Oh my god, dear. What happened?¡± Samantha Teith stood up.


    ¡°Disagreements about how people should patrol. Things got a little heated. ¡± Brian Teith sighed and hugged his wife: ¡°Kevin¡¯s asleep?¡±


    ¡°I just tucked him in. ¡± Samantha sighed, ¡°Gloria was just about to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡± Brian Teith apologized, while taking out his wallet: ¡°Thank you again for being here - just like before, we¡¯ll pay you for the entire night¡­¡±


    ¡°Honey, I¡¯ve got this. Why don¡¯t you go and say goodnight to Kevin?¡± Samantha stopped her husband.


    ¡°Right, of course. Thank you again.¡± Brian Teith nodded at Gloria, then ran to Kevin¡¯s bedroom.


    ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± Samantha Teith took out her wallet: ¡°Just like my husband said: thank you for coming. And - please let me know if you¡¯ve heard anything. Just - just not that, okay? Anything else.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll ask around and will definitely let you know.¡± Gloria had no choice but to pull back some of her theories, not just because of Samantha''s reaction to the idea of paranormality, which was not uncommon among transplants, but also because of the weariness she sensed from the Teiths.


    When Gloria got to the railway station, she checked on the news on the electric substation again. There were some pieces of news, and surprisingly not a lot of them, nor was the coverage remotely detailed. She then checked on the PCPD¡¯s official website for related information - it appeared that only very limited information was released, not even the names of those who died.

 Book 2 Chapter 27. Plan

    For the next few days, Gloria took the time to skulk around the electrical substation. She needed to see what happened and how the investigation was going. Too bad that it was technically outside of the South-Eastern District, and the investigation of it was handled by the Poison City Police Department instead of the community collective.


    The scene was closed off, for some reason, there seemed to be only two detectives on this case, one male and one female. The substation remained unfunctional during the whole time, but it seemed that the locals were not heavily impacted by its being out of commission.


    There were markings of bodies on the ground. And almost at all times, there were police forces around the scene. She saw some reporters and journalists taking pictures from a distance, but only a few of them got close to actually take a look. This was, Gloria assumed, probably the reason that there was very limited news coverage of this incident. Although she was still having a hard time actually believing that almost no reporters were willing to report such a horrible event.


    It appeared to her, that if she wanted to gain any more information about the event, she needed to get it from the police station directly.


    After taking a few pictures of the two detectives investigating the case from afar, Gloria made the decision to go to some local liquor store and to trouble Gyuu Park once again.


    ¡°You want me to do WHAT?¡± Gyuu Park was surprised by what Gloria was asking, so much so that he put down the bottle mid-gulp.


    ¡°Yes. I know it is an absurd ask, but I think it might be the only way I can get to those case files.¡± Gloria looked Gyuu Park straight in his eyes: ¡°Can you help me with that? I mean, from what I know you can always retract it.¡±


    ¡°... well, I guess I can.¡± Gyuu Park looked up at the sky, his rugged face seemed even more tired than normal: ¡°Yeah, to be honest, YOU have the most to lose. I mean, I can report you then tell them I don¡¯t want the trouble. But you¡¯ll have to bear the record for - I don¡¯t know, maybe a year or two before it could be expunged.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take that. Who the fuck cares about a record lodged by the PCPD anyway?¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°Now, what do you want to accuse me with? Beating you up? Vandalism of your temple?¡±


    ¡°Na, those can send you to jail. Even just for one or two days will not be good.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°Oh! Oooh! I know now. How about stealing talismans? I just report that you stole a bunch of my talismans. It¡¯s theft, but practically not worth any money. So I could ask them to take you in, but they can¡¯t really put you in jail. At most they¡¯d detain you for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Good! Good!¡± Gloria clapped her hands: ¡°Let¡¯s do it now!¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡± Gyuu Park took a quick peek at Gloria¡¯s right ankle: ¡°Are you good now already?¡±


    ¡°... well, you¡¯re right.¡± Gloria tried leaning on her right and putting a little bit of pressure on her right leg - she had recovered quite a bit, but she could still feel the sting from this pressure: ¡°I - I think I need maybe one night, or maybe two.¡±


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    ¡°And we need to gather information about the 17th Precinct. Do they have registered officers, are they collaborating with the city to investigate the incident at that substation¡­¡± Gyuu Park scratched his temples: ¡°You know - aside from that, I¡¯ve been doing some investigation myself. And - and I¡¯ve gotta tell you it¡¯s no cakewalk. So I¡¯ll say when you¡¯re in the station, you need to pay extra attention to everything. I¡¯ll try to make you a few more talismans while you recover.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t made any during all this time?¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°What, you¡¯ve been busy?¡±


    ¡°Well, a clergyman¡¯s still gotta earn the donations somehow.¡± Gyuu Park smiled then shrugged: ¡°How about this, come back the day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll do some recon. And we¡¯ll figure out when it¡¯s going down, okay?¡±


    ¡°Right. Right. You¡¯ve got it. ¡± Gloria let out a long exhale: ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve been in a rush. I should have put more thoughts into it.¡±


    ¡°Nonono, you¡¯re good. And I¡¯m glad you found a way.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled, then finished his drink: ¡°So how¡¯s that inquiry from the community collective going?¡±


    ¡°Uuuh - I haven¡¯t heard from them in a while.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡ª------------------------------------


    Before Gloria headed to the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple, she leaned on her right ankle once again to test and see if she had completely recovered. During this one day and a half, she spent additional time meditating and pushing her Qi to course through her body to help with the healing process. This was a trick she learned from none other than Luoshan Zi, who, though was not in possession of much talent for actually practicing any Mystic Martial Arts, was still an excellent teacher and mentor with unique insights into the theories of it. And aside from that, she also purchased some medicinal alcohol and rubbed it on her right ankle and left shin.


    Everything she did seemed to have helped. She did not feel any additional pressure, soreness or discomfort from her ankle. At least for now, she was in the best state in more than a week¡¯s time.


    ¡°Alright. The detective we¡¯ll be accosting is Detective Shrevas Pahaik. The most senior detective of the 17th Precinct, good solve rate, usually mild mannered. And he usually stays till about half an hour later than others during his shift.¡± Gyuu Park sipped his drink and pointed at the building of the 17th Precinct of PCPD. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get closer. And be prepared to be grabbed and yelled at.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sounds like middle school all over again.¡± Gloria chuckled, as she moved across the street following Gyuu Park and stopped right in front of a news stand.


    ¡°You have your cuff picking tool with you?¡± Gyuu Park looked around again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria showed Gyuu Park two tiny metal rods she hid in her sleeve: ¡°Left, right, jiggle and find the click. Just as you told me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, here he comes. Looks like we don¡¯t need to go in there at all.¡± Gyuu park threw his almost empty can to the side of the road and grabbed Gloria by the wrist: ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready - ¡±


    ¡°YOU DESPICABLE THIEF! You disgrace! How dare you do that to me!?¡± Gyuu Park yelled as he pulled Gloria towards a tired looking man with a badge on his coat.


    ¡°Hey! Let me go! You fucking corrupted crook of a clergyman!¡± Gloria yelled as well, but still eyeing the detective to make sure he was looking their way: ¡°Let me go! LET ME GO! Or I¡¯ll burn you fucking temple down!¡±


    ¡°Police officer! Officer!¡± Gyuu Park yanked Gloria forward and stopped the man right on his way: ¡°Officer! Please! You¡¯ve gotta help me log this one in! She¡¯s stolen some very valuable properties from my temple!¡±


    ¡°Eh - what - what do you wish to file? A theft report? A missing items report?¡± Detective Shrevas Pahaik seemed both confused and weary.


    ¡°I want to file a theft report! ¡± Gyuu Park yelled: ¡°This little disgusting thief here stole at least three dozen of our best talismans! You should arrest her and have her return everything she stole to me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry folks, but this looks like something for the community collective¡­¡±


    ¡°She stole it from me while I¡¯m nearby, that is your jurisdiction, am I correct!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but - ¡±


    ¡°Arrest her then! Now!¡± Gyuu Park took a look at Detective Shrevas Pahaik¡¯s badge: ¡°I¡¯ve got your badge number now, do you want me to file a complaint? I swear to you I¡¯ll fucking file one if you don¡¯t arrest this filthy thief right now!¡±


    ¡°Pfft shut it, you turd. ¡± Gloria scoffed: ¡°You know what he said? This isn¡¯t their jurisdiction. Even if I have the talismans right in my hand, they can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Arrest her! Right now!¡± Gyuu Park raised his voice some more.


    ¡°Alright, come in here.¡± After thinking for a moment Detective Shrevas Pahaik shook his head and said to Gloria: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to take you in. It¡¯s policy. Just so you know, you have the right to an attorney¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Just this moment, Gyuu Park seemed to have received a call, so he just shoved Gloria to the detective while taking out his phone. He kept talking, while Detective Shrevas Pahaik escorted Gloria inside.

 Book 2 Chapter 28. Files and Secrets (Part 1)

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± While Gloria was cuffed to the desk, the Detective who took over for Detective Pahaik temporarily in questioning Gloria, by the name of ¡°Marcus Cai¡±, asked her with a gentle smile


    ¡°Gloria Lee.¡± Gloria looked the detective right in his eyes, then shifted her eyes around just to appear more like a criminal, while in fact she was scanning through the files on Detective Shrevas Pahaik¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Age?¡± The questioning detective still had his eyes on her.


    ¡°28 - but be a dear and mark me down for 26, 25.¡± Gloria scanned the desk one more time, and she found no open files. She could only peek the way she was cuffed right now, thus she needed to actually open the folders. But there was no way she could do it in front of this detective. She was not sure why, but she could faintly sense that he was not as simple as he appeared.


    ¡°Home address?¡± The detective seemed to have noticed Gloria¡¯s shiftiness, yet still unaware of her true intentions.


    ¡°I live in the unregistered area of South-Eastern District, I could take you there for a trip but can¡¯t tell you the street number.¡± Gloria Lee smirked at this detective, trying to annoy him enough that he got distracted: ¡°So, yeah, no address for ya.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The detective looked rightfully frustrated, as he tried to write some notes down and fill in the form on the computer: ¡°Why¡¯d you steal from the clergyman?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal from him. But if someone did, that bastard had it coming.¡± Gloria recited from the story she prepared with Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Alright, alright. ¡± The detective rubbed his temples and sighed ¡°You know, if the clergyman insisted on you being prosecuted, there was not much we could do right? A clergyman and his influences - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, trust me.¡± Gloria nodded, somewhat surprised this detective would actually know anything about the statuses of normal clergymen, yet scoffed internally at the attempt at tricking her: ¡°He likes to remind everyone of that everyday, like he¡¯s got something to compensate for.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and I will go and get a cup of coffee. And you keep in mind that the petty theft can still be a pain in the ass if you¡¯ve got priors and the victim expressed concerns about the object being stolen.¡± The detective seemed to have made the decision to let Gloria stew for a while. So instead of keeping the pressure on, he stood up and started walking toward the small kitchen area with coffee pots and tea bags on the shelves: ¡°Trust me, I think Detective Pahaik would agree with me on this - if the victim insisted, then it¡¯s better if you¡¯d just sign a confession and deal with the fine.¡±


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    ¡°Eh, pass. ¡± Gloria waved her right hand and sat back on her chair, ready to act: ¡°But you enjoy your coffee, okay? Be sure you don¡¯t lose any sleep tonight.¡±


    The detective shrugged, then continued his way to the kitchen.


    ¡°Fucking jackass.¡± Gloria cursed, then just when the detective turned his back, she pulled out the cuff picking tools in her sleeves and started using them on the cuff that bound her to Detective Shrevas Pahaik¡¯s desk. After a few jiggles, the cuff clicked and loosened. She immediately flipped open the first folder on the table. And just with her luck, it was the right folder. The files seemed freshly painted, with notes, pictures and even a copy of the preliminary forensics report. Without thinking much, she took the files from the folder and bolted at the door. Her movement was too abrupt, and the handcuff chained to the desk dangled and hit the floor.


    When Gloria made it into the small alley beside the precinct building, she heard a sound of things moving through the air at high speed coming from behind her. She looked back, and saw that Detective Marcus Cai was coming after her, with some sort of bright orange glow around his body. Qi, he was a mystic martial arts practitioner.


    Without thinking, Gloria pushed her own Qi to enhance her mobility and leapt onto a tree on the side. Her entire body glowed in blue, a symbol of good mastery of Qi, but she did not have the heart to spectate herself.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Detective Marcus Cai yelled, the next moment his legs stomped on the ground. His Qi exploded and created a small dent on the ground, launching him right at Gloria.


    The detective¡¯s move brought about a storm before him, forcing Gloria to jump away again. With the full force of her Qi, she glided in the air at the inner part of the alley she was in. And with a loud boom, the tree on which she was just standing almost got torn down by the detective¡¯s redirecting kick. His moves were far from as elegant as Gloria¡¯s, but they got the job down - he was closing in on Gloria once again.


    Gloria ran her hand to a corner of the road, grabbing some broken wooden pellets in her palm and started infusing them with her Qi.


    When the detective got to a close enough distance, she turned around and launched the wooden pellets on him. Almost half of them landed, but they were not remotely as effective. They cracked and splintered, while the detective was not stalled for even one step.


    Seeing this, Gloria stomped on the ground and launched herself onto the wall on the side. But just when she was about to run on the wall and hop into another alley, the detective used the opposite way and shot at her with his arm extended.


    Simply evading no longer seemed enough, Gloria backed off, arched her back and readied her pose. When the detective came close in the air, she launched three rapid kicks against him with her right leg.


    The kicks all struck true. While the detective fell off the wall, Gloria recoiled as the reaction force from the detective¡¯s defenses caused another jolt of pain to shoot through her leg. But luckily, she was ready and rode the impact to launch herself higher onto the roof of a building.


    The files in her hand felt lighter - small pieces of them were torn off. Iit seemed that the detective snatched a handful when he fell. He could have hurt her during that move, maybe not necessarily pull her down, but cause her some injuries and make her less likely to escape. But it looked like he chose not to and just to grab the files.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 15 years - you better watch out.¡± Gloria thought for a very brief moment, she decided to give out a warning to this detective. He was a mystic martial arts practitioner, and if things were indeed going to get bad, he could be of help. ¡°... not just for yourself.¡±


    After this, Gloria turned back and ran. Her right ankle started hurting again, but not as seriously.

 Book 2 Chapter 29. Files and Secrets (Part 2)

    ¡°Geez, what the hell?¡± Looking at Gloria¡¯s slightly limping figure, Gyuu Park rushed out of the 24-hour coffee shop they arranged earlier: ¡°You fought? Who?¡±


    ¡°Detective Marcus Cai. ¡± Gloria let Gyuu Park help her into the coffee shop and into the booth: ¡°Surprise surprise, he¡¯s a mystic martial arts practitioner. Presumably unregistered.¡±


    ¡°Definitely unregistered.¡± Gyuu Park raised her hand to signal at the waitress: ¡°Hello, can we have another cup of tea please? ¡± Then he lowered his voice and asked Gloria: ¡°So, what¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°Case files, but that guy ripped them.¡± Gloria sighed and put the files onto the desk: ¡°I checked, most of the information is still there - and pictures - look at the pictures.¡±


    Gyuu Park flattened the rolled up and torn pages and recoiled a little as he flipped through them: ¡°Yikes, this is definitely not something to read on a table. But - well, good thing that we have something on the forensic report - heavily decomposed, cause of death unknown - traces of - well, this part is missing. And - looks like their name tags are still there with them, identity some of them found, but - looks like the names are not included here. Or maybe they were, but in the ripped off parts¡­¡±


    ¡°Heavily decomposed, that¡¯s quite unnatural, right?¡± Gloria asked as she smiled at the waitress and took the tea from her.


    ¡°Yes, but unfortunately not as arcane and obscure as we¡¯d hoped.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°Rapid decay indicates close contact with high density of foul and grim energy, typically of the paranormal nature.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, maybe it was just because of the electricity?¡± Gloria sighed and rubbed her temple.


    ¡°Yeah, I wish. But no.¡± Gyuu Park took another look at the pictures and almost wretched: ¡°Some of these bodies looked bloated and had sores on them, like bodies that had been in the water for a prolonged period of time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait, water.¡± Gloria immediately sat straight: ¡°Do you remember that piece of grass I brought to your temple? I think it was aqua weed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember, I couldn¡¯t find it anymore though. You know - after what happened.¡± Gyuu Park sighed and continued looking through the broken pages: ¡°And I think you¡¯re onto something, this right here - ¡± He proceeded to show a picture to Gloria, who immediately looked away.


    ¡°Dude! I¡¯m drinking here! You just have to pick the worst time don¡¯t you?!¡± Gloria coughed because her abrupt movement caused her to not swallow her tea properly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I meant this.¡± Gyuu Park folded the corner of the report and showed Gloria only a small part of the picture. It showed a patch of wet ground on the side of a bloated hand, and beside it laid some wet and intertwined grass and weeds. ¡°This is what you saw right?¡±


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    ¡°... yes.¡± Gloria took another look at the picture, then nodded: ¡°So, water ghouls? Lost drowned? I - I don¡¯t know much more about water entities. It¡¯s - but how did they get so far away from the nearest water source?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. But - you know. I think this 15 year cycle theory of yours is really starting to worry me. I am really not liking this thought.¡± Gyuu Park sat back and looked up: ¡°You know - I think - I mean I know, things are gonna get real bad real soon. So I just want to say, you gotta be careful, okay?¡±


    ¡°You mean WE gotta be careful.¡± Gloria shrugged and scoffed: ¡°You¡¯re still in on the case, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Yes of course.¡± Gyuu Park responded, chuckling with a wry smile on his face.


    ¡°Wait. Question.¡± Gloria was about to sip her tea again, before a thought hit her mind: ¡°I¡¯ve heard from my babysitting job that there are children missing in the Northern District - they were not certain but they think whoever¡¯s behind this are probably targeting poor - I mean, not so well-off households. Do you think - the cycle could affect children?¡±


    ¡°This is news to me. I suppose it is possible.¡± Gyuu Park answered after some thought: ¡°But we need more concrete proof before we can say anything definite. Have you heard anything specific? Did they say anything about suspects? Persons of interest?¡±


    ¡°Not really. ¡± Gloria scratched her jaw: ¡°They mentioned people seeing vans and SUVs, I guess those could potentially be the suspects. They were really, seriously rattled by this. And - ¡± She pondered for a short moment: ¡°What - what can you tell me about Cat Granny?¡±


    Gyuu Park almost choked on his tea when he heard the name: ¡°Hrm - what, what brings this idea to your head? Did you go into some urban legend rabbit hole?¡±


    ¡°No - no, I mean, the kid I was babysitting, smart kid, and he thought he found out the answer - ¡± Gloria stammered, trying to explain but was still slightly struggling: ¡°So - this idea just stuck with me - I just remember hearing about the Cat Granny, but I¡¯ve never learned anything detailed about her, so - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m not judging.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head and hands: ¡°It¡¯s just - uh, the story¡¯s understandably terrifying, and politically complicated, if you¡¯d believe me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How¡¯s so?¡± Gloria raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Okay - ¡± Gyuu Park leaned in and lowered his voice, also gesturing Gloria to come closer: ¡°You know, remember you were asking me about Qiyun and Omens?¡±


    ¡°Yes? And how is that related?¡±


    ¡°Okay - you did not hear this from me, but - ¡± Gyuu Park looked around, then lowered his voice more: ¡°Let¡¯s start with this - as you can possibly imagine, with the idea of Qiyun and flow of Karma, that humans are media through which Qiyun and Karma takes effect on the world as well.¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t say I haven¡¯t thought of it this way. Still glad to know my hunches are correct.¡± Gloria nodded.


    ¡°Smart. Now, this means that when someone dies, the Qiyun bestowed upon and carried by them would disperse to the world.¡± Gyuu Park continued: ¡°You might have heard of this notion - it¡¯s one of the reasons some parts of our district still have those fancy rituals after members of their family pass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, understandable.¡± Gloria recalled the watcher¡¯s notes on how to respectfully treat the bodies, all of which she could still recite by heart.


    ¡°The appearance of Cat Granny, one theory among official clergymen and clergywoman, is that it¡¯s a freak accident because of this effect.¡± Gyuu Park seemed really worried and even horrified as he spoke: ¡°As you may know, cats are known for, according to folklore, half-in and half-out. And the actual Cat Granny incident happened during the wake of an old woman. On the third or fourth night, the folks who were supposed to keep watch of the body fell asleep, and a cat snuck in to eat the sacrificial food.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no - ¡±


    ¡°This was theorized afterwards, of course, from the scratches and bite marks on the food. But that night, the body of the old woman was missing. And starting from the 7th night after her death, she started reappearing, her face turning cat-like, and began snatching young kids, eating them alive.¡± Gyuu Park shivered as he continued: ¡°Eventually the community collective gathered a team to hunt her down, cornering her in a small abandoned house and practically burning her alive. It¡¯s said that a dead cat was found inside the abdomen of her body.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 30. Files and Secrets (Part 3)

    ¡°Yeesh.¡± Fear and panic could be infectious, and Gloria gasped lightly staring into Gyuu Park¡¯s face: ¡°And - this means she¡¯s dead right? I mean - I could just tell the kid and let him know that he has nothing to worry about. And what does it have to do with Qiyun? Are you telling me that the cat eating some sacrificial food caused some - karmic abnormality?¡±


    ¡°Yes, except: one, not many actually could testify that they saw the team from the community collective taking her down; and two, there were still a lot of things unexplained. ¡± Gyuu Park raised his fingers and counted: ¡°No one knows exactly what happened. But we know that it involves at least two major factors: for one, that the cat eating sacrificial food, and the woman being recently deceased seemed to have triggered some kind of strange reaction, causing the cat and the old woman to be merged into a single entity; and two, it was a karmic phenomenon due to curious and still unknown circumstances. The reasoning behind the second was that after her being risen, she targeted mainly children, and healthy children at that. The worst thing she did was sneaking into a small daycare center and taking away five out of six children from the room. The only one she didn¡¯t take was a girl, who had some kind of heart condition from birth. She later passed away from it at the age of seven or eight. And it kinda led to people in the clergymen and clergywomen circle theorizing that she was trying to feed on more than the raw vitality of the children, but also the Qiyun and flow of karma that was bestowed upon them. Because, and you did not hear this from me, in theory it can be done, especially to young children. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in a way, like - like stealing the future from them? Is that the right way to look at it?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Close enough.¡± Gyuu Park sighed and leaned back: ¡°Throughout recorded history, this is not the first time it ever occurred, but it was definitely the latest incident. So - to tell you what I¡¯d worry about. Just like I said, not many could actually say they saw the Cat Granny being taken out. And to be perfectly honest, I am not sure that kind of thing could be killed just with fire.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gloria rubbed her temples, as she finished her tea completely and pushed the cup to the side: ¡°How did she even steal it? I mean, from the children? Just by eating them alive?¡±


    ¡°She might not have done so out of premeditation, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s some kind of spontaneous monsterization. And from what I¡¯ve read about the incident, though she was cunning and sneaky, she was definitely not intelligent enough to know about all the forbidden knowledge of Qiyun. The only plausible answer was that after turning into that thing, she just knew.¡±


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    ¡°Do cats know?¡± Gloria thought for a moment then asked: ¡°I mean, how about that cat? What do we know about it?¡±


    ¡°The body was heavily charred, so not very easy to tell. All we know is that it had gray, white and yellow fur.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°And good question - I think the answer is that cats do kinda know. Have you heard about the legend of Nekomata? The unusually old cats that have gained supernatural abilities and would eat the old people in their households and replace them? I think it¡¯s basically the same kind of instinct at play here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s concerning.¡± Gloria scratched her head: ¡°So, what do you suggest we do next? I¡¯m  - I gotta admit, I am completely out of ideas for now. With everything that¡¯s going on - ¡±


    ¡°I think first we need to go to the docks and take a look.¡± Gyuu Park flipped through the pages once again: ¡°I mean - things are bad, just like you suspected. And it¡¯s paranormal in nature, so, your 15 year circle theory does seem to have certain truth to it. The only thing we need to figure out is - if something horrible was about to happen, then what will it be?¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you think everything is connected as well?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ruling it out.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°I made some talismans recently - and hopefully they could help us. It should be the closest water that connects the lake to that electrical substation right? If it is indeed water connected, with the aqua weeds and all, then we could possibly find something.¡±


    ¡°Okay, should we go now?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°No, no, that would be foolish.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head and chuckled: ¡°We just need to find the right time - where the energy in the air is balanced between Yin and Yang. In this way, we won¡¯t be in terrible danger if there are indeed some kind of unclean beings in the water, and the traces of paranormal energy would still be lingering. So I am thinking maybe tomorrow morning, early, before sunrise.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Gloria yawned, with everything she did, she finally began to get tired.


    ¡°And then, there¡¯s this thing we can try.¡± Gyuu Park also yawned, but as he slowly looked through all the pictures from the torn pages, he pulled one closer to his face as he seemed to have found something worth paying attention to: ¡°This is interesting - the pictures - they didn¡¯t blur out the uniforms¡¯ serial numbers. I bet we can find out who some of these victims are. And maybe we can pay their family a visit, and ask them if they had, you know, gone through something unusual or strange. Especially recently.¡±


    ¡°Well - but that would be - a little insensitive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°I think we have no other choice but to try.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re gonna find something. But it¡¯s a lead. And - let¡¯s face it, it¡¯s the most solid lead to everything we¡¯re trying to look into right now.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I hate this.¡± Gloria rubbed her temples again: ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is all happening. I mean - it all started with that weird body, and then everything just - just rolled into a giant turd snowball.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like you know what snowballs look like.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled and waved to the waitress.


    ¡°I lived in the Northern District when I was a kid, remember?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 31. Files and Secrets (Part 4)

    ¡°Sue?¡± When Gloria came back from her mission with Gyuu Park, it was already quite late into the night. This time she told Sue about her plan beforehand, so that Sue would not worry. But she was not expecting to see her friend just in front of her she opened her apartment¡¯s door, seeming to be also coming home just now.


    ¡°Oh - god. You startled me!¡± Sue let out an exhale of relief then proceeded to open the door: ¡°I thought you¡¯d need longer - how was it? Did you get the files?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I got something, not the full file but enough.¡± Gloria shrugged, then turned the question around: ¡°What are you doing out there at this hour? Aren¡¯t you usually home by now?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve been drowned in all of the front line actions, I couldn¡¯t just stand by and wait.¡± Sue smiled as she sat down on the sofa: ¡°So I made an appointment with Turner, and asked him to help me with some research.¡±


    ¡°Um, okay.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°So, what¡¯d you find? I¡¯m sure he was very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he was beyond helpful.¡± Sue shrugged, then sighed and shook her head: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know, girl, it just feels wrong to see him working so hard and - ¡±


    ¡°But - what¡¯d you find?¡± Gloria went into the kitchen and started boiling a pot of water.


    ¡°Oh, unfortunately, not much.¡± Sue scratched her hair: ¡°That lady at the desk kept asking us for that letter, and we kept putting it off. And I think one day she¡¯s gonna really ask you about it. But beside that, we¡¯ve found some interesting old records. I think some of them were written at least hundreds of years ago. They paint a pretty grim picture. And to be honest, kinda horrible. They basically said, that the rise of omens, and the general infection of omens without actually encountering paranormal entities can be interpreted as there have been disruptions and pollutants on a spiritual level in the environment or general Qiyun. But I am not entirely sure what that means.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Gloria poured the hot water into the cups as she carefully weighed the potential words she could use, so that she would not sound like she was rushing or pressuring her friend: ¡°Have you found out anything new about Qiyun and omens?¡±


    ¡°Well, not really, unfortunately. Even with Turner¡¯s help, we could only find so many related records. And most of them were essentially saying the same vague and sometimes intangible things.¡±  Sue sounded like she was considering what words she could use as well: ¡°I did read SOME new things about it. And I¡¯ve got a general idea - ¡±


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    ¡°Okay - good!¡± Gloria let out a sigh of relief, and she picked up the two cups of tea and walked into the living room: ¡°So, tell me, what else have you found? Something interesting? Something - enlightening?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Interesting, definitely, but - ¡± Sue immediately nodded as she accepted a cup of tea from Gloria: ¡°So - before we continue: what do you know about it? And - what do you think it has to do with the omens that affected you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well, if the past few days of reading has taught me anything - ¡± Gloria tried to clear her head and organize her thoughts and words: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a general flow of things, of karma. And how everything comes to be and will become.¡±


    ¡°Yes - and omens are essentially the ¡®toxins¡¯ or ¡®pollutants¡¯ in the flow of karma.¡± Sue raised her right hand and tried to gesture what looked like a waterflow: ¡°But - remember what I said earlier, your being affected by omens without having paranormal encounters is a sign of there being pollutants in the flow of karma itself? I think we may have found an explanation for that.¡±


    ¡°Do tell do tell.¡±


    ¡°Tides. Karma has flows, and it has tides as well.¡± Sue seemed to be rather excited, and a bit of her tea spilled over and onto her leg, causing her to flinch and jump out of the sofa.


    ¡°Geez, be careful.¡± Gloria immediately grabbed a box of paper tissue and threw it at Sue.


    ¡°Thanks, thanks.¡± Sue wiped down her trousers and the wet spots on the sofa: ¡°Now, where was I - oh, right tides, tides of karma and Qiyun. You can imagine what it is - low tides and high tides. It ripples, it has waves. And with the tides of Qiyun and karma, there would be times where things are going well, then there would be times where they become low, weaker and more vulnerable and more prone to the appearance of omens.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Gloria scratched her jaw: ¡°And, if you look at it the other way, it could be that omens are themselves natural phenomena in the cycles of these tides instead of simply pollutants.¡±


    ¡°Bingo - this was Turner¡¯s theory.¡± Sue snapped her finger with a bright smile on her face: ¡°And I want to say - both are possible, and honestly it¡¯s possible both are true. Who¡¯s to say, on a grander scale of things, omens are not themselves some kind of manifestations of Qiyun and karma themselves?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Gloria paced around in the living room, but then sighed and laid down her cup: ¡°Anything else? Not that I don¡¯t appreciate this insight, it¡¯s just - ¡±


    ¡°It seems to raise more questions than it answers.¡± Sue sighed: ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nononono, don¡¯t apologize.¡± Gloria shook her head and sat beside Sue: ¡°We¡¯re looking into some difficult and potentially dangerous things. This is something we¡¯re bound to face sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! Oh oh oh!¡± Sue smacker herself on the forehead: ¡°Gosh, I almost forgot about this - geez. Here¡¯s something I accidentally found out from the old records, it was a bit strange at first but I think it kinda explains why the study of Qiyun and omens has become a touchy subject - did you know that around 30 years ago, there was a city-wide project to suppress paranormality through some kind of technology involving Qiyun?¡±


    ¡°What? How - how is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Exactly - I don¡¯t know how that is even possible! But the related records have all been scrubbed - I read from this, hidden inside some old temple blueprints.¡± Sue got up, rushed to a corner in the living room and took out a small notebook with stained and dirty covers with only two fingers clutching its spine. ¡°Careful, the paper is old and dusty.¡±


    ¡°Is this - is this blood?¡± Gloria picked the notebook as carefully as Sue, then stared at a particular big dark stain on its thick cover and asked.


    ¡°I - I think so.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 32. Files and Secrets (Part 5)

    This notebook was hard to peel open at first, the pages and the spine made cracking sounds even when Gloria opened it with extra caution. The pages were slightly wrinkled, as if they were once drenched in water and were subsequently dried. There were also soiled ink marks on almost every page, some of the more serious ones even made it so that Gloria could not decipher anything at all.


    ¡°Yeah - not many of the pages are readable.¡± Sue shrugged: ¡°I¡¯ll try to find someone who can read pen prints and see if we can find anything, but if it was written by writing brushes, then there¡¯s no way to tell at all. The notes I¡¯m talking about are in the middle.¡±


    Gloria sighed, then flipped to a more clear part in the middle, where the pages were soiled in the edges but the words at or close to the center.


    ¡°... the overwhelming gloom and darkness clouding the entirety of Poison City was making the people of the Northern and South-Western parts of the city who are of positions and power just as worried, if not more than the common regular resident in our district. Not long ago, they started talking, and even allowing some kind and certain extense of public discussion of paranormality, which they previously just shut down and slandered as ignorant folksy superstition ¡­


    ¡°... There were certain factions of the city, and I meant those that include city leaders, who even openly expressed interest in pushing forward a city-wide project to suppress or even quell paranormality ¡­ ¡±


    ¡°... aforementioned project was unnamed, and there isn¡¯t much direct evidence showing that it is even being developed. But from what we heard, and from what our contacts in the city hall told us, they are collaborating with a few civilian entities in order to develop certain technologies that would serve this purpose¡­¡±


    And the next few pages seemed to be either horribly soiled and had only a few readable words or were even completely torn from the notebook.


    ¡°So, there was a ¡®project¡¯ to quell paranormality, huh?¡± Gloria frowned and went into her thoughts for a short moment: ¡°I mean - it is interesting. And god - I actually think it is probably, or very likely a real project that actually happened.¡±


    ¡°You mean - the fact that the other two districts seemed to have less paranormal incidents than our district?¡± Sue raised her eyebrows: ¡°Yeah, exactly, exactly. But we don¡¯t know what it is, not yet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll keep looking into it?¡± Gloria asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes. And I believe we¡¯re onto something crucial.¡± Sue nodded: ¡°What about you? What else did you find from the pigs?¡±


    ¡°Here. But I have to warn you, it¡¯s really really gruesome.¡± Gloria handed the roll of torn files to Sue: ¡°We are looking into the incident¡¯s connection with water, and we¡¯re going to the docs early tomorrow morning.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°What - in order to investigate, you¡¯re trying to go right at it?¡± Sue almost jumped from the chair while having her eyes fixed on Gloria: ¡°Yeah, bring me, I want to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a job to do tomorrow?¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°And trust me - Gyuu and I got it.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m coming with you.¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°You said early morning right? Bring me along, I want to help. And I don¡¯t want to just stay on the sidelines and wait, while you¡¯re literally out there fighting ghosts and spirits.¡±


    Gloria sighed, then patted her friend on the shoulder: ¡°Okay, but remember two things: one, whatever you¡¯ll see, you did not see; and two, we are never there, okay? ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Sue laughed and shrugged: ¡°We just went for an early morning coffee, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡ª---------------------


    The next morning, there was only very faint sunlight behind the cloudy sky. The wind was constant and chilling, but at least the air seemed fresh. Gloria and Sue walked through the streets with hastened steps and in thick coats. Before they came, they packed almost everything they could find that would protect them from anything paranormal and supernatural: talismans, bottles of blessed water, incense burners and blessed candles. Sue even brought a small blessed wooden buddha statue with her.


    ¡°Well, this is an occasion I was never trained for.¡± Gyuu Park got to the docks just a bit earlier than Gloria and Sue: ¡°Sue, thank you for coming. I¡¯d say that we don¡¯t want civilians in an operation like this. But who am I kidding, everyone¡¯s kind of a civilian when dealing with things like this.¡±


    ¡°And everyone is kind of a soldier when things like this happen, we don¡¯t really have a choice, do we? ¡± Sue laughed out loud: ¡°Now, what do you want to do here?¡±


    ¡°Well, hopefully just a simple ritual and everything will become clear.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°But - if I am not mistaken, it can become a bit dangerous. So - prepare to run. And, uh, yeah, let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll just need a small hidden corner. ¡±


    Three of them snuck into the area of the docks from the side. This was not the hot shipping season, nor was it fishing season in the lakes, so not many were using it, which meant that many warehouses nearby were empty and unused. There remained some wooden crates and boxes and shelves, but they looked like they had been untouched for quite a while.


    ¡°Here, this one looks good.¡± Gyuu Park pointed at a warehouse with two rusty metal doors and a metal chain keeping them closed. There was visible dust on the chains and the dirt patterns on the ground seemed mostly even. It seemed this was a warehouse that was not recently used.


    ¡°Okay, but rusty locks might be hard though.¡± Gloria brought out her small toolkit and started picking the lock on the chain: ¡°I mean, we can try the window if possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonono, if we do this, we need to have every sign of harmony. ¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°Breaking windows is a bad, I mean really BAD sign.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and picking out the lock isn¡¯t?¡± Gloria smiled as the lock clicked and the chains fell on the sides.


    ¡°We¡¯d have a harder time if the lock is actually on the door.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged while Gloria pushed the doors open: ¡°But yeah. It¡¯s not good, but sometimes we just don¡¯t have the luxury. ¡±


    The air inside the warehouse reeked of rust, mold and saltiness from the water and fish. The mud river was not exactly known for its quality fish product due to pollution, but more than half of the fresh water fish and crustaceans sold in the South-Eastern District came through here, so it could make sense that this warehouse was once used to store these products.


    ¡°Here, light it up in the Southwestern corner.¡± Gyuu Park handed a small candle in a bronze holder to Gloria: ¡°And Sue, help me set the flags.¡±


    The flame on the candle wick danced and flickered, even though there was no obvious airflow in this very warehouse. It settled down after a while, and seemed to be steady.


    Gyuu Park and Sue placed six small flags at a central spot of the warehouse, two red, two green and two blue, each pair facing each other. At the center, Gyuu Park put down a small bronze bowl filled with prime white sticky rice with one long incense stick. Right now, Gyuu Park was drawing a circle with arcane symbols using red paint around the flags.


    ¡°This - you¡¯re drawing a Qiyun related circle!¡± Sue¡¯s eyes opened wide, then turned to Gyuu Park: ¡°How - How do you even know this? This is supposed to be forbidden knowledge!¡±


    ¡°Like I advised Gloria.¡± Gyuu Park seemed to be somewhat tired out after finishing the circle: ¡°When you need answers and can''t find a way to get them - try the old ruins.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 33. Waves and Waters (Part 1)

    ¡°First of all.¡± Gyuu Park stood up straight, found the Northwestern direction of the warehouse while standing in the original spot. Then he took out a small bronze bell with red threads wrapped on the handle. ¡°I¡¯ll start the ritual. You two stay silent and don¡¯t make any sound. No matter what you see, don¡¯t make a sound. If you see anything strange, then look in the direction of the thing you see. If you are afraid or disturbed, keep your eyes on the rice.¡±


    ¡°Please, tell me this isn¡¯t one of those dangerous rituals that could mess up the flow of Qiyun and bring omens down on us. ¡± Sue still seemed somewhat bothered: ¡°I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about these rituals, and none of them are any good. If we¡¯re here to figure out what is bringing the omens to us, it kinda defeats the purpose if we do something that will literally bring omens to us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sue, it¡¯s nothing of the sort.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head, chuckling: ¡°Believe me, I know very well the pitfalls and dangers of messing with Qiyun and karma. And yes, sometimes even trying to peek at the flow of Qiyun and karma will cause one to be harmed and inflicted. But rest assured that this is no way that reckless or self-indulgent. All I¡¯m trying to do is to see three things: one, if there had been elevated levels of paranormal activity, or any occurrence of dangerous paranormal activities that can be tied back to the mud river and this very docks area; two, hopefully we can find out if what happened at that electrical substation is connected to water, or at least has any connection to the water flowing through here; and three, somewhat of an added bonus, if everything works out, we¡¯d find out if there are indeed traces of omens here, if there are, then we may have a lead on why Gloria was infected with omens. Her coffee shop was not that far away from here.¡±


    ¡°Are you really not peeking into the flow of Qiyun?¡± Sue narrowed her eyes and tried to confirm.


    ¡°No - I don¡¯t wanna go blind, or mute.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged, then pointed his finger at the bowl of sticky rice at the center of the circle: ¡°I¡¯m just going to see if there are any noticeable marks. Now, whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Sue took a look at Gloria, and found that Gloria was looking at her as well, with an assuring look on her face. ¡°So - you really ARE certain about this huh?¡±


    ¡°As certain as I can ever be about things like this.¡± Gloria let out a relaxed exhale, then nodded: ¡°I mean - I want to figure this out. I don¡¯t really care about what the community collective says. I just want answers.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sue sighed, then looked up at the ceiling, as well as the candle placed in the Southeastern corner: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it. Gyuu, just let us know what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°Good, just keep your eye on it, you can try to look around. But this ritual can actually cause dizziness, so unless you see something, try to concentrate on the rice.¡± Gyuu Park nodded: ¡°And Gloria, stand by my side and take that bottle of wine. When I tell you to, just splash some wine onto the rice or the flags.¡±


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    ¡°Got it.¡± Gloria came close to Gyuu Park, and picked up the small light green bottle from Gyuu Park¡¯s small cloth bag.


    ¡°Sue, you have brought talismans and some artifacts right? Hold onto them, and put that buddha statue on the ground, let it guard your back. If it breaks or even just cracks, you¡¯d better be prepared to burn it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡±


    Gyuu Park cleared his throat, then started flinging his arm up and down to ring the bronze bell, while chanting: ¡°Oh, here I ponder; here I pray, here I ask. What brings me life, what brings me death; what brings me light, what brings me shadows; what brings me enlightenment, peace and goodness, what brings me greed, resentment and ignorance. Here, I ask to see. Here, I shall see. Here, I see.¡±


    The bell rang nine times in total, then Gyuu Park nodded at Gloria: ¡°Wine.¡±


    Gloria poured some wine onto her right palm and fingers, then leaned in a little and splashed it on the bronze bowl filled with sticky rice.


    ¡°Here, I offer you my will, I offer you my question, I offer you our wishes to learn and cultivate. Reveal to us.¡± Gyuu Park rang the bell one more time, then lit up something between his right middle and index fingers and threw it at the bowl of sticky rice.


    A sizzling sound came from the rice, and shortly, a clear smoke arose. The grains of rice on the top began turning yellow, then brown on the surface even when there was no visible flame.


    Everything around them started becoming blurry, more and more so as time went by. It was not just because of the light gray smoke and mist appearing around them, but also because, for some reason, of the light shone onto their surroundings through the windows and the sunroof had become gradually dimmer and more iridescent.


    ¡°Take heed. Take heed, as I plead and mediate. Take heed as I venture into the river, go through the bridge and ascend the mountains.¡± Gyuu Park continued, slowing his words down, as if the annunciation of each word brought about some kind of weight on his shoulders and his mind.


    Noticing that Sue¡¯s breathing had hastened, Gloria looked up at Sue, and found that Sue¡¯s eyes were fixated on something to Gyuu¡¯s left, the space between Gyuu and her. Gloria slowly and carefully turned her head as well as her eyes. When she almost reached the maximum angle she could without turning her shoulders, she saw what caught Sue¡¯s attention with the corner of her right eye: a seemingly female figure in a long ragged robe, with messy, pouring long hair and four arms. It was not four arms on the same pair of shoulders, but were separately connected to two pairs of shoulders stuck together with an angle, with their own respective chests. The two arms in the middle almost seemed like one on the upper part, and only almost halfway to the elbow did they actually split into two arms.


    ¡°SILENT as I may be, weak as I may be, decrepit as I may be, covetous as I may be, bitter as I may be, unenlightened as I may be. Such is all illusion, blinding me from the truth, deafening me from the great song, chaining me from the tower.¡± Gyuu Park gave Sue an encouraging and calming look, then continued: ¡°For I am one of the common, one grain of dust, one vast universe, one eye, one flower and one sun.¡±


    Gloria slowly turned her head back, while scanning their surroundings to see if there were more entities to which she needed to pay attention. There were: in the direction between Sue and Gyuu Park, further from them than the female figure, there was a pile of severed arms and fingers, still bleeding; from one metal beam above, dangled two dried up bodies covered in moss, dried grass and small but colorful mushrooms; and arguably most lively and horrific of all, was a slowly pacing man in ragged clothes with slash wounds all over his body and half his face missing - his wounds were all black like cracked coal or burnt wood, showing no traces flesh or bones inside.

 Book 2 Chapter 34. Waves and Waters (Part 2)

    Clouds of smoke and mist appeared in different corners of the warehouse. But somehow, they were not spreading to the rest of the interior. Gloria peeked around, and she could see worms, lizards, toads and bugs crawling around on some of the wooden crates and boxes.


    Gyuu Park finished his chanting, and made a ¡°shhh¡± gesture at both Gloria and Sue. Then, he turned and started looking around. Sue¡¯s body was trembling, her legs were shaking especially hard as if just being here was taking a toll on her body. Gloria feared that the sight around her would cause her additional distress, so she pointed at the bowl of rice a few times, gesturing to her friend to keep her eyes on it.


    Gloria¡¯s eyes followed Gyuu Park¡¯s movement and the directions in which he was looking. With this ritual taking place, there was a strange iridescent aura around everything. Gloria was not sure if it was because the aura was really there, or it was because the ritual had affected her eyes.


    Sue¡¯s body was trembling in fear and stress, she seemed like she could not help but want to look around just to understand what kind of situation she was in. She had just enough self control to keep her head facing the bowl of sticky rice, yet her eyes still wandered, and what she could see from the corners of her eyes just made her shake harder.


    Gyuu Park carefully walked over some jumping and croaking toads covered in mud with all shades of brown, then he bypassed a coiling snake beside a wooden pillar. He looked up along the wooden and metal beams on the higher up places - and Gloria looked around with him.


    The beams were not clean to begin with, but right now they looked extra filthy: aside from the normal collected dust, rush and corrosion, there were also some kind of hair or grass like threads dangling from them. But with all of the dark, grim and repulsive visuals, there was still something bright amongst them - she could see some dim, flickering but glowing threads wrapped around some of the beams, which seemed to have some kind of repelling effect on the dark hair-like dangling entities around them. The weirdly shaped spiders, crabs and human spirits all seemed to be avoiding these glowing threads as well.


    Was it just some Feng Shui tricks, or a mystic old craft of blessing the building and the land one which it stood named ¡°Lubanshu Craft¡±, Gloria was not sure, but whatever it was it seemed to be the sole source of non-negative energy in the warehouse right now.


    Gyuu Park shook his head, then carefully walked around the severely disfigured pacing man and a cloud of gray fog that had the rough shape of a human while continuing to examine the beams. From where Gloria was standing, the dark hair looked just like the hair of humans, or some kind of fungus having overgrown. One beam especially caught his eyes - one that did not have any glowing threads on, and had the most dark hair-like threads on it. At the connecting corner between this beam and the pillar that was closest to the door through which they came, there was a pile of the same substance/entity that was almost the height of a small child.


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    He looked down around to make sure that he was not stepping on anything - be it paranormal entities or something that could make a sound. After making sure there was nothing of concern around him, he looked up again.


    Gloria looked down then up along with Gyuu Park. She saw the same sudden change just as he did: a pair of bloodshot, jaundiced eyes opened up on the pile of dark threads. Though the pile was barely the height of a small child, the eyes were much bigger than that of any normal human¡¯s.


    Gyuu Park took a step back and almost froze in place, then he slowly raised his left hand at Gloria, signaling her to hold instead of going over to help him.


    The pile rose taller, revealing a pair of slender legs with pale gray skin, curly white leg hair and two big toes on each foot. The creature looked at Gyuu Park, then turned its eyes to Gloria and Sue. After staring at them for a while, the creature hopped off from the beam and started walking around the warehouse.


    The creature came closer to Sue and Gloria, but it seemed to be doing so aimlessly. And right in front of Gloria¡¯s eyes, the snakes, the toads, and even the pacing man with ragged clothes all cracked and crumbled when coming into contact with it.


    A realization hit Gloria just now - most of the paranormal entities she saw, they were not actually here. They were shadows, or echoes of some other kind. It was probably why there were strange auras around them. And right now this creature, which seemed to be real and had taken a corporeal form, was somehow awakened or revealed by the ritual.


    Gyuu Park backed away from his position and inched toward Gloria and Sue one step at a time while keeping his eyes on the creature. The creature continued to walk around, colliding with more and more vivid, almost lifelike shadows. Gloria couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was doing so on purpose.


    ¡°We should go.¡± Gyuu Park whispered to Gloria and Sue, ¡°Sue, hold my hand and hold Gloria¡¯s. We need to get out of here, don¡¯t disturb anything, don¡¯t make a sound.¡±


    Sue nodded, and extended her hands. Gloria held her left hand, Gyuu Park held her right. Three of them formed a line and started walking around the area not occupied by the shadows of the creatures.


    The creature continued to walk around, then stopped right next to the cloud of fog that looked like a human. Gloria turned back to take a look at the creature, just in time to see the creature slowly absorbing the fog. A thin stream of fog was pulled out from the main cloud, and flowed into the top of the creature¡¯s head. The creature¡¯s body shook gently, its eyes grew more bloodshot and it started making some sort of contented humming noises.


    All three of them were almost at the door, just a few more steps, and Gyuu Park would have made it out.


    An ear-piercing scream almost made all of them jump in the air. When they looked to where the scream came from - it appeared to be coming from either the fog or the creature, they just did not know which one.


    ¡°Go, go!¡± Gyuu Park tried to pull Sue and Gloria out of the door.


    The frame of the door shook, then a loud bang came from the outside. Iridescent rings of light exploded from the door, and a shockwave threw all three of them back.

 Book 2 Chapter 35. Escape of Vision

    Both Gloria and Gyuu Park activated their Qi to adjust their as well as Sue¡¯s positions and postures in the air, to make sure that they did not stumble on the ground and land on two feet.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Sue and Gloria asked Gyuu Park at the same time.


    ¡°Spirit Disturbance, something like the paranormal activity of poltergeist, but on a bigger scale.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°Things are bad here at the docks, I¡¯ll explain later. We need to get out of here.¡±


    Another scream erupted, the hairs on Gloria¡¯s back all stood up. She turned her face to the creature and the cloud of fog, and realized that the creature¡¯s eyes had somehow gone fully red, and the size of the cloud itself seemed to have been reduced by quite a noticeable amount. And thus, something inside the fog was beginning to be revealed.


    Gloria squinted, and noticed that it looked like a head inside. But she did not have time to look harder, for Gyuu Park had already activated his Qi on his two arms and readied his fighting stance.


    ¡°Let me help.¡± Gloria started concentrating her Qi on her arms, but Gyuu Park instantly raised his right arm and palm to stop her.


    ¡°No, only I should do it. This is a special barrier. Repeated attacks wouldn¡¯t help at all.¡± Gyuu Park pushed his Qi onto his right middle and index fingers, so much so that his fingertips started glowing in orange. He chanted a few words in a low voice, then used his left index finger to slit a small wound on the tip of his right index finger.


    Another scream came, this time, it was longer, louder, more hoarse, and more desperate. Gloria grabbed Sue¡¯s hand, trying her best to shield her friend from whatever the creature and the fog could throw at them.


    Gyuu Park stood straight for about one or two seconds and retracted his right arm back like sheathing a sword. He then thrusted his entire arm forward with his index and middle fingers pointing forward like attacking with a sword. A faint glowing orange shadow shaped indeed like a long and slender straight blade of a sword shot from his fingers. The shadow reached the glowing aura around the frame of the door in no time. A loud crack came from the collision. Another shockwave exploded from the impact. This time Gloria and Sue were both prepared, and they only recoiled when it blew by them.


    Cracks glowing in rapidly changing colors appeared in the air. Beams of blinding white light poke through them, forcing all three of them to close their eyes for but a mere moment.


    ¡°Wake up, wake up.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s voice seemed to have come from somewhere far away. When Gloria fought through the dizziness, sleepiness and soreness in her muscles and opened her eyes, she saw that she and Sue were still at their original positions, standing around the metal bowl full of rice. The color of the grains of rice in the bowl changed - they were now covered in green spots. It was mold.


    ¡°Wake up!¡± Gyuu Park clapped his hands in front of Gloria and Sue¡¯s faces: ¡°We need to leave. We need to leave, NOW!¡±


    Gloria shook her head, and an idea already formed in her head about what happened. She did not waste another second. She rushed over to her side and threw Sue over on her shoulder and started running towards the door following Gyuu Park.


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    Chittering and cackling sound came from all around them, when Gloria looked around, she found at least a few dozen of the same creatures, with black hairs covering their bodies, big, jaundiced and bloodshot eyes and slender legs sticking out. These creatures were much smaller, but had similar body proportions as the creature that was in her vision.


    ¡°Go!¡± Gyuu Park lunged at the door and practically kicked it open, then raised his hand in the air, holding a small hand mirror with a convex surface in the air, partially facing the sun.


    A thin beam of sunlight was reflected off the hand mirror. It expanded and shone upon a small group of the creatures that were at the forefront. These creatures screamed as the light ignited their hairs and entire bodies, turning into puffs of smoke in a mere instant.


    ¡°GO! Go go go!¡± Gyuu Park stayed behind, as Gloria tried to run further from this very warehouse: ¡°Go into the sunlight! Go into the sunlight!¡±


    Sue was still mumbling something, and was mostly speaking nonsense. This was how she would behave when she was asleep, an indication that she was still trapped in the vision and not awakened by whatever Gyuu Park did.


    The sun was slowly rising in the sky, yet there were also dark and thick clouds in the air, blocking most of the sunlight in this area. Gloria kept running in the empty street, while looking back up at the sky from time to time. The sun was clouded, and there were only a few parts around her that were directly lit up. There was one particular bright spot ahead of her, so she pushed her Qi at her hardest, trying to reach the spot.


    Without sunlight, Gyuu Park could only use his Qi to shoot out small energy bolts and beams trying to push those creatures back. But this was far from sustainable, as his Qi was draining much faster than usual. His face was getting more and more pale in the process. He started coughing, and his arms and legs were getting slower and slower as well.


    ¡°Sue! Wake up!¡± Gloria reached the bright spot, laid her friend down from her shoulder and started shaking her shoulders: ¡°Sue! Please! Wake up!¡±


    But hard as she tried, Sue was showing no signs of coming out of it at all. And looking back, Gyuu Park¡¯s defenses were waning. She had no choice but to run toward Gyuu Park in order to help. If they did not leave almost everything in the warehouse, they would not be as defenseless.


    On her way over, Gloria grabbed half a handful of pebbles and sand from the ground, infused them with Qi and threw them at the creatures as hard as possible.


    At least five creatures were struck by this attack. All of them screamed, several of them just fell on the ground and started squirming and rolling.


    ¡°Quick! I found a spot with sunlight!¡± Gloria said to Gyuu Park while trying to find some talismans from her inner jacket pockets - but all she found was ashes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them touch you! ¡± Gyuu Park turned back and started running toward where Sue was lying along with Gloria.


    ¡°What the hell are they?¡± Seeing that Gyuu Park was not able to run with full speed, Gloria decided to hold onto his shoulder to carry him along.


    ¡°Duster, another kind of Shikikami.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°But something¡¯s wrong with them - they should never become this dark and tainted. They¡¯re scavengers of karmic toxins and karmic pollutants. Just like cleaning cloths or wipes, the more they clean up, the dirtier they get. Then they would self-destruct and turn to dust after a while. But - ¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s stopping them from doing so.¡± Gloria looked back, more and more of these creatures were flooding out, as if someone just unlocked giant cages holding them.


    The lit up spot in which Sue was lying seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Gloria¡¯s heart became heavier just as her arms and legs.


    They got to Sue¡¯s side, and the spot had shrunk to the size that was barely able to cover up Sue, not to mention Gloria or Gyuu.


    ¡°This is it then.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°You bring Sue and go, meet me back at the temple.¡±


    ¡°No - I won¡¯t.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I can¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t kill me right away.¡± Gyuu Park threw Gloria¡¯s hand off him: ¡°They¡¯ll contaminate me, but I¡¯ll live. I can find a way to deal with omens, trust me. I know them, remember? I can hold them for a while. But you can¡¯t, so GO!¡±


    Gloria took a look at Sue, then took a look at the flooding Dusters coming their way. She could not decide.


    But it seemed she did not have to.


    A small crack opened up in the thick clouds above, and projected a thin wall of light between them and the Dusters. Some dusters ran into it, and were instantly turned into dust and smoke. The rest stayed back, their eyes showing clear signs of fear, enough to push back their ferocious hunger.


    Some of the dark creatures tried to go around the wall, but the crack in the clouds started expanding at the same time, and instantly cut through their formation. More and more of them got turned into dust, and the rest began panicking and backing away into the warehouse.


    The clouds thinned and moved away from the sun bit by bit. Dust and ashes filled the street and then was blown away by the morning wind. It was as if they were never here.

 Book 2 Chapter 36. Tide Riders (Part 1)

    Sue was beginning to regain her consciousness when sunlight shone on her face, as she was being carried by both Gloria and Gyuu Park and reached the street right outside of a famous noodle shop in the entire district - Chef Tang¡¯s. It was a place for people to come and buy delicious and affordable noodles, and a place for people in dire positions to ask for help, and allegedly, buy potentially illegitimate information.


    There were three bells hanging from a short, protruding red wood beam just on the side window. One was painted red, one was painted yellow, and the last completely black. When they laid Sue down in a long chair beside the maid door, Gyuu Park ran and rang the yellow bell three times.


    A wooden board slid open right after, and a middle aged man opened up the window, staring at Gyuu Park, grumpy and impatient: ¡°What are you doing here? Stinking up our place?¡±


    ¡°Chef Tang!¡± Gyuu Park almost jumped.


    ¡°What have you been up to, little Gyuu?¡± The middle aged man frowned: ¡°And how did you - ¡±


    ¡°We need help, Chef. I am willing to pay, trade, whatever it costs.¡± Gyuu Park immediately raised his hand and stopped further questions from coming his way: ¡°We really need your help, and some information would be nice. Because I have some pretty interesting intel for you as well.¡±


    ¡°... how interesting?¡± The middle aged man asked after a short pause and a few looks up and down Gyuu Park¡¯s entire body..


    ¡°Something about the docks, and something about the shadows that are lurking in the warehouse. And something about the karmic abnormalities in there.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch - ¡± Chef Tang¡¯s eyes opened wide: ¡°What did you do? You know that kind of rituals are forbidden!¡±


    ¡°No! No! I didn¡¯t do anything horrible or irresponsible. ¡± Gyuu Park immediately waved his hands and stood back: ¡°I just - I just peeked at the residuals.¡±


    ¡°Peeked - tsk.¡± Chef Tang grunted: ¡°Is that how you became this stinky?¡±


    ¡°No, and it¡¯s a long story - ¡±


    ¡°Well, come on in through the back then. And bring your stinky friends with you.¡± Chef Tang slid the window closed.


    The two strangely polished metal doors on the back of the entire noodle shop creaked open, two staffers of the shop in uniforms helped Gloria and Gyuu Park carry Sue inside, and put her on a platform made of pure stone with red wood and metal frames.


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    This seemed to be a specially designed room at the back of the noodle shop, with meticulous patterns painted on the walls, tiles that resembled talisman symbols and writings on the ceiling, and red wood pillars on the four corners, perfectly facing the four general directions. There were also lively patterns of divine beasts engraved on the exterior of the pillars.


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Chef Tang, the middle aged man who owned the noodle shop, came over and asked.


    ¡°We performed the ritual to take a cursory look at the abnormalities of the flow of Qiyun and karma in one of the warehouses. A giant duster appeared in the vision, and it started to take advantage of our presence and our vision to feed on the remnants of some pollutants.¡± Gyuu Park explained: ¡°I tried to break us out, but it seemed she¡¯s still not completely out of it yet. We had to run away from the warehouse. ¡±


    ¡°Duster?¡± Chef Tang put his right index and middle finger on Sue¡¯s right temple, then left temple: ¡°How ¡®giant¡¯ can it be? They¡¯re not supposed to grow - ¡±


    ¡°The size of a young child.¡± Gyuu Park responded: ¡°When we tried to leave the warehouse, a whole horde of them rushed out and tried to attack us. Which is - ¡±


    ¡° - never heard of.¡± Chef Wang frowned: ¡°How many dusters?¡±


    ¡°At least a few dozens of them, maybe even up to a hundred.¡± Gloria answered.


    Chef Tang took a look at her, then Sue, and finally had his eyes fixed on Gyuu Park. After a short while, he turned to the two staffers: ¡°Bring me THE sword, then close it down. Seal the door and surroundings. Hold on the special orders, nobody comes in here until I come out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Chef!¡± The two staffers immediately closed the doors and left the room. After a moment, one of the staffers brought in a short sword still in its elegant sheath, placed right on top of a red velvet cushion, carried on a wooden tray.


    ¡°You, stand beside the bed.¡± Chef Tang took the short sword, then ordered Gloria and Gyuu Park: ¡°One on each side. ¡±


    Gloria and Gyuu Park did as they were told, then Chef Tang walked to the head of the platform. He then held the short sword in his left hand, laid it horizontally and ran his right hand fingers along the body of the sword, infusing it with his Qi.


    The sheath of the sword glowed in an ethereal purple light. Chef Tang then held the blade up, and started chanting some kind of spell of unknown language with a low voice. After around half a minute, the pommel of the sword started blinking in blue light. Chef Tang immediately put his right index and middle fingers on the pommel. Then with a quick pull, he pulled a small droplet of condensed blue energy liquid from the bottom of the pommel and locked it onto the tips of his fingers.


    Chef Tang continued chanting, his Qi slowly enclosing the droplet of blue energy, forming a thin layer of purple outer shell.


    ¡°Now, be ready, do not resist, and do not make any sudden moves.¡± Chef Tang said with a stern tone, then while Gyuu Park and Gloria were still nodding, he threw the droplet of energy onto Sue¡¯s forehead.


    The purple shell cracked, then six tiny needles and legs grew out of the different cracked parts and sunk into Sue¡¯s skin. Tiny droplets of red blood seeped out, and quickly turned gray, then turned pale, and finally turned into six droplets of different shades of black and gray. These gray patterns began spinning, while the droplets slowly rose into the air, gradually floating closer and closer to each other.


    Gloria and Gyuu Park stared at the droplets. For some reason, these droplets of liquid were giving off an aura that felt hauntingly familiar to both of them.


    ¡°This stinking dirt rag. It came with you. ¡± Chef Tang spoke through his teeth: ¡°And I thought your information was not worth that much. Some are up to no good. Some are trying the forbidden arts again. This - this is a disgrace.¡±


    ¡°What - ¡± Gloria was about to ask. But then the six droplets merged into one, grew at least a hundred times in size, and started changing in shape and smoking. Hairs started growing out of it, and almost at the same time, two tiny legs.


    ¡°It latched onto Sue. It followed us - this is why - ¡± Gyuu Park narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Yes. And it is exactly the reason why it¡¯s stinky as hell here.¡± Chef Tang retracted his left arm, then launched a palm strike against the ceiling. A gush of an intense energy beam clashed with the metal ceiling, and two heavy metal doors were opened by this strike. Sunlight came right in, and through the sunroof with a metal frame that had arcane symbols edged into it.


    The drop of hairy liquid was locked in the air by the beam of sunlight, and with a high pitched scream, it turned into a puff of smoke.

 Book 2 Chapter 37. Tide Riders (Part 2)

    ¡°What - what is happening? What happened?¡± Just a few seconds later, Sue coughed, sniffled, shivered then opened her eyes, looking at her surroundings, Gloria and Gyuu Park: ¡°I - where? Where am I? Are you¡­ did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re at my noodle shop.¡± Chef Tang came from the side, holding a small bowl of fragrant soup with some small blobs of boiled dough inside: ¡°Here, have some dough drop soup. Mde with ginger, white pepper powder and chicken broth. It¡¯s a bit hot, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°Than - thank you Chef.¡± Sue accepted the soup and took a quick sip, after making sure that it was actually warm, she opened her mouth and gulped it down. There were a few dough drops in the soup, and she just devoured them without much chewing as if she had been starving for a while.


    ¡°Slow down, slow down. You don¡¯t wanna choke. ¡± Chef Tang patted Sue on her back, then sat on a chair at the corner of the room.


    Gloria and Gyuu Park got their soups as well, but they just put them aside and came to check on Sue. When Gloria had her fingers on Sue¡¯s wrist, she felt that Sue¡¯s body temperature seemed to be quite low, and her muscles and pulses were weaker than normal.


    ¡°How does this even happen?¡± Gyuu Park checked the temperature on Sue¡¯s forehead, then the pulses on her neck: ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up. I don¡¯t think anyone has.¡± Chef Tang put the short sword on the velvet cushion and let the two staffers with him to store it away. ¡°At least - I don¡¯t think anyone today should be expected to know about it in order to avoid such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Chef, you know more about everything that¡¯s going on in the city than anyone. Do you know who might be behind this?¡± Gyuu Park turned to Chef Tang: ¡°This surely isn¡¯t natural. I mean, Dusters having some kind of horde leader and possessing a living human? That can only be the result of something truly poisonous and sinister.¡±


    Chef Tang went silent. Gloria had her right palm on Sue¡¯s back, slowly pushing her Qi into her friend¡¯s body to help her get rid of anything that might still remain. Luckily, the ritual seemed to be pretty thorough, there were only very little traces of paranormal energy left in Sue¡¯s meridians, even if not completely cleared today, she would still be fine after some rest.


    ¡°... your information is vital to the peace of the district. Here I thank you, all of you.¡± Chef Tang stood up, and bowed to all three of them: ¡°And with this matter, I will share with you everything we could. But - as of now, all I have with me are bits and pieces of disjointed intelligence, still needing to be pieced together. Thus, I cannot give you a definite answer right now. Come back here at the same time the day after tomorrow, I shall share with you the crucial information. In the meantime, try to rest and stay vigilant.¡±


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    ¡°Understood, thank you very much, Chef.¡± Gyuu Park immediately bowed back at Chef Tang.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure doing business with you. ¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°And I guess I don¡¯t need to remind you, what you just heard and will hear, you do not hear any of it from us.¡±


    ¡ª--------------------


    When the time came, Gyuu Park, Gloria and Sue all got to the noodle shop as promised. They were welcome in through the same door by the same two staffers. Chef Tang was waiting for them with two small piles of freshly printed and stapled notes.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what we found out, all documented here. ¡± When the three came and sat down, Chef Tang pointed at the documents: ¡°It¡¯s not much, and according to our internal code, we cannot put down anything regarding the forbidden arts and crafts in writing. So, listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. And no, you cannot use recording devices.¡±


    ¡°We know, it is the old ways.¡± Gyuu Park nodded and looked at Gloria and Sue: ¡°Just try to remember as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gloria and Sue nodded at the same time.


    ¡°What you encountered back at the warehouse was timely and lucky. ¡± Chef Tang proceeded: ¡°As you may know, the flow of Qiyun and karma is not unlike that of water in a river, or in the ocean. There are streams, flows and tides. And since we are but beings at their mercy and going with the flow, we as mere humans are not able to sense the distortions and changes unless they happen very abruptly.


    ¡°And this is the very reason that a thing like this might be happening right under our noses. One may call it a ¡®hidden stream¡¯. But what seemed to me, is that something truly disturbing happened at that warehouse, or just in the docks generally. And it caused the local flow of Qiyun and karma to freeze, or stall.¡±


    ¡°Freeze?¡± Gyuu Park asked: ¡°You mean stopping the flow of karma?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°Or at least, stopping its tides and waves. Dusters are not like us, nor are they any beings of significant power that could actually go upstream. They rely on the tides and waves of Qiyun and karma in order to function. They are scavengers. Their cycles of life depend on it. And what happened with that particular Duster, we can only assume, was because the life cycles are frozen. They stopped dying and began growing out of their normal sizes and ranges of power.


    ¡°And expanding on this, there¡¯s also this very disturbing fact. Our people have been scouting around the docks for some time. So far we¡¯ve found nothing obviously wrong. Or should I say - things were almost evenly, equally strange, we were not able to find anything that stands out. ¡±


    ¡°Evenly bad? Can you elaborate on that?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Yes of course. ¡± Chef Tang pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen from his side and started drawing on it: ¡°See, this is the entire docks area.¡±


    Gloria watched as Chef Tang drew on the paper. It was quite an amazing sight, though he was just drawing from impression and memory, his outline was almost as exact and accurate as any map she saw.


    ¡°My people had placed probing incense in different corners of the entire area, even including the surrounding area.¡± Chef Tang drew a big circle around the docks area, then marked many dots in the circle: ¡°These are all the spots. And as it turned out, the disturbance of Qiyun and spread of paranormal energy was quite - how should I say it, quite flat. Almost as if someone had a spray can of energy and sprayed it evenly across the area.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a cover up.¡± Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is.¡± Chef Tang nodded in approval: ¡°You see, I¡¯ve consulted some - some folks who have the access and knowledge, they told me that with frozen karmic tides, paranormal activities will be on the rise and display a sporadic pattern. But - here¡¯s the thing, the docks area partially hovers over the water. And water - it is in a way a medium of paranormal energy. So¡­¡±


    ¡°So the suspicion is that there¡¯s something underwater.¡± Gyuu Park interjected.

 Book 2 Chapter 38. Tide Riders (Part 3)

    ¡°Good, young Gyuu. Very astute observation.¡± Chef Tang nodded again: ¡°But, it¡¯s only been one day, so we can¡¯t be certain. And even if we know what it is, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d be a very dangerous secret. I¡¯d advise you to stay away from it unless you are absolutely ready.¡±


    ¡°Underwater? Can¡¯t we just rent some diving equipment and check for ourselves?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Have you tried to dive in the water near the docks?¡± Chef Tang chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s heavily polluted - waste and oil wise, even if you dive into it the visibility is really low. Unsafe unless we have a big operation and you¡¯re trained and experienced. Even if you could, it¡¯s hard to find anything.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°Which is to say - diving underwater in the mud river is - well, very very unwise.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Sue sighed, ¡°So, it makes even more sense then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ¡± Chef Tang said, as he tucked the piece of paper with his drawing into one pile of notes: ¡°And this will be the last thing I¡¯ll tell you today. So pay attention: the things you saw in your visions, from what I can tell, represent different aspects that used to ride on the tides of Qiyun. And in many ways they reflect what you have encountered more than what is in that warehouse. So when you get the chance, I suggest you compare what you saw with each other. I¡¯ve included some tips in deciphering those visions in these notes as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Chef.¡± Gyuu Park sighed, then bowed towards Chef Tang.


    ¡°But - what should we do next?¡± Gloria rubbed her temples, then asked: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chef, I meant no disrespect, but this information is ¡­ I don¡¯t know how to act on this information. I think we need something we can act on. How can we avoid the omens? How do we figure out what happened at that substation?¡±


    Chef Tang sighed, shook his head then looked Gloria straight in her eyes: ¡°I understand. Believe me I understand more deeply than you think. I know this doesn¡¯t answer your questions. And to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t advise you to act on anything. Take this from me: some questions are better left unanswered. And don¡¯t ask for more on this - this is all I am going to say.¡±


    Gloria shook her head: ¡°I - I don¡¯t understand - things are happening. Bad things. And I just don¡¯t know anyone else who is looking into it. The thing at the coffin home is already far from normal. The - the killings at that electric substation is still barely mentioned in the news. How can I just let this go?! Things are happening, we¡¯re moving into another cycle - ¡±


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    ¡°Gloria!¡± Gyuu Park raised his voice to cut Gloria off before she would speak some more that could get them in trouble.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Gyuu. I know you¡¯ve been looking into things.¡± Chef Tang shrugged and scratched his jaw: ¡°And - my suggestion still stands - this is very very dangerous knowledge and information. There are things I could look into, if circumstances permit. But I need to look after my people as well. And I¡¯d recommend you do the same. Look after yourselves first. If you DO want to proceed as you were, then do as you please. But like many others, you¡¯ll need to pay in order to get any help from my shop. And the price for the information you¡¯re asking for is steep. People suffered horrible fate to obtain that information. And I¡¯ll need much more from you, any of you, to divulge those people¡¯s blood and sweat.¡±


    ¡°But - can you tell us anything else that could be related to this situation? At least, how can we stay safe and help our friends and family stay safe, if we are to look after ourselves first?¡± Gloria thought for a moment then asked with a slightly exhausted tone: ¡°I have something I can offer you as well.¡±


    ¡°Gloria, you don¡¯t have to ¡­¡± Gyuu Park tried to stop Gloria.


    ¡°No! No¡­¡± Gloria rubbed her own eyes, then sighed: ¡°I - maybe it is indeed very unwise for us to proceed with looking into things like this. Trust me, I get it. But - ¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then the police documents.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head after a long sigh: ¡°That¡¯d be something useful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, YES! ¡± Gloria almost snapped her fingers but she fought back the urge: ¡°Yes, we have some documents with regard to the killings at that electric substation - I think Chef you might have heard of it - ¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve heard of it. But information from the PCPD is nonetheless appreciated.¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°What do you have?¡±


    ¡°Case files from the lead detectives working on it. Torn, but much of it is still readable.¡± Gloria answered.


    ¡°Yes. And with some very important information on it.¡± Gyuu Park stepped up from the side: ¡°It contains clues we can follow to find out who those who died were, and if you can get to the work schedules of S&S Corp, you can even figure out more details.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a look.¡± Chef Tang considered it for less than ten seconds, then nodded at Gyuu Park and Gloria: ¡°I¡¯ll price it right now, so that you can at least get something actionable after your visit.¡±


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Gloria ruffled through her jacket, and found the original copies of the torn case files she stole from the 17th Precinct with the help of Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Original case files, not just pictures you snapped.¡± Chef Tang looked mildly impressed, then as he flipped through the pages, he went silent, and his facial expression became stern.


    ¡°Gloria also saw - Gloria you tell the Chef.¡± Gyuu Park added from the side.


    ¡°Yes. I saw a Blood Rainbow on site. And I fought a spirit that lingered there.¡± Gloria immediately recalled her experience with language as concise as possible: ¡°And - the scene was scattered with aqua weeds from the lake, which is why we went to the docks to investigate in the first place.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ you found some good things.¡± Chef Tang sighed again and tucked the files away.


    ¡°So¡­ what do you think it¡¯s worth?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Two things, I think you¡¯d appreciate both of them.¡± Chef Tang thought for a while: ¡°First - this is a way of protection some clergymen figured out recently: find some clean water, place it in clean containers under the midday sun for about an hour. Then wash your forehead, top of head and shoulders with it to alleviate the effects of omens. I trust that you already know how to detect omen influence. And secondly, you might want to be careful with the community collective people. Some kind of internal investigation has been launched against you, Gloria Lee, and not the kind about opening a shop. It is a serious step in the inquiry of what happened at Fuman¡¯s. And the original person handling the case was reassigned. Think of this what you will, but you might not want to give them a reason to sanction you.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 39. Doors to Doors (Part 1)

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not gonna stop looking.¡± At the door of Chef Tang¡¯s noodle shop, while Gyuu Park was still inside having a private word with the Chef, Gloria said to Sue as she was pacing back and forth.


    ¡°I - I¡¯m worried about you, Gloria. ¡± Sue came close and held Gloria by her arm: ¡°I know about Chef Tang¡¯s reputation. If he says something is dangerous, it most certainly is. And we are not going to change that. ¡±


    ¡°But - I know this. I just need answers. ¡± Gloria rubbed her temples: ¡°Things are not adding up here. I want to get to the bottom of it.¡±


    ¡°Why? ¡± Sue asked, her voice was shaking: ¡°We - we know quite enough now, don¡¯t we? I want to know more too, but I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt trying to find things out¡­ I - I am genuinely worried about you.¡±


    Gloria grunted, and paced around some more in silence. After a long, deep breath, she turned to her friend: ¡°Sue, I need to tell you something. About the night I fought that ghost at the substation, I meant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sue seemed surprised. ¡°I thought you told me everything already.¡±


    ¡°No - not everything. There was something I - I didn¡¯t want to tell you - or anyone.¡± Gloria found a spot to sit on the side of the road: ¡°The night at that electric substation. I did not get that close by accident - I was actually pulled there - or lured there, if I - when I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Lured you there? What could have lured you there?¡± Sue asked, even more concerned.


    ¡°Something - I don¡¯t know what it was. But it seemed to be able to put me in some kind of illusion, or trance. It - it put some kind of memory flashback in my mind, some from other people, and some from my own.¡± Gloria ticked her tongue, and looked up at the sky: ¡°I heard these voices from people screaming, complaining about the ship sinking. And then I heard my parents¡¯ words before it happened - I ¡­¡± Gloria found it hard to go on without letting her voice shake, so she paused and tried to take a breather to calm herself down.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Sue sat down by Gloria¡¯s side and held her shoulders: ¡°But hey, at least we are looking in the right direction. We¡¯re looking at the water now. And - yeah, now that things kinda make sense why it¡¯s dangerous. If it¡¯s got to do with what happened, I can kinda imagine why it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. ¡± Gloria sniffed and then sighed: ¡°I - I¡¯ll understand if you want to stop now. But I want to keep looking. I don¡¯t know how I can - just let it go¡­¡±


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    ¡°... let¡¯s regroup and sleep on it?¡± Sue held Gloria¡¯s shoulders tighter and asked.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria held Sue¡¯s hand.


    Just this moment, the back door of the noodle shop opened. Gyuu Park came out, bowed to whoever was speaking with him through the door, and came over to Gloria and Sue¡¯s side.


    ¡°So? What did you talk about?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°I - I asked Chef Tang some things regarding the Association of Local Churches. ¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°Mostly guidance on who I can ask for help in the event that my temple needs a new clergy, or watcher. Apparently I need some money for the processing fees. And it requires some kind of public official notice filed through the community collective.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you retiring?¡± Gloria looked up at Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Nonsense. ¡± Gyuu Park snickered: ¡°But I feel like I do need help. There¡¯s only me in that temple, and if I need to continue investigating this with you, I¡¯ll need help.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Gyuu, but I ¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna stop looking. So I¡¯m not gonna stop either. It¡¯s bigger than you. ¡± Gyuu Park waved his hands: ¡°Don¡¯t think I am doing this for you. I am doing this for my temple, and maybe even the district. But mostly for my temple. You see, if I can solve something like this, my temple wouldn¡¯t be as broke¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, thank you very much, Gyuu.¡± Gloria stood up and wiped the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°So, now what?¡± Sue asked: ¡°We essentially found - nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, we know enough about how omens might have occurred. And how the Qiyun being frozen near the docks may have caused the uprise in paranormal activities.¡± Gyuu Park scratched his jaw: ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t actually act on that. But at least we know. Let¡¯s gather more information, and see if we can piece things together. I know this is gonna be a long shot, but - ¡±


    ¡°We should go find those related to the victims.¡± Gloria snapped her fingers: ¡°We should go right now. I mean - we¡¯ve put it off because of what happened. But I think it¡¯s a good lead to go on. At least we can see if it was a targeted operation, or was it just a random occurrence.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But who should we go find first?¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°Actually, I have an idea.¡± Gyuu Park pulled out his phone, flipped through some notes of his, and showed it to Gloria and Sue: ¡°I asked around some contacts of mine for information about the team that was dispatched to the electric substation. I heard that some of them were facing some - serious advice from the company, and even some members of the community collective. So - I¡¯d say we pay them a visit but kinda in a low profile.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to do that then?¡± Sue helped Gloria clean the bit of her pants to get rid of the dirt she got from sitting on the ground, ¡°If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t they send people to watch their places?¡±


    ¡°Which is why, we¡¯ll need to either bribe them or convince these people watching over them that we are just coming in for some non related visit.¡± Gyuu Park nodded: ¡°Now, first thing to bribe these suckers - ¡±


    ¡°Smoke and alcohol.¡± Gloria and Sue answered at the same time.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s first level stuff.¡± Gyuu Park smiled: ¡°If we¡¯re trying to bribe them, we¡¯d gonna have to be a bit more convincing and tempting.¡±


    ¡°Which means?¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°Which means we need lamp oil, special red wood, and talisman paper.¡± Gyuu Park answered.


    ¡°But - we don¡¯t have that, do we?¡± Sue scratched her head, then looked at Gloria.


    ¡°I have some. ¡± Gyuu Park raised his eyebrows: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have brought it up if - ¡±


    ¡°But those things are expensive and hard to come by. Are you sure?¡± Gloria asked, her frown grew deeper.


    ¡°And it¡¯s for a good use.¡± Gyuu Park shrugged: ¡°Now, let¡¯s go there later today. From what I¡¯ve heard, late afternoon is a better time for us.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 40. Doors to Doors (Part 2)

    The first place they set out to visit would be a small, two-storey house with green roof somewhere at the edge of the border between the South Eastern and South Western Districts, on the side of the South Western. It was quite a bit of road to travel, even when departing from the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.


    All three of them had come to the South Western District before. Not very often, but they were not strangers to this place either. Compared to their home district, the streets here were slightly wider, cleaner for what class of people that lived in it, and very noticeably, less street vendors.


    ¡°Gah, I can already smell the fake smiles and pretension.¡± Sue joked as she walked by a corner, following the lead of Gyuu Park.


    ¡°And we¡¯re just at the edge of this place yet. ¡± Gyuu Park chuckled: ¡°Have you tried going to their business district? All those shiny shirts, bags and hair cannot hide their desperation to rub each other in oil and ointment.¡±


    ¡°Welp. And I¡¯m sure they¡¯d laugh at us behind our backs as well.¡± Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Gyuu Park raised his chin at a crossroads, where the house was: ¡°But be careful, I count two groups of men watching the place. I just can¡¯t tell if they are from the same group though.¡±


    ¡°Any surveillance cameras?¡± Gloria wanted to look around, but she only moved her eyes instead of her head: ¡°I mean, how does the community collective even have people here?¡±


    ¡°The PCPD had some kind of tacit agreement with the collective. I mean, just the other day I heard that some PCPD detective was looking around at some cases that are technically out of their jurisdiction. Some kind of quid pro quo thing. I suppose they would renegotiate the terms every now and then.¡±


    ¡°So, are we expecting PCPD as well? ¡± Gloria asked: ¡°This is - less than ideal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, probably. But if it was them I would be less worried.¡± Gyuu Park continued his way, looking, looking at his phone and while looking at the surroundings, like a tourist, or someone who¡¯s not from this place. ¡°Now, when I say laugh, you laugh.¡±


    ¡°O - okay, I mean - ¡± Sue was slightly surprised by this ask.


    ¡°Okay, now¡­¡± Gyuu Park turned to Sue and Gloria with a forced smile on his face: ¡°Laugh!¡±


    ¡°Ahahahahahahahaha¡­¡± Gloria started, then Sue soon followed. Taking advantage of the natural head and eye movements from the laugh, they took a few quick looks around. One group of men watching over the house were in a car, parked in the shadows of a tree beside a light pole. Inside the car seemed to be two people, one man and one woman. But with one look, Gloria recognized the man behind the steering wheel: the detective, whose case files she stole earlier.


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    ¡°PCPD! 17th Precinct! In the car over there.¡± Gloria immediately turned around, grabbing Sue by the arm while whispering to her and Gyuu Park.


    ¡°The other group is definitely from our district.¡± Sue scratched her nose, discreetly pointing at two men standing near a light post on the side of a small decorative flower pot with her right pinkie, speaking through her teeth while forcing a smile: ¡°I saw them somewhere before - I can¡¯t remember where, but I¡¯ve definitely seen them before in our district.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So¡­¡± Gyuu Park came close to Gloria and Sue, pretending to be helping Sue with the plastic bag in her hand: ¡°Then let¡¯s go in as remote relatives. Act poor and wretched if you must. Remember, we¡¯re remote, poor and ungrateful relatives looking to borrow money from them.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Sue and Gloria nodded at the same time. This was one of their prepared personas when they tried to bypass the people that may potentially stop them or worse, report them to whatever authority they serve.


    Three of them continued their way forward. Gyuu Park and Gloria kept looking around, playing their part in acting as curious visitors that were new to this area. And Sue was still nervous, and could only walk along them, only looking around occasionally.


    The two men standing near a light post walked towards them and blocked their way, just when they got to the porch of the family they were about to visit.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The man on the left, who was slightly taller and thinner asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking to visit some relatives.¡± Gyuu Park immediately smiled and bowed: ¡°We heard that some relatives of ours have made a good life here, so we¡¯re looking to visit them. Can we help you?¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to visit?¡± The man on the right, shorter and chubbier asked, with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Ling Li, he¡¯s my distant cousin. We shared a great grandfather on our father¡¯s side.¡± Gyuu Park smiled: ¡°And - we brought some gifts over! And authentic local foods from the South Eastern foods! Who - who are you? Do you know my cousin?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The two men exchanged looks, visibly suspicious and confused: ¡°Yes - we are his neighbors. But - he¡¯s not home at the moment. You should come back another time.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not home? That¡¯s okay!¡± Gyuu Park looked over the two men¡¯s shoulders: ¡°I heard he¡¯s married right? I can visit his wife! His children! Oh! I feel so sorry I haven¡¯t visited them earlier! I mean - life, it¡¯s just so busy sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait! I saw them inside! I saw them inside!¡± Gloria jumped, as if she was really excited, then she just ran to the door, passing the two men by: ¡°Hey! Mrs. Li! Open up! We¡¯re your distant cousins!¡±


    ¡°Hey! You shouldn¡¯t do that!¡± The taller man immediately tried to go and stop Gloria, but he was pulled back by Gyuu Park by his arm.


    ¡°Thank you for helping us find our cousin! Thank you so much!¡± Gyuu Park grabbed the hands of both men firmly without any intention of letting them go: ¡°Sue, fetch me some of our local foods, we ought to be thankful for the good neighbors!¡±


    Sue reached into the plastic bag she was carrying, and brought out two small paper bags of dried sea squids wrapped in dried aqua weeds and shoved them at the two men, with forced smiles on her face: ¡°Here! Here! Take these! They¡¯re really good when you cut them up and put them into porridge!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop!¡± The short, chubby man tried to get away from Gyuu Park, but the few attempts he tried he could not shake off his hand. And he almost instinctively slapped the dried squid away from Sue.


    ¡°You must be Cousin Ling¡¯s wife!¡± At this moment, the door was already opened, and Gloria just let herself straight in like an entitled guest: ¡°We¡¯re here, and we¡¯ve brought food! I guess you¡¯re all dying to have some authentic South Eastern food huh?¡±


    ¡°Good to see you! Good to see you!¡± Gyuu Park signaled Sue, while forcefully shaking the two men¡¯s hands.


    Sue got the hint, so she put the dried squids in the men¡¯s pockets and rushed towards the now open door: ¡°Cousin! It¡¯s been so long!¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Gyuu Park turned around, still shaking the men¡¯s hands: ¡°But we¡¯ll meet another time! Thank you! Let me go meet my cousin, then maybe I¡¯ll buy you dinner, how about that?¡±


    Before either man could do anything, Gyuu Park let go of their hands and rushed into the house, closing the door behind him.

 Book 2 Chapter 41. Doors to Doors (Part 3)

    ¡°Who - who are you?¡± The woman inside with slightly swollen eyes was startled, and a young boy inside tried to rush forward but was held back by her mother.


    ¡°Hi! You must be the wife of my cousin! What¡¯s your name?¡± Gloria held up a piece of paper: ¡°How are you? And where is cousin Ling Li?¡±


    ¡°We are from a South Eastern Temple, we are investigating the killing of your husband. Will you talk to us?¡± The piece of paper read. The woman inside shivered for a brief moment, then shook her head.


    ¡°Please, we really want to talk.¡± Gloria whispered, while Gyuu Park was laying down something hidden inside his plastic bag - a small cloth pouch of talismans: ¡°We¡¯re trying to look into this incident. I think you know very well, that his - his situation was nothing like they said. And we want to help.¡±


    ¡°I - ¡± The woman hesitated, her eyes shifting between Gloria, Gyuu Park, Sue and the young boy standing beside her.


    Gyuu Park raised another piece of paper that read: ¡°Are they listening?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The woman shook her head, then said to the young boy: ¡°Go to your room. Don¡¯t make a sound.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sensing there was a change in the woman¡¯s attitude, Sue could not help but ask. ¡°Are they - are they threatening you?¡±


    ¡°Take - take a seat , please - ¡± The woman pointed at the sofa in the room, then she proceeded to the kitchen and raised her voice so that the men outside the door could hear her: ¡°Thank you for coming, but - let me just make some tea.¡±


    When the woman came back from the kitchen, instead of tea, she brought over a small pile of paper, and an old picture, with some folding marks and a bit of stain.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know who to talk to.¡± The woman¡¯s eyes grew red as tears fell out as she spoke: ¡°I just need help. This - this is a picture of my Ling. ¡±


    Gyuu Park accepted the pile of paper and the picture with two hands. The picture was of a young-looking man in a uniform. Similar style to those in the case file pictures from PCPD, but also newer and had a worker¡¯s serial number on his chest that they did not see before.


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    ¡°Mrs. Li, do you know if your husband has ever changed his worker¡¯s serial number?¡± Gyuu Park asked.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know. But I don¡¯t think so.¡± Mrs. Li shook her head while wiping her nose: ¡°He¡¯s been working there for over a decade. He¡¯s always a hard worker. I mean - he took that night shift because he wanted to send our kid to a better school¡­ I don¡¯t know why this is happening. And this goddamned company is not saying anything, they¡¯re just walking all over us, ignoring our questions and sending us checks to shut us up. I mean - I really wish someone could do something¡­¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t told you anything?¡± Sue asked, frowning.


    ¡°No - they uh - ¡± Mrs. Li shook her head: ¡°And they sent people to watch us. I don¡¯t know what to do now. The police sent some detectives, but they seemed to know as little as we did. For gods¡¯ sakes we haven¡¯t even seen him, and we¡¯re being told he was getting cremated. I -  I can¡¯t ¡­¡± She buried her head in her arms and weeped with a heartbreakingly suppressed voice. Gloria looked back to the direction of the room where the boy was sent. She did not see him there.


    ¡°They¡¯re sending you money?¡± Gyuu Park asked.


    Mrs. Li nodded with her head still buried, and did not say a word.


    ¡°Wait - here.¡± Gloria picked out a small note: ¡°This is the address to the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. Why did he have this address? Do you need something there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Mrs. Li raised her head after a moment of silent weeping: ¡°He - he said something about how the workplace is getting creepier and creepier. But I just - I don¡¯t know. But - but - I think this is not an accident. It¡¯s got to be something else - they told us nothing, but I¡¯ve been online, I¡¯ve heard the rumors - ¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you something else? About what are becoming creepy?¡± Gyuu Park asked.


    ¡°No - not really.¡± Mrs. Li shook her head: ¡°I - I was worried, and it was a stressful time for both of us, so we didn¡¯t really get into it¡­ Oh god - if I could¡¯ve talked him out of it¡­¡±


    Mrs. Li started to weep again, but soon she looked up at Gyuu Park, Gloria and Sue: ¡°Did - did you know how he died? Who killed him?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. And we are actually trying to find out.¡± Sue sighed.


    ¡°And - and we have reason to believe it was not the doings of humans. It¡¯s definitely something paranormal.¡± Gyuu Park seemed to be having a bit of trouble choosing the right words: ¡°And we are afraid - that more than those in that reparations team are in danger. We think more people could be facing similar dangers. We¡¯re not sure how it will play out, but - ¡±


    ¡°Just tell me. I - I lost him, but - ¡± Mrs. Li took a deep breath: ¡°But I still need to protect my son.¡±


    Gyuu Park looked at Gloria, Gloria hesitated, then she proceeded to ask: ¡°Can you tell me some more about your situation - what they told you. What¡¯d they tell you to do?¡±


    ¡°They - uh, they just told me there was an unfortunate incident at the substation. ¡± Mrs. Li sniffled and then answered: ¡°And they wouldn¡¯t let me check on the body. They sent those two to watch me and my son. They have people deliver food items to my house. If I go anywhere, they have people watching me as well¡­ I couldn¡¯t even get close to that place! And they are not letting me into the company as well - I tried - and then they threatened me, saying if I disturb them some more they will cut the paychecks and I won¡¯t be able to keep this house ¡­ I - I just don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! You need to leave!¡± Just this moment, one of the men outside started banging on the door: ¡°Give the mourning family some time and room! You shouldn¡¯t bother her!¡±


    ¡°Just - can you let me know what happened?¡±


    ¡°... alright.¡± Gloria confirmed with Sue and Gyuu Park: ¡°I - I was there the day it happened. I was nearby - and there was a Blood Rainbow in the sky at the time. And I - I don¡¯t know if you believe this, but I saw spirits - vengeful, angry and homicidal ones.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 42. Living and the Non

    ¡°GET OUT! LEAVE!¡± Sue, Gloria and Gyuu Park left the residence of Mrs. Li with her yelling at them from behind: ¡°I don¡¯t have money for you! How DARE you!? HOW DARE YOU!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! We¡¯re so sorry!¡± Gyuu Park turned back and shouted back, while Gloria and Sue left with their heads low and backs hunched like they were in shame. Only a worn shoe answered him the apologies of Gyuu Park.


    This was of course an act they had to put on. After they were certain that they were not being followed, Gloria and Sue each took out half a pile of random files that they carried from Mrs. Li¡¯s place from under their jacket and were already examining some of them, one piece of paper at a time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place first. We have time.¡± Gyuu Park sighed as he led the way.


    Three of them found a small bistro that just opened for the day, ordered some drinks and sat in the innermost booth.


    ¡°The things in this pile are just so - so random.¡± Sue shook her head as she laid down a piece of torn paper with two sticky notes stuck on it: ¡°This seemed to be some kind of project tracking sheet - I don¡¯t know why would he keep this - why would SHE keep this?¡±


    ¡°It was the last of his files. So we should still treat them with respect.¡± Gyuu Park sighed as he took a piece of paper from one of the piles: ¡°This one is - well, looks like another project tracking sheet.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait - these tracking sheets, do they have anything in common?¡± Gloria raised her right hand, with two separate pieces of torn paper tucked between her fingers, both of which were also project tracking sheets: ¡°Looks like we have a lot of these - let¡¯s organize them together - ¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we don¡¯t really have a date. We just have - some reference numbers and addresses.¡± Sue collected all of the torn sheets into one pile, then said: ¡°I¡¯ll try to ask around if I could find out more on this. ¡±


    ¡°Turner? Could he help? He¡¯s the curator of a local archive, he would be good at this.¡± Gloria smiled at Sue.


    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, I will ask him.¡± Sue shook her head.


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    ¡°And some of these look like diaries - I wonder why she¡¯d given these to us.¡± Gloria found a few pieces of paper in the piles that seemed to be rolled up and then flattened. As she looked closely at the content, it was a handwritten note about how the one who wrote this, presumably Ling Li himself, started to feel uneasy at work, especially during the night shifts. She skimmed through a few sentences, then started reading out but with a low voice: ¡°... I am not the only one that found the lights constantly flickering during the night, other nightshifters all reported the same. They become functional when it is 6 A.M. But will start to flicker again at around 11:30 at night again¡­ they never said anything or explained¡­¡±


    ¡°Curious. I mean, since we KNOW, flickering lights could be something paranormal. But - ¡± Sue scratched her head: ¡°But it¡¯s hard to tell, and usually things progress, right? Flickering lights are just preludes. If things escalate - ¡±


    ¡°But if it¡¯s been going on for quite a while, it will be super unusual, no?¡± Gloria looked at Gyuu Park, awaiting his comment.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Remember the talk about frozen tides of Qiyun?¡± Gyuu Park sighed and started rubbing his temples: ¡°If that phenomenon spread to other places, it could happen - in theory, of course.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Gyuu, take a nap once a while.¡± Gloria pulled the small pile of file in front of Gyuu Park to her: ¡°Let us look through it. You go back and rest. I feel like you¡¯ve been burning the candle from both - no, multiple ends.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever see superheroes sleep?¡± Gyuu Park chuckled and yawned, then picked up a piece of long but relatively thin paper: ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, and I¡¯ll buy a drink and head home.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, but let us handle most of it. You take it easy.¡± Gloria frowned, worried that Gyuu Park might just fall over and bump his head on the desk.


    ¡°Hey! This is a contact information sheet - from one of those old school phone books.¡± Sue took the long and thin piece of paper from the fingers of Gyuu Park: ¡°I just found some contact information as well. Maybe we can compare these with the official employee list of the S&S Corp and see who might know about these things?¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, how many people are killed in that substation again?¡± Sue seemed to have an epiphany and picked up a piece of paper with a red letterhead and yellow patterns around the edge: ¡°You see, this is some kind of official letter, warnings, telling them that they will need to fill a position on the emergency reparations team - so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Ling Li took additional shifts for more pay. What do you see?¡± Gyuu Park yawned again, then turned his head to look at the paper with letterhead.


    ¡°I - I think I remember some chat about the emergency reparation teams having a certain size, and when a facility like that gets damaged, I¡¯m assuming they would send a full team there. ¡± Sue looked through her phone, trying to find some notes: ¡°Hold on, I think I asked Turner this some time before, I never thought too much about it. But - ¡±


    ¡°Six of them in total, I believe.¡± Gyuu Park rubbed his temples, then answered: ¡°I got a look at some of the tabloid articles before they were taken down. I think we counted five from the pictures from that file, right? Gloria?¡±


    ¡°Four at least, one of them was kinda blurry so it could be one or two people piled on together.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°Okay, 7, right! 7!¡± Sue showed Gloria and Gyuu Park her phone: ¡°At least according to Turner, emergency reparations teams usually have at least 7 people, sometimes more. But 6 deaths would be - I would say missing something.¡±


    ¡°There are survivors in the team.¡± Gloria felt that her head just became more clear: ¡°And - it is likely that they actually know something. Maybe it¡¯s even BECAUSE they knew something, they didn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°And - we know some of the victims¡¯ names right?¡± Sue circled two names on the slip of paper with contact information on it: ¡°I can count two of them here.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 43. Last Leads

    ¡°None of this helps with what we have on our hands. Fucking hell - ¡± Gloria put down the last piece of paper and sighed. When she checked her own coffee mug, it was already empty.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s still worth it. We can reorganize it more later.¡± Sue scratched her head as she kept writing on her notepad: ¡°I mean - there¡¯s a lot of records and entries about their workplace being creepy. But - we still have nothing that can help us. We still need to find out where that Blood Rainbow came from. And where the bad omen comes from. And - who the survivors are - ¡±


    ¡°I - we¡¯re running out of time.¡± Gyuu Park sipped his tea, sitting the corner of the booth, sighed: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we need to think about our last resort - we need to think about going into the Old Ruins - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too risky.¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, I looked into the tricks on detecting fluctuation of Qiyun and omens, so I think we can try to track the fluctuations for a period of time. I can try to mark the differences everyday - there¡¯s got to be some pattern with all of this.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. Good idea.¡± Gloria nodded and tried to stand up, but her legs seemed to be slightly shaking, probably since she was also somewhat overworked and overstressed these few days and the last three cups of extra strong coffee was beginning to take its toll.


    ¡°Yes - but - ¡± Gyuu Park rubbed his face: ¡°I am afraid something is about to happen soon. And we need a breakthrough, we need to find something that could help us answer our questions. Right now all we have is more and more side evidence that we are facing something unnatural and out of the ordinary¡­ But - we need progress!¡±


    Gloria frowned lightly, she could tell that Gyuu Park was somehow getting very impatient, so she tried to console him a little: ¡°Yes, but - we are beginning to piece things together¡­¡±


    ¡°I - I need some air. Sorry.¡± Gyuu Park stood up, stretched a little then stormed out of the coffee shop.


    Gloria and Sue watched as Gyuu Park walked to the side of the street, took out a pack of cigarettes and started smoking while leaning on a light post nearby.


    ¡°Should we - should we go talk to him?¡± Sue Asked.


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    ¡°Let him be for a while. He¡¯s like that when he¡¯s stressed. We just need to wait here and give him some time.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s okay. ¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Sue nodded and sighed: ¡°I can sorta understand why he¡¯s stressed though - he¡¯s a clergyman after all. He¡¯s supposed to help handle things like this. And - I was thinking we could ask the other temples for help. But - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was also thinking about it. Only three of us here, we¡¯re bound to be stretched thin. ¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I wonder if we could visit Kshiti Temple again. But - I am worried about how they would react when they learned that we have been working on and looking into things having to do with Qiyun and karma - ¡±


    Sue sighed, then shook her head, chuckling: ¡°I can understand your reservation - they are indeed pretty uptight.¡±


    ¡°Especially the elders. Sifu Kuo, for example, he¡¯s already quite an accomplished watcher, but he¡¯s still very intimidated by Elder Mu.¡± Gloria chuckled as well: ¡°But - you know, she did give me a lot of inspiration. And she WAS the one that told me about the 15 year cycle. So -¡±


    ¡°So we CAN go ask her. But - I¡¯d imagine unless we have something solid, we cannot go to anyone. I mean, we¡¯ve already taken enough risk going to Chef Tang for help and trading this kind of intelligence with him. ¡± Sue sighed.


    ¡°Hey, but it¡¯s worth it. ¡± Gloria chuckled and held Sue¡¯s hand: ¡°It was a terrible situation, and I¡¯m glad we went and took the risk.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sorry, my apologies.¡± Gyuu Park came back, smelling like smoke, still weary but seemed to have calmed down: ¡°I - I just needed the fresh air.¡±


    ¡°Yeah no problem.¡± Sue nodded and smiled: ¡°I think we may need to head back and take a break anyway - it¡¯s a long day, and time is getting late, we shouldn¡¯t be wandering in the wild like this.¡±


    Gyuu Park sighed, then after a short moment of silence, he looked up at Gloria and Sue in the eyes: ¡°Yeah before that, I¡¯d like to reiterate this - and I am really certain that this is the right choice: you should start to look into the old ruins. And start making preparations. This is simply because, like I said, we are running out of time. And I don¡¯t think anyone else would be able to help us now, not even the elders. Things - things are not good.¡±


    ¡°... okay. ¡± Gloria felt slightly disturbed by how solemn Gyuu Park¡¯s tone was: ¡°What - where do you think we should start? What kind of preparation do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°I - the first thing I could think of would be, prepare some incense sticks, a traditional wooden compass.¡± Gyuu Park rubbed his temples, and the frown on his forehead did not go away: ¡°And maybe be prepared to be lost for a few days. But - I don¡¯t really know. I just have this unshakeable feeling that we won¡¯t be able to find out anything anytime soon without seeking wisdom from the ruins and the lady in white.¡±


    ¡°Lady in white¡­¡± Sue looked to Gloria, concerned: ¡°I - I¡¯ll see if I can find anything about her. How soon do we need to be ready?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to ask around, and maybe do a divi - something to find out.¡± Gyuu Park scratched his hair, then sunk into his seat: ¡°But yeah - that¡¯s all I¡¯m trying to say right now. Let¡¯s get back. And take a break - good work. We should be ready to ask the right questions soon.¡±


    When Gloria and Sue got back to their apartments, the atmosphere was still strange while stressful.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. ¡± Gloria sighed and looked at Sue: ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened. But he was, like I told you, very - very burned out and anxious. ¡±


    ¡°You need to talk to him.¡± Sue nodded and gave Gloria a gentle side hug: ¡°I¡¯m worried about him. And you. If he¡¯s worried about something, he should at least tell you. We¡¯re in this together now, and if there¡¯s anything worrisome, he should feel free to share it with you - or, someone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure, of course. I¡¯ll check in on him soon.¡± Gloria sighed.

 Book 2 Chapter 44. Vibes and Moon

    In the coffee shop of Luoshan Zi during a late shift, Gloria was ready to run for a quick delivery, which was relatively close to the docks area. After opening the door with her foot, she reminded Gabby the temp waitress before completely going out: ¡°Gabby, remember to double check the filters in the new coffee machine. And make sure the milk foamer is working.¡±


    ¡°No problem! On it right now!¡± Gabby answered from the kitchen.


    Gloria closed the door, holding a paper bag filled with bakeries and a tray of three drinks and gradually started accelerating towards the address. She was already familiar with the area, so she already knew where it was in general, she just needed to find the unit when she¡¯s in the building.


    The entrance to the docks area was on the other side of the street. And since time was getting late, the sun was setting, and the moon appeared in the sky. The people in the docks area were packing up and were ready to go home.


    The building to which Gloria was heading was a ten storey apartment complex in the residential area overlooking the Mud River area. It was an old building with visible stains from weathering on its exterior. But even with old infrastructure, the less than ideal surrounding area and its lack of fences and a gate separating it from the rest of the area, it was still one of the most sought after places for rent, purely because of the location.


    Yet things seem different now - when Gloria walked to the entrance of the building, she saw posters stuck to the message board beside the door. There were several of them, the latest was on top, and the earlier ones were stuck underneath. She lifted through the small pile of ¡°looking for tenant¡± posters, it looked like the earliest one was from more than a month ago.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Gloria shrugged, then tried pulling the front gate. It appeared that she did not need to buzz anyone, as the gate just swung right open with her pull.


    The address was on the fourth floor, room 417. The customer was someone who, at least from what she could remember, never ordered from the coffee shop before. Maybe she was someone who would come in.


    ¡°Coffee and bakery delivery! Zishan Cafe!¡± Gloria knocked on the door and announced herself.


    The door slowly creaked open, after the sounds of several locks being opened. A short woman answered the door, with a full head of messy hair, two very obviously dilated pupils and reeking of chemicals and obvious stains on the fingertips. ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m sorry? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Zishan Bakery and Coffee, you called and ordered?¡± Gloria asked with a light frown - she was beginning to suspect if Gabby took down the wrong apartment number, as this confused woman in front of her seemed to be in no condition to order anything coherently.


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    ¡°That¡¯s me. ¡± A man¡¯s voice came from behind this short woman. Then a tall and hairy man with equally messy hair and beard came to the door, his body odor struck Gloria before he even appeared before her: ¡°I ordered five donuts, three pineapple buns and three coffees. You have them?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Gloria tried not to frown at the layered, pungent smell and handed the food and drinks over.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The man looked into the bag, then reached into his pocket on his greasy pants and took out a new looking bill and handed it to Gloria: ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    Gloria took the bill and felt it with her fingertips then looked at it under the light - it was more than twice than the delivery was worth. The bill appeared to be legitimate, so she just reasoned it was because the man was on drugs.


    ¡°It¡¯s legit. We¡¯ve just got paaaaaaid.¡± The man spoke with slurring words and an intoxicated and lewd smile, while looking Gloria up and down: ¡°You know, if you come in and spend some time with us, you can earn three times more than this. Wanna come in?¡±


    ¡°Thank you. ¡± Gloria took a step back, noticing the offended look on the short woman¡¯s face: ¡°But no, I¡¯m good, thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? It¡¯d be fun and - ¡± The man tried to ask again.


    ¡°We¡¯re not sharing! We¡¯re not sharing shit!¡± The woman raised her voice and slammed the door in front of Gloria.


    When Gloria turned and started walking away, she could still hear them arguing.


    On her way back, she passed through the same street on the side of the docks area. And this time, a strange feeling arose. It was something in the wind, in the air, and even in the sky above. At first, she just thought that it was because the sun was setting. But as she looked around and expanded her senses by pushing her Qi, she felt that something just seemed off - she just could not tell what it was.


    After sensing this and a short moment of consideration, Gloria decided to rush back to the coffee shop, and got ready to close down.


    ¡°Gabby, take today off early.¡± When Gloria came back to the coffee shop, she saw that there were only two customers waiting in the shop, so she said to the young woman sharing her shift, while handing the big clean bill directly to her: ¡°Here: I¡¯ll mark you completed the shift.¡±


    ¡°Woah - what¡¯s happening? ¡± Gabby was a bit worried when she received the bill: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No - nothing wrong. It¡¯s just - looks like the - the weather is getting bad soon, I don¡¯t want you to go through the trouble. So I am thinking maybe we should close down early. We don¡¯t have many guests anyway.¡± Gloria found a quick excuse, but she quickly noticed something from Gabby¡¯s tone: ¡°Wait - is something bothering you? Something wrong? You seem worried.¡±


    ¡°Oh? No - no, it¡¯s just - ¡± Gabby immediately shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s just some of my friends have been losing their shifts, so - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. That will be left to the owner. She hasn¡¯t said anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gabby nodded: ¡°Let me finish up the two drinks first?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gloria nodded.


    Gabby seemed still worried when she left. And Gloria, not attempting to make her worried on the off chance that she might stay around in the area, actually cleaned up the store and closed down. She chose not to go home after this. Instead, she texted Sue that she would be home late, and started looking round the area for a place where she could just wait around. She decided to stay and look at what might be wrong herself. Sue was just a civilian, though she should have already known that Gloria and Gyuu Park were practitioners of the de facto forbidden mystic martial arts. Gyuu Park, on the other hand, looked like he had a ton on his plate, and Gloria just did not want to trouble him until she had something solid.


    Luckily, there was a place for Gloria - a 24-hour internet cafe, which also served drinks and snacks, hidden in a small alley in the neighborhood.

 Book 2 Chapter 45. Gates

    The internet cafe was almost empty at this time of the day. Yet the air still smelled like cheap cigarettes, day-old noodle soup, dried up soda cans and feet. She chose a seat near the front door, not just so that she would be able to see a small portion of the docks area from where she was, but also because of the fresh air.


    ¡°Alright, lady, your tea.¡± The owner of the internet cafe, a bald, slightly obese man in a dirty white shirt handed Gloria a plastic bottle.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t order tea.¡± Gloria frowned, and moved slightly away from the bottle instinctively.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s on the house. Since you¡¯re new here.¡± The owner chuckled, then looked Gloria up and down: ¡°Drink it. It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m really not thirsty, or hungry.¡± Gloria pushed the plastic bottle back. She already knew it was not ordinary tea, the label looked very similar to a known brand in the city - it had the same style, same font, same color, but just off by one letter.


    ¡°Alright, suit yourself.¡± The owner seemed offended, then took the drink and waddled back to his table.


    ¡°And while you¡¯re at it, maybe check the traffic on all the machines because some perv is hogging everything with their porn!¡± Gloria raised her voice at the owner¡¯s back. Her voice made a thin man with messy hair sitting on the opposite row to panic, click around his screen and close up several browser windows all at once.


    Time passed rather peacefully after that. No one came over to bother Gloria again, and the speed of her internet access seemed to have been mostly reasonable, which allowed her to get on the city archive website for some impromptu research on the docks area of the city. She was able to learn quite a bit through this research, for example, how the docks area had quite a violence-filled history of operation, because it, for a very long time, had been the only post for trading certain goods between the South Eastern District and the other two districts.


    Now that the evening had come already, the entire area was almost completely empty. There was still a small group of people hanging around. And they seemed to have dispersed into different areas in the docks.


    Gloria stood up, went outside and took a look at the docks area from a distance. Some people there seemed to have gone into the darkened warehouses. This made her feel a bit uneasy - because this was no time for anyone to work at the docks. The night was getting late, the streets were mostly quiet aside from occasional cars driving by. Why would anyone be in the docks at this time? There were almost no lights there.


    ¡°Hey, miss, you want to log off?¡± The owner asked Gloria from inside the internet cafe.


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    ¡°No! I paid for five hours! I¡¯ll pay through tomorrow if I want. I¡¯m just here for some air!¡±


    ¡°Okay, whatever you say.¡± The owner went back to his desk.


    The off feeling she had when she was on the delivery run earlier had not gone away. If anything, it had only heightened. The strange and arcane tension in the air had become more intense, so much so that she could almost feel something was about to happen.


    Gloria stayed outside, even though the air was getting chilly. She soon started walking around, while also continuously checking on the docks area. When she was passing by the shut doors of a local breakfast shop, she saw two men, in gray and low profile clothing, sneaking into a side corner in the docks area.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Gloria stopped, stood where she was to observe the area for a few minutes. She could not see much of anything from where she was. She needed to get closer.


    With just a short moment of consideration, she rushed back into the internet cafe, dropped a few small bills on the owner¡¯s desk: ¡°Keep my computer till 4 AM in the morning. I should be back in an hour or so. If I am not back in two, call the collective patrol team on the docks area.¡±


    ¡°What do I get out of it? ¡± The owner looked up from his magazine with scantily clad women on the pages and cover.


    ¡°Count the bills, they should be enough.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°... and maybe a cake.¡±


    ¡°Fine. No promises. I get sleepy sometimes.¡± The owner faked a yawn.


    ¡°Buy yourself some coffee then.¡± Already expecting this, Gloria put down another small bill. And when the owner was about to take it, she grabbed the owner by his wrist with her Qi concentrated on her fingers.


    ¡°Ouch! Aaaah!¡± The owner recoiled and moaned, but at the same time, two of the guests stood up, with long shiny knives in their hands.


    ¡°You¡¯d better call, count two hours. Otherwise I¡¯ll be back and bring tons of trouble.¡± Only having squeezed for a quick moment, Gloria let go of the man¡¯s sweaty wrist.


    The owner did not say anything and just watched Gloria grab her jacket and rush out of the door. And almost the exact minute, something crashed into a wooden warehouse in the docks area, causing it to shake and almost completely collapse.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Gloria accelerated and started running through the street - she could see some people were fighting amongst some of the old warehouses, a few of whom had the glow of Qi surrounding their bodies.


    But, just when she reached the other side of the street and the entrance to the docks area, a horrifying cold aura exploded from above and propagated through the air and every inch of her bones and muscles.


    She looked up, and instantly saw a blob of energy gradually forming in the air. Red, blood red, faint, slightly glistening and flickering but becoming more and more solid. It then took the shape of an arch, spanning across the sky right above the docks area.


    ¡°Blood Rainbow!¡± Gloria yelled, not really caring if anyone heard her. She immediately turned back and started running towards the internet cafe.


    The guests in the internet cafe and the owner all appeared to be quite surprised when she made it back in less than a minute¡¯s time.


    ¡°Blood Rainbow!¡± Gloria practically screamed: ¡°Close the door, bring out everything you can, NOW!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The owner and one of the knife-carrying guests rushed to the door and looked at the sky through the window. ¡°Fuck! Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡± They slammed the door shut, and used several chairs and a short table to bar the door. The owner then rushed into the back of the room and came out with a wooden buddha statue and placed it in front of the now closed main door.


    ¡°The carpet! The carpet!¡± One of the guests yelled, pointing at a piece of old carpet at the center of the room, under several computer desks.


    All six people in the room pushed the desks aside and lifted the old carpet. Under it, was a small circle with symbols inside, drawn with red paint. One of the knife carrying guests rushed into the back room and took out an incense burner, while the other ruffled through a storage locker on the side and took out some incense sticks.


    Sitting around the circle, looking at the three incense sticks in the lightly rusted burner covered in dust, Gloria felt little relief.

 Book 2 Chapter 46. Sounds and Shadows

    Among the six people in the internet cafe right now, aside from Gloria, all 5 others were slovenly dressed men. The owner was sweating through his already dirty shirt. The two ¡°guests¡± that drew their knives at Gloria were also shaking. As for the other two guests, one was a young man who did not seem to have a very clear idea on how terrifying the situation was; the other was a slightly sickly looking middle aged man, who kept rubbing his nose and scratching his ears.


    ¡°Wait - did you hear something?¡± One of the real guests, a man wearing a pair of comically thick and large glasses, shivered and looked around: ¡°And - do you feel cold?¡±


    Gloria looked around and shook her head: ¡°No - not really - ¡±


    ¡°No - nonono - ¡± The chubby man with a bald spot on his head in a flowery buttoned up shirt, who drew his knife at Gloria earlier, started looking around as well: ¡°I - I can hear people crying and laughing - and is that - are those dogs?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Dogs!¡± The first man with glasses snapped his finger and pointed at the chubby man: ¡°I think - I think it¡¯s a small one, like a pomeranian or a chihuahua.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? What are you talking about?!¡± The other man who drew his knife earlier, a slightly thinner man in a black cotton vest and a pair of short khaki pants tried to wake his friend by shaking his arm and shoulders: ¡°Hey man, snap out of it!¡±


    ¡°I - I think it¡¯s drowning - what is this?¡± The chubby man with a bald spot appeared confused.


    ¡°Wait - I think I am hearing something as well.¡± This moment, the owner of the internet cafe shivered and sat straight: ¡°Wait - what is that? I hear - I hear some kind of rumbling, and what is that - chairs and tables falling?¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Another guest, the young man with a crooked haircut and a strip of blue and green bangs, frowned and looked at the owner: ¡°Boss Man, what are you doing? What are you hearing?¡± He then looked at Gloria for help, who seemed to be the one with the clearest head right now.


    ¡°Hold them down. Don¡¯t let them move.¡± Gloria took a look at these people¡¯s eyes then said to the guest: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think it¡¯s the Blood Rainbow causing something in their heads.¡±


    ¡°We must do something! We must do something!¡± The young man with a blue strip in his hair helped hold the owner down to prevent him from moving: ¡°I - I think I am beginning to hear something as well - please! Do something!¡±


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    ¡°Hang on, don¡¯t resist.¡± Gloria jumped up, rushed to this young man¡¯s back, and tapped him and the man in a black cotton vest on the backs of their heads and shoulders, infusing him with a little bit of her Qi. Another simple trick to help temporarily boost their vigor and vitality. But it won¡¯t hold for too long. ¡°Do you know if there¡¯s paper here? And ink? Do you know if this internet cafe has any blessed artifacts, or talismans, or even some beads?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes I think I might know a spot! There is a - a - a small drawer in the back room, the boss kept his expensive stuff locked up in there. Just go there and see if you can find anything!¡± The man in a black vest nodded profusely: ¡°Please! Go! I - I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m gonna lose it!¡±


    ¡°Stay calm! Stay calm, okay? Clear your mind, focus on yourself. The more stressed and afraid you are, the easier it is to get infected or possessed.¡± Gloria raised her voice at the two remaining men: ¡°Hold it!¡±


    The drawer was made of hardened wood and had a thick metal lock. The key was nowhere in sight, so Gloria just raised her arm and smashed a hole on the top of the drawer with her fist.


    There was a small cloth pouch inside the drawer. She picked it up - it was heavier than one holding talismans would be. It was coins, there were three heavily weathered old coins, tied together using equally weathered red threads and had square holes in the middle. But despite the looks, Gloria could tell that there was something special about the coins and the threads. A kind of grand, blessed grandeur.


    Without a hint of hesitation, Gloria grabbed the coins in her hand while looking through the rest of things in this drawer - there were two pieces of very meticulously made red paper talismans tucked to the side of the drawer. But when she opened it, she could not recognize the patterns - they were not the common evil-repellant talismans, nor were they any other kind with which Gloria was familiar. After a short moment of thought she just put it back - she did not need another wildcard that could potentially make things worse.


    ¡°Quick! Please!¡± The man in a black vest yelled: ¡°I can¡¯t hold them anymore!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold them! They¡¯re so strong! Help!¡± The young man with a blue strip in his hair yelled as well: ¡°Please hurry!¡±


    Holding the coins in her hand, Gloria rushed out of the back room. Even though she did not know what the coins were, she was convinced that if there was anything that could help with the situation, it would be these old coins.


    Right now, the only two men who still had clear minds: the man in a black vest and the young man, were trying to hold down three men who had fallen into some kind of collective illusion.


    ¡°Oh my god! So much water! Water everywhere!¡± The owner of this internet cafe flapped his hands in the air like he was trying to swim. It was not an aggressive move, but he was somewhat panicking and screaming like the other two, which made them extra difficult to pin down.


    ¡°Please! Get out! Get out of the way!¡± The chubby man coughed and heaved as if he was really choking on water. His body was just flopping around on the ground, a few times his arms almost knocked over the incense burner in the middle.


    ¡°Please! Help us!¡± The young man yelled once again.


    Gloria¡¯s eyes glowed in a dim blue light, and in her vision, she saw clouds of gray fog looming over the three men¡¯s heads and shoulders. Even the two others who were not hallucinating also had them, just seemed to be lesser in terms of density or size.


    She thought for a quick moment, then fixed her eyes on the incense burner. Three incense sticks, the middle one seemed to be burning slower than the other two. She then rushed to the burner, stretching the threads that tied the coins together out a little and then sliding the coins down the sticks by letting them go through the square holes. When the coins reached the bottom and rested on the ashes in the burner, Gloria almost felt a breath of warm air blowing in her face.


    The same warm wind also blew by the other men in the room. And almost at the same time, the three of them in illusion all stopped moving.


    ¡°Wait - what¡¯d you do?¡± The man in a black vest chuckled, almost asking out loud: ¡°It worked? It worked!¡±


    ¡°What is happening?¡± The owner of the internet cafe groaned and rubbed his eyes.

 Book 2 Chapter 47. Stains and Smell

    ¡°These are my antique coins! My god! I¡¯ve spent so much on these! I¡¯m counting on their resale value to buy a new apartment!¡± The owner of the internet cafe cried and whined holding the string of coins in his hand. After what happened, the coins had a few cracks on them and from the looks of them they were on the brink of falling apart.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Boss. But you should feel fortunate, if it weren¡¯t for these coins you might not have been able to make it out alive.¡± The chubby man patted the owner on his shoulder.


    ¡°What did you see when you were in the illusion?¡± Gloria looked around the windows to check on the status outside - it seemed there was nothing eerie outside, and the Blood Rainbow had all but disappeared.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t remember.¡± The owner of the internet cafe shook his head, then looked to the other two who also fell into illusion earlier. They also shook their heads and shrugged. All three of them were sweating through their clothes. The sickly middle aged man was coughing, and before anyone could ask, he stood up and rushed to the bathroom and started making retching sounds.


    ¡°Now, stay inside, don¡¯t move. And light up some more incense if you need to.¡± Gloria checked the windows once again, grabbed her things and went to the door.


    ¡°Wait!? Are you getting out?¡± The young man with a blue strip in his hair asked: ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It should be good now.¡± Gloria nodded and cracked the door open by a hair. A bit of cold night wind blew in and through her fingers, she used her Qi to sense the energy in the air, and she could not feel anything. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be out quickly. You hang in there. If you¡¯re worried, call the collective watch and patrol team.¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s not safe!! You can¡¯t leave!¡± The young man cried out: ¡°What if we have something coming at us again? What if they come in again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, use the coins again.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°I think you can still use them a few more times. They¡¯re cracked and won¡¯t see a good price anyway.¡±


    There was an unmissable smell of salty water, wet dirt and rotten aqua weeds in the air outside. And even from afar, she could see the slowly fading foot and hand prints on the ground. They seemed to be made of mainly dirty water, and there was not anything or anyone around that would indicate where they came from, other than the water itself.


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    ¡°Shit.¡± Gloria looked around again, there were a few older warehouses that had collapsed. It seemed there was a fight in the area, with some discarded makeshift weapons lying on the ground. And most important of all, was that there were a few bodies lying around as well, in the rubbles.


    She hesitated for a moment, then decided to go in to take a closer look, with her phone taken out ready to call Gyuu Park and Sue. There was no signal on her phone at all


    The closest body to her was that of a young shirtless man lying on his chest with his arms grabbing the crevices and bumps on the ground. His face was frozen in a twisted state of horror, his tongue fell on the cement floor, decayed and blackened. The tips of his fingers were bloodied and torn, as if something or someone was trying to pull him away while he was sliding on the hard surface of the docks area.


    The next closest body was clearly that of a local gangster, as his body was covered in tattoos mostly common among high tier gang members. There was a broken sword next to his hand, and his chest was completely torn open, exposing the bloody, empty messes of chest and stomach cavities. She averted her eyes, for she doubted she could find anything useful without incriminating herself by investigating this body that had his spine revealed through the front.


    Between this body and the one that was further away, one seemed to be mostly intact, there was a trail of blood and some bloody footprints, leading up to a side area on the docks. Gloria immediately stamped forward and checked the edge of the docks platform.


    This was a platform that was elevated from the surface of the water, and the trail of blood and bloody footprints led up right into a tunnel on the side. When she looked around making sure that there was no one around her, a figure standing over mostly intact body almost made her jump and throw fists.


    The figure did not do anything threatening, though, he just pointed at the direction of the tunnel, before something dragged him into the water.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Gloria checked her phone again - there was still no signal. So she crafted a message and clicked ¡°Sent¡± to both Sue and Gyuu Park, so that whenever the signal was back the message would go out before going in.


    The tunnel was dark, and the smell of blood somehow got stronger from inside. There was another foul smell that stood out even more, a smell of what she could assume was exposed innards of humans. She infused her Qi into her legs and feet so that she could lighten her footsteps. She did the same with her fingers and eyes, so that she could see more clearly in the dark tunnel and grab the slippery wall to maintain balance.


    The smell of blood and human insides grew stronger. Something was close, and she could feel it.


    Inching inside and past a turn, Gloria saw a man in a ragged jacket and with blood all over his waist area and pants. Strangely, this man was still standing, even though his eyes were closed, and his breathing pattern indicated that he had probably passed out already.


    There was a messy torn hand on the far side of the tunnel in front of her, and there were strips of flesh floating in the water. She snuck over, and the scene made her stomach rumble - though she had seen plenty of gruesome bodies, this was still the first time she saw people being torn up and shredded like this. Compared to the two or three or maybe four individuals that perished here, the man with his torso hollowed out got a fortunate and decent death.


    Without a moment of doubt, Gloria doubled back and held onto the man that was still alive. Hopefully he could provide answers to her questions. Or at least, he could tell Gloria what happened.

 Book 2 Chapter 48. Acquaintance

    When they were out of the dark and reeking tunnel, Gloria finally had a good look at the man and what he looked like - it was someone she knew. Detective Marcus Cai, from the 17th Precinct of the  PCPD.


    It was surprising, to say the least. Firstly for all she knew about the city¡¯s law enforcement agencies, none of them would be willing to set foot in the South Eastern District at this time of the day, unless they really needed to, or were actually doing something unseemly. Secondly the dock areas were overrun by local gang operations, and the local vendors all had to pay them protection fees in order to operate here, yet gang matters in this district were no way under the jurisdiction of the PCPD.


    ¡°Sitch - where are - you?¡± Detective Cai mumbled under his breath: ¡°Run - run and call someone!¡±


    ¡°Okay, cop, let me bring you somewhere safer.¡± Gloria checked her phone, and saw that her queued messages to Sue and Gyuu Park were both successfully sent. She quickly followed up with a message telling them that she was safe. She then pushed her Qi to increase her muscle power, and hastened her footsteps lest she was seen by anyone.


    The option to send the man to a care center flashed in her mind. But she decided to push it down. For one, it would bring a lot of trouble to the district when a city police officer was injured, presumably in the line of duty, under circumstances involving the paranormal; for two, for someone who had survived in an area affected by Blood Rainbow, this man would have very likely contracted omens as well. And she did not want to bring that to the care centers among other patients.


    With a bit of stumbling and dragging, she brought the detective to her temporary hiding place near the docks area. She had some emergency supplies stocked, some blessed artifacts and talismans, incense burners and even some scriptures that watchers and clergymen use to perform exorcism. They should be enough to stabilize the detective¡¯s condition for now.


    The detective¡¯s jacket and shirt was torn, so she just tore those off him. There was a pretty grievous wound on his waist, which had luckily almost stopped bleeding. Gloria checked the areas around this wound, then the pulses and breathing - it seemed that he would not be in any kind of real life danger soon. But his conditions would definitely get worse if not addressed right away.


    Gauze, bandage, rubbing alcohol and gloves, it was not the first time Gloria had to address some wounds on others, but this would definitely be on the top ten list in terms of seriousness. This man was a mystic martial arts practitioner, so it could pose some potential challenges to her as well. Before proceeding, she sent another two quick texts to Sue and Gyuu Park, telling them the address of this hiding place and the fact that she brought an injured PCPD detective over.


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    She tied the detective¡¯s arms to the bedposts when she was cleaning up the wound and the surrounding area. The detective twitched and flinched slightly, but did not struggle as hard as she imagined. He just kept mumbling something, telling someone named ¡°Sitch¡± to run and hide. Though she had no idea who that was, it sounded like some kind of street name used by punks or gang members. It would be quite curious, if this PCPD police officer was somehow working with a street gang member.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ dad, where is mom?¡± After mumbling for a while, Detective Marcus Cai seemed to have gone into another dream and started saying something differently: ¡°No! No! Where is she ¡­ where is she? This ship is sinking, we must find her!¡±


    This almost sent a bolt of lightning through Gloria¡¯s body, and she unintentionally stopped unrolling the gauze and bandage and started staring at the detective¡¯s face.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ she was in the room with us¡­. why is the ship sinking! Why is it sinking!?¡± The detective turned his head left and right, seemingly under stress: ¡°Why is everything burning down!? No¡­ no dad! Grab something! Get away!¡±


    It was still not very clear, but the idea that the detective was also a passenger on that fateful cruise ship had already arisen in Gloria¡¯s mind. And if that was indeed the case, it meant that he might be here for a related, if not similar purpose - to investigate what was going on in the city, and what was happening with the 15 year cycle.


    ¡°No - no -  dad - I don¡¯t care if they don¡¯t want us to look. They are not gonna stop us. Please - don¡¯t you - don¡¯t you want to know what happened exactly? ¡­ The ship did not just sink. It was tampered with! Somebody got to have ¡­¡± Detective Cai continued to talk while not in any state of consciousness. He started sweating on his face and his chest.


    Gloria sighed and turned to find some tissues so she could wipe the sweat off the detective¡¯s body. It looked like the detective indeed had more in common with her than she previously expected. She herself had once looked into the circumstances of the sunken cruise ship. Her attempts did not go very far partially because she was still very young and did not know anyone when she was stranded at this part of the city, and partially because she was in no position to investigate anything in depth because her pseudo-adoptive family led by Luoshan Zi and consisting of the neighbors of her older residence were having a hard time with their lives as well and she needed to earn her keep.


    And with the 15 year anniversary coming up, it seemed like people who survived the incident were also starting to look into things again. Though Gloria was uncertain what the detective was looking for right now, her guts said they probably share similar goals.


    Just this moment, her phone rang - it was Sue.


    ¡°What the hell?! Where are you?¡± Sue sounded worried and agitated at the same time.


    ¡°Calm down. I just texted you the address.¡± Gloria lowered her voice: ¡°The cop¡¯s still out. He¡¯s talking in his sleep. I think he¡¯s looking into the 15 year cycle like us. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s still a fucking cop! Are you out of your mind?!¡± Sue¡¯s voice became higher pitched: ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Just come here, okay? I¡¯ll need to watch over him a little. ¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°Just come here and we can discuss this.¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m on my way!¡±


    Not a second past since Gloria had put down her phone, someone was knocking at her door. She looked through the peephole, and found it was her landlord - a tall, slightly chubby man with a limp on his left leg.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Gloria opened the door by a small crack.


    ¡°What is all this blood on the floor?¡± The landlord asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just came from a butcher shop.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°Stop with the bullshit. I saw you carrying an injured man in there - and I know he¡¯s not from around here.¡± The landlord narrowed his eyes and tried to push the door: ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 49. Silence

    ¡°Nothing. None of your business.¡± Gloria held the door exactly where it stood: ¡°Don¡¯t you have some water valve to fix?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. What is going on?¡± The landlord sniffed the air: ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve just used quite a bit of rubbing alcohol and iodine alcohol. You are dealing with someone injured, huh? Someone unsavory you don¡¯t want the others to know?¡±


    Gloria stared at her landlord¡¯s eyes. The landlord stared back at her. After a few seconds, Gloria sighed, turned back and picked up the detective¡¯s wallet she placed on a small table behind the door, lifted a few big bills from it and handed it to the landlord: ¡°Cleaning fee, and you better shut it about this.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡± The landlord¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the bills: ¡°This is a - a guy with a fat wallet huh? An old flirt or a customer?¡±


    ¡°No, no and no - and one more word from you, I will dump him in the fucking water tank.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Alright, alright missy. It¡¯s your guest.¡± The landlord raised his hands while clutching the bills tightly with his fingers: ¡°Just make sure he doesn¡¯t die in my building. Bad for business.¡±


    ¡°You better tell this to the fuckers at the end of this hall as well.¡± Gloria shut the door.


    After sending the landlord off, Gloria found her phone charger and plugged her phone in, while she turned on the recording software to record what Marcus was saying.


    ¡°No - no! No! You can¡¯t do that!¡± Before long, it seemed Detective Marcus Cai had fallen into a different dream, which caused him to struggle harder. The wooden bedposts to which he was tied started squeaking. ¡°We worked on those! NOOOO!¡±


    Gloria jumped up and quickly tapped the detective on several of his pressure points on his chest and shoulders. This forced him to lay back down and let out a long exhale. With this, Gloria put her right index and middle fingers on the side of the detective¡¯s neck, and left index and middle fingers on the detective¡¯s heart position. Slowly and steadily, she pushed her Qi into the detective¡¯s body to help him calm down and stabilize his breathing and flow of Qi. There was a little resistance at first and the detective tensed at her action, but soon he settled back down and started breathing slowly. His sweating seemed to have slowed as well, and judging from the low mumble he spoke, his overall condition was stabilized, for now at least.


    There was also a strange sensation coming through the tips of Gloria¡¯s fingers when she tried to push her Qi into the detective¡¯s meridians. It was the Qi of the detective, blending in with hers and reverse flowing into her fingers, not in an aggressive way but in a gentle and almost nourishing manner. With her admittedly limited prior experience, this kind of thing rarely happened. It would only work this way, according to what she learned from Luoshan Zi and some of her unnamed mentors, their Qi had good compatibility with each other.


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    Someone knocked on the door, and she stopped with her thoughts and rushed to the door. It was Gyuu Park and Sue, somehow arriving at almost the same time.


    ¡°Okay, this apartment is not gonna be big enough, so let¡¯s either squeeze a little, talk in lowered voices or talk out here.¡± Gloria whispered to her friends.


    ¡°In your apartment, it¡¯s safer since we need to keep it down anyways.¡± Gyuu Park whispered back.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Sue nodded.


    Three of them had to stand around the bed, as there was almost no more room in this tiny apartment.


    ¡°Okay, so this is your secret stashing place.¡± Sue looked around: ¡°So - so small!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can afford a bigger place.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°Which makes it a worse idea to bring the cop here! ¡± Gyuu Park rubbed his temples: ¡°If the coppers came to find him, you¡¯d be shit outta luck and no room to escape.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not gonna happen, he has no phone. And I have mine with me. Plus he¡¯s injured.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure!¡± Sue raised her voice slightly: ¡°For all we know the city might have put trackers in his badge! Or somewhere way more invasive!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°But the most important thing is, he¡¯s also looking into something related to the 15 year cycle. I just don¡¯t know what yet. And - I am pretty sure he was on that ship as well.¡±


    ¡°... yes I can see that you¡¯d feel for him.¡± Gyuu Park nodded with his arms crossed: ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean anything - we have at least a few dozen survivors of that incident.¡±


    ¡°Most of whom are dead, or laying low, or have left the city already.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°Last time I heard of some of them, they were involved in a suicide.¡±


    ¡°No - no - no! They - ¡± Detective Marcus Cai mumbled again: ¡°They didn¡¯t kill themselves! They - they were poisoned! They - Captain, please!¡±


    ¡°Well, that was - interesting.¡± Gyuu Park frowned as he looked at the detective turning his head on the bed.


    ¡°Like I said, he has a lot more interesting things to say.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°And - he just survived a Blood Rainbow, without actually locking himself in or escaping. I am not sure how many could have done that. ¡±


    ¡°Last I heard only a few people.¡± Gyuu Park nodded.


    ¡°And he was injured as fuck. If I didn¡¯t bring him over he would have died in that tunnel.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°And - guess what, if he brought that bad omen to a care center of a hospital, that¡¯d be kinda - kinda horrible.¡±


    ¡°But you are not worried about you or us at all?¡± Gyuu Park chuckled.


    ¡°Hey, we already know how to deal with it.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s not dwell on it.¡± Sue immediately waved her hands: ¡°So - how are we going to deal with this? I mean, of course we¡¯re going to have to deal with the omens.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already done the basics.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°You know, as commonly advised. And I am prepared to do a puke test. I don¡¯t think he is in a condition to do that though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll deal with it later. I mean, if we¡¯re going to do something soon, we will need the information.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°And what has he said so far? Anything that could help us?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Aside from the fact that he was also on that ship. And he was looking into what happened but got his investigation taken down by force.¡± Gloria scratched her head: ¡°I will keep listening - hopefully he will reveal something useful. If not while he¡¯s out, then awake.¡±


    ¡°No - no - they are organized ¡­ what are you saying!?¡± Right this moment, the detective mumbled again: ¡°I don¡¯t know - I don¡¯t know why they tried to get children¡­¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 50. Circumstances (Part 1)

    ¡°He did say that, right? He just said something about people grabbing children?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Yes, I think he did.¡± Sue nodded, having her eyes fixed on the detective.


    ¡°God dammit Sitch!¡± The detective turned his head and yelled, his arms and legs tensed again, and veins popped out of his forehead: ¡°What the fuck is that so called ¡®cause¡¯ of yours? What are you talking about? Why are you protecting them!?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause?¡¯¡± ¡°Sitch?¡± Gyuu Park and Sue asked at the same time, though seemingly drawn by different keywords.


    ¡°No! No! You can¡¯t die! You can¡¯t! There are children still missing! Children!¡± The detective seemed to be getting more aggressive in his dream, and the wooden bedframe began to squeak again.


    Gloria rushed over and jabbed the detective on his pressure points again. This time she used some more Qi - for one, she wanted to hold him down for a longer period of time, and for two, she wanted to try and see if her theory about their Qi being compatible was true.


    ¡°No - let me help - he seemed to have been poisoned.¡± Gyuu Park leaned over and took a look at the detective¡¯s face: ¡°Hitting his pressure points would only work temporarily. We needed to drive out the poison, or at least help him burn it off.¡±


    ¡°Poisoned? How?¡± Gloria looked Detective Marcus Cai¡¯s face up and down: ¡°I can¡¯t see any signs. How did you tell?¡±


    ¡°His breathing patterns, and - of course, I as a clergyman can see things from a little bit of a different angle.¡± Gyuu Park let out an exhale and nodded at Gloria: ¡°Do you have a knife or some other kind of sharp objects?¡±


    ¡°Behind you, on the shelf, the book with a thick black cover.¡± Gloria answered.


    Gyuu Park turned, almost hitting Sue with his elbow, and found the book, the book was hollowed out, with a small dagger and two folded up paper talismans inside.


    ¡°Why do you keep this here?¡± Gyuu Park could not help but be amused: ¡°You don¡¯t have something under your pillow?¡±


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    ¡°I do - it¡¯s just bigger and not suitable for a precise operation.¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°Where is he injured?¡± Gyuu Park asked, then fixed his eyes on the bandage on the detective¡¯s waist area.


    ¡°The worst one is on the waist. There are some others but not as serious.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s the most likely insertion point.¡± Gyuu Park nodded: ¡°Do you have some spare gauze and bandages? We may need to undo it a bit. ¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to suture as well? ¡± Gloria instantly got what Gyuu Park was trying to do: ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do it, and - the wound looks bad. And if you tried to push the poison out that way - ¡±


    ¡°No - not directly from the wound, that would be unwise.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°Just a few incisions. We just need to make sure it¡¯s deep and thin.¡±


    With Gloria and Sue¡¯s help, Gyuu Park undid the bandage on the detective¡¯s waist. The gauze was already soaked in blood, and there was a slightly disturbing foul smell from it - it must be the poison, being pushed out by the detective¡¯s own Qi.


    Gyuu Park then proceeded to poke a few small but deep cuts into the area surrounding the wound. Then he placed his fingers around these incisions, and pushed his Qi into the detective¡¯s body. After a while, slowly but steadily, dark and pungent blood clots seeped out of these incisions. Gloria immediately wiped the blood clean, and when the bleeding stopped, put some fresh new gauze on it.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gyuu Park took a deep breath: ¡°Should be good now. With your Qi pressing onto his pressure points, his meridians should stay dormant for a while. He¡¯s the practitioner of some kind of really Yang oriented mystic Kung Fu. His body will be able to heal soon. But he might be - groggy, thirsty and tired for a while. Maybe even a bit of a hangover.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Sue sighed, rubbing her temples: ¡°I mean, if he¡¯s doing good now, should we send him away?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Your call.¡± Gyuu Park turned to Gloria.


    ¡°... let¡¯s keep him here for a while.¡± Gloria thought for about half a minute, then she decided: ¡°I need to see if he would say something more. And - while we¡¯re at it, we should go and check on the docks area if we get the chance. I don¡¯t know what happened over there just yet, all I could tell was that there was a fight, a pretty serious one with several dead. Probably between some street gangs, and this detective here got caught in the middle of it.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. I think - let me go check it out.¡± Gyuu Park considered for a brief moment, then turned to Gloria and Sue: ¡°You should stay here. And Gloria, I will do a puke test on myself before coming in. And here - ¡± He gave a small piece of dark red wooden coin to Gloria: ¡°This is - ¡±


    ¡°This is a - an oiled blessed coin made of lightning-struck peachwood?¡± Sue recognized this coin immediately: ¡°Where did you get that?¡±


    With Sue¡¯s reaction, Gloria also recognized it. To her knowledge, though seemingly simple on the surface, authentic oiled blessed coins were actually relatively difficult to make. They required good pieces of peachwood, redwood or any other kinds of wood that had good Yin-Yang balance with slight affinity to Yang; and the carved and polished wooden coins needed to be placed in clay jars with arcane symbols drawn on their exterior and drowned in tung oil. Then, the clay jars needed to be placed on altars or buried in blessed ground for prolonged periods of time, during which the maker needed to change the oil regularly. This was the normal process for normal wood materials that were in normal conditions, and for wood in special conditions, in this case peach wood struck by lightning, the maker of the coin needed to balance everything according to their evaluation of the materials. For the wood materials having been struck by lightning, they tended to contain a special kind of evil and spirit repelling energy and aura, but were much harder to properly handle.


    ¡°Yes, one out of the only two I have. And three out of a handful of batches I tried. So use wisely.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled: ¡°You know how to use it - don¡¯t burn it too fast.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 51. Circumstances (Part 2)

    Gyuu Park closed the door behind him, took a deep breath, then headed out of this simple and dirty looking apartment complex.


    If he could help it, he would not let his friend rent a place in such a dirty, rundown spot residing in one of the worst areas around the district, with visibly bad Feng Shui. But he could not - and it was the first time he ever came down here.


    The docks area was known to be a bad place during the night, for almost all illegal trades were being conducted there after sunset. But due to historical reasons, it was also one of the bigger areas for street vendors to operate during the day and thus it remained crowded and somewhat expensive. Both the city and the community collective had tried some campaigns before to reform the area, clean it up and maybe rebuild certain parts, yet none was able to maintain steam past three months. One of the obvious reasons was that the local gangs had quite a bit of influence and sway in this area to halt and sabotage any outsider attempts at changing anything in the area. And the other obvious reason was that the area was quite a managerial nightmare in itself, and any proposed change needed to go through hundreds of stakeholders and almost all of them require different means of communication. This was partially thanks to the South Eastern District¡¯s separate norms of operation from that of the city¡¯s.


    The streets were empty, and Gyuu Park did not need any extra effort to not be seen or noticed. Before long, he reached the outskirts of the docks area, just half a block away from the entrance.


    The smell of salt and water, rotten weeds and blood could easily make a normal person uncomfortable. But Gyuu Park just used his Qi to block off the foul smell. At the same time, he used his personal Qi tricks as well as Spirit tricks to gauze upon the air as well as the aura surrounding the docks area.


    Dark clouds, dark tendrils made of tiny particles, faint faces of painful, resentful and hateful emotions floated in the air, remaining in a constant state of appearing, disappearing and reappearing at a different spot.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head. This was not a good sign - even if he dared not use any tricks of peeking into the flow of Qiyun right now, it would be foolish to even overlook such a blatant sign of manipulation and poisoning. Even for a place that saw dead bodies on a regular basis, this kind of foul, corrupting energy would serve no one in this area any good.


    With this in mind. Gyuu Park sat down in a corner and pushed his Qi to circulate faster and stronger all over his body to protect himself and to be always ready for anything unexpected. With a talisman made with red ink on a piece of purple paper tucked in his chest pocket, he snuck into the area through a waist high metal fence.


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    Just like Gloria mentioned, there were bodies of what looked like local gang members on the ground. And judging from their states, they all seemed to be the doings of paranormal entities, and different entities as well - for some of them seemed to be ripped apart from the inside, some of them seemed to have died to extreme fear and horror, and some of them seemed to have died from severe hypothermia or even frozen to death. And there were of course, more of them whose causes of death were not easy to tell just by their apperances.


    There was one body near the edge of the entrance, who though had marks of paranormal entities all over the skin, generally remained unspoiled. Gyuu Park came in closer, and saw that this dead man seemed to have some gang-related tattoos on his arms, and there were a few pretty serious puncture wounds on his upper body. From the blackened vein marks around these wounds, he seemed to have been poisoned before his death.


    The wind was strong and chilling in this area, yet it did not blow the smell or the lingering dark particles away. Gyuu Park looked around, some of the warehouses had collapsed, some were severely damaged, and the one they snuck into last time to check the Qiyun flow of this area seemed to be mostly unscathed, including the shiny new locks.


    Gyuu Park took out a small wooden compass from his inner jacket pocket and laid it flat on his hand, while letting the moonlight fall on the upper surface. With the flow of his Qi into it, the wooden needle at the center bounced up, shaking and creaking. The next moment, it started slowly spinning instead of pointing to any particular direction.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gyuu Park put the wooden compass back and took out a small mirror with an octagon wooden frame. A bagua mirror, a more powerful artifact almost anyone could use to combat the paranormal or even influence Feng Shui. He did not want to stay for a moment longer, but he was here already, and he needed to get a closer and clearer look.


    From his other jacket pocket, he took out a very short but relatively thicker incense stick made with some kind of orange material instead of the usual yellow with a gray hue. This was something he got from none other than the elders at Kshiti Temple - a gift when he became the official clergyman of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. It was a precious and expensive gift, also a dangerous one.


    Gyuu Park placed his left middle finger on the stump of the incense stick, igniting it with his Qi and a small droplet of his blood. Large amount of smoke disproportionate to the size of the incense stick rose. In just a few seconds, the smoke flowed around in the area, taking shapes of humans, parts of not yet fully collapsed warehouses and even some unhuman-looking creatures and entities


    ¡°Hang in there!¡± A blob of smoke in the shape of a human man was holding a faint shadow in his arms, while small streams of glowing red energy went from his palm to the shadow in his arms.


    ¡°Back off.¡± In the blink of an eye, the same smoke changed position slightly and seemed to be speaking to a few other shadows made of smoke.


    While the smoke was replaying what happened here in this area in quick motion. Sweat started forming in Gyuu Park¡¯s face. There were some other visions being injected into his mind as well, expected effects of this incense stick. For anyone untrained, the pain and mental strain stemming from the connection to this incense stick alone would cause them to faint.


    Screaming voices, tens, hundreds and even thousands of them, started coming up from the depths of the water around the platform. The water was bubbling, more and more, as if something was coming rapidly closer to the surface.

 Book 2 Chapter 52. Circumstances (Part 3)

    ¡°Motherfucker - ¡± Sensing the spike in Yin energy and the spread of aura that reeked of rot, corrosion and death, Gyuu Park had to cut the ritual short and put out the dark flame burning on the incense stick in his hand. The smoke stopped moving and started dissipating, same as the visions and voices in his head.


    The smoke was still lingering in the air when he put the incense stick away. But the next moment, cries and moans burst out from all areas around him. On the far side of the platform, he could see some twisted human bodies crawling towards him, like a couple of bugs covered in sores, aqua weeds and blood.


    Peeking through the veil of paranormality had its cost, and one obvious cost was that one¡¯s sight would get noticed. And the reason for this was very simple: once one turned on a flash light in the dark to peek around, they would also draw the attention of insects.


    ¡°Come! Come!¡± One of the figures was not one, but what seemed like multiple humans stitched and fused together, by entangling aqua weeds and their flesh melted and absorbed each other¡¯s. Whenever this figure made a sound of one voice, there were two more voices that immediately followed, like echoes without walls around.


    Gyuu Park immediately turned back and started running towards the entrance of the docks. But just when he made his first step, his visions blurred, and somehow the direction he was facing turned into the inner area of the docks, instead of the entrance. Illusions, he reckoned.


    Gyuu Park forced himself to calm down and took out another wooden coin from his jacket pocket - it was his only other oiled blessed coin he made. He bit the tip of his tongue, then spit a bit of his blood onto it while infusing the coin with his Qi. Then he immediately raised the coin up using both his hands and let it face the moon.


    A beam of light was emitted from the coin and shone upon the area in front of Gyuu Park. The illusions faded away like fog under the sun. And it seemed that though he was facing the correct general direction, he was off by quite a few degrees and if he had kept going he would be running into a warehouse with a rusty metal exterior.


    ¡°Come! COME!¡± The creature made of three infused humans reached Gyuu Park first, and taking no time to wait, it lunged at him from the back, with sharp nails extending from its fingers and sharp boney spikes protruding from its palms.


    Sensing the foul breath and flow of cold air coming from behind, Gyuu Park rolled on the ground and pointed the bagua mirror at the creature, while keeping an angle of it facing the moon. A beam of moonlight was reflected off this bagua mirror, and the bright spot landed right at the creature¡¯s main chest.


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    An extremely brief sizzling sound burst, then immediately followed by the sound of a crack, then a boom. The creature was not even able to touch the shadow of Gyuu Park, before its lower body was torn apart from the chest area by a sudden surge of sharp energy.


    Gyuu Park backed off a few more steps, this attack using the bagua mirror was powerful, yet it drained a huge chunk of his Qi, even making his right hand dry up and shrivel a little. Also a similarly sharp energy pierced into his right forearm, causing him a jolt of agonizing pain but ended up laying dormant. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Gyuu Park cursed, and looking at the incoming paranormal creatures, he did not want to use the bagua mirror again, or even to fight these creatures if possible. So he just turned to the entrance and started running away.


    ¡°My bones are gone! My bones are gone!¡± The next closest creature was crawling using only its left arm and right leg, while most of its body was empty and hollow looking, as if there was nothing to support the soft, floppy flesh. This creature had no eyes in its socket either, but had one bigger eyeball in its open mouth, with two pupils inside staring at Gyuu Park.


    Gyuu Park reached the entrance with the highest speed he could muster up, But when he took a look at what was behind him, he saw a few more barely humanoid creatures emerging from different corners of the docks area and rushing at him, showing no signs of slowing down even when he was about to leave this place.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Gyuu Park cursed, then turned around, clenched his oiled blessed coin in the palm of his right hand, then infused it with his Qi while pushing his Qi to circulate all throughout his body.


    Shades of green energy crawled up on his arms, shoulders and wrapped around his ankles. This was the true color of the Qi he cultivated from the practice of Viridian Jade Manual, one that enabled him to hide his Qi most of the time and camouflage its color should he need to. But its most prominent properties were that it allowed him to fight the paranormal entities more efficiently. The manual, the content of which he recently recited and wrote down with his own notes of understanding and experience, was stored in a secure location.


    ¡°My bones are gone! My bones!¡± A humanoid creature with a big eyeball in its mouth lunged at Gyuu Park from a metal handrail, its arms stretching forward ready to claw him on his face and neck.


    Gyuu Park raised his middle and index fingers on both hands, one piece of semi-transparent light green energy construct that looked like the shape of an arrowhead appeared between his left hand fingers, and a thin ring with sharp outer edge appeared in his right.


    With his Qi concentrated on his forearms, wrists and hands, Gyuu Park thrust his arms forward, his right arm aiming at the creature that lunged at him while his left aiming at the further creatures that were swarming at him.


    The ring of light green Qi spun in the air as it glided through the air while expanding in size. The humanoid creature with an eyeball in its mouth was not prepared to face an attack head on, thus was instantly sliced in half from the middle by this ring of Qi. The light green arrowhead shot at the second closest creature to Gyuu Park with much higher speed, aiming right at its long and crooked neck wrapped in thick aqua weeds.


    The creature closest to Gyuu Park screamed but could not do anything aside from fall on the ground helplessly as two separate pieces, as the Qi from the attack continued to crush and grind its body from the inside.


    The green arrowhead struck its aim right at the shoulders. And right after piercing the creature¡¯s body, it exploded, shooting pellets of energy to all the others around and behind its aim.


    The other creatures screeched and moaned as they moved away from the second creature. And just like living humans, they slowed down their pace and lingered where they were, staring at Gyuu Park, not willing to give up yet not daring enough to push forward.


    Gyuu Park took a few deep breaths to smooth his meridians and muscles over. These two attacks were powerful but they were extremely costly, even with the help of the coin he was almost not able to pull them off. Now that the two creatures were annihilated and the others thwarted, he had but a brief moment to collect himself.

 Book 2 Chapter 53. Circumstances (Part 4)

    Standing mostly straight where he was, Gyuu Park stared back at the creatures that remained in the docks area. They were still mostly humanoid, some were made of two humans fused together, some were just single humans that showed signs of corruption and mutation.


    Now that he had a good chance to get a clear look at the creatures, Gyuu Park could tell that they were definitely human spirits, unfortunate and miserable victims from the past. It was not easy to tell how they died exactly, for their bodies and figures were all corrupted by prolonged exposure to the water and heavily Yin environment.


    And when he looked more intently, he could not help but notice all of these creatures had some kind of rope or chains connecting their bodies to something under the water. This was the first time he got this close a look at the unclean entities at the docks, and it was the first time he noticed this.


    After thinking for a while. Gyuu Park decided to push himself and see if he could take a much closer look at one of the creatures and see if he could find anything.


    Green Qi covered all major parts of his body, some portion of it got concentrated on the edge of his palms. Then with a loud roar, Gyuu Park launched himself at the creature closest to him.


    This creature was one that was made of two humans stuck together back to back. A man was under, with his two arms and one broken leg supporting the weight; a woman was above lying face up, chest cavity exposed and two arms bent backwards to the front, her fingers extended and nails sharp, like two additional appendages primed for attack.


    ¡°Give us our child back! Give us our child back!¡± The two humans cried at the same time, while their mouths opened wide, revealing their sharp, crooked and heavily weathered teeth, and tongues that were freakishly long and covered in bristles. The man pushed his arms against the ground and launched themselves into the air, facing Gyuu Park¡¯s attack head on.


    ¡°Die in my stead! ¡° ¡°Drown in my stead!¡± Two more creatures, one made of a single half a person and the other made of a person with another head embedded in the chest cavity lunged at Gyuu Park from the side.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s hands drew two half circles in the air. Then with a brief moment of preparation, he launched two palm strikes with both his hands - one at the main creature he was targeting, and the other at the other two that tried to join in.


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    ¡°Boom!¡± The Qi concentrated on his left palm exploded before the palm strike landed on anything, green shards made of solidified Qi blasted at the two creatures like a high caliber shotgun from point blank range.


    The two creatures screamed and gurgled as they were thrown back into the air. The shards tore at least a dozen holes on both of their bodies, shredding some thinner and weaker parts of them into tiny pieces that smoked, ashed and dissipated in the night air.


    The right palm strike, on the other hand, emitted a heavy crushing wave of energy that crashed against the creature made of two humans stitched together back-to-back. This creature was much more hardened and solid than the other two, yet it was not able to move forward with its attack and was pushed onto the ground. The ground cracked, pellets of cement popped into the air. The right palm strike was visibly more powerful than the left, and the propulsion of which lifted Gyuu Park¡¯s body up slightly.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s body spun in the air riding the force. Then he held both his palms together, combining the residual Qi from the attacks. A thin, round and spinning green blade of Qi formed in the space between the palms. Just when the blade reached a high enough speed, he unleashed it towards the ground, aiming at the space behind the creature he just shoved into the ground below.


    The creature was paralyzed by the impact for the moment. It tried to break free, but some kind of special energy seeped into its body and prevented it from making any kind of move. Its body was made of mostly pure Yin energy and foul, corrosive and corrupting Qi, and this energy from Gyuu Park¡¯s palm strike was especially destructive and effective against it.


    The sound of spinning saw cutting metal objects exploded from the impact between the spinning Qi blade and the chain made of aqua weeds. Glistening, thick and dark liquids spew out from the cut, and a foul smell arose, almost making Gyuu Park faint.


    This seemed to have caused greater pain to the creature than the palm strike of his Qi. A throaty, desperate and hysterical scream shot out of its exposed and damaged chest cavities, and its limbs shook and twitched uncontrollably on the ground, hitting the ground repeatedly like chaotic drumsticks.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s ears hurt from the high-pitched scream, his heart rates were elevated, his breathing pattern became irregular, and he felt the Qi flow in his meridians was disrupted to the brink of loss of control - anymore, and he could suffer severe internal damage from overflow of Qi from his ruptured meridians.


    He had to immediately back off from the creatures when he landed on the ground, trying to stabilize his flow of Qi, and to calm himself down after hearing that scream. This gave the creature a chance to struggle against the energy that seeped into its body and was suppressing it. Right in front of Gyuu Park¡¯s eyes, the creature started off being able to move two of its front legs, and later it could even shake its main part of the body.


    Gyuu Park felt like cursing again, but he decided not to so that he could concentrate his breaths and his mind on stabilizing his Qi and getting himself back to fight ready state. His Qi circulated in his meridians, soothing his tense muscles, slowing down his racing heart and pulses, and relieving the pain in his ears and back.


    The thick liquid that dripped on the ground from the wound on the chains started smoking, releasing small clouds of dark particles that buzzed around like hordes of mosquitoes or flies.


    They were not flies, they were not mosquitoes. When Gyuu Park narrowed his eyes, he could tell that these were actually tiny drops of liquid, changing sizes and shaking around.


    ¡°Give us our child back! ¡± This creature crawled up and screamed at Gyuu Park once again: ¡°Give us our child back! ¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 54. Circumstances (Part 5)

    The remaining amount of Qi in Gyuu Park¡¯s meridians would only be able to supply one more attack. And right now, he could not be sure even if he exerted all of his force he would be able to defeat this creature, not to mention cut the chain off completely.


    He could use the oiled blessed coin in his hand and the bagua mirror, but right now the sharp energy from the bagua mirror was already deeply embedded in his right arm. Though dormant, he did not want to imagine what would happen if there was more of this energy flowing into him.


    After a short moment of contemplation, he decided to put the bagua mirror away, while clutching the coin tighter and infusing more of his Qi into it.


    ¡°Crack!¡± A thick bolt of bright, orange and golden lightning and a much thinner bolt of green lightning shot through the sky, leaving a gaping hole in the clouds above. The lightning struck something in the air, which was curiously not connected to the ground at all.


    The hairs on the back of Gyuu Park all stood up, sending a chill and some kind of burning sensation all over his body. And at the same time, strange electric currents emitted through the coin and circulated through his meridians. Somehow, these currents did not electrocute him, but instead melded into his own Qi, strengthening his power, as well as raising his senses.


    ¡°My child! My child! MY CHILD!¡± The creature hopped up into the sky like a crooked insect, dragging the chain made of aquaweeds along its body. Its arms extended forward aiming at Gyuu Park, and crooked teeth covered in foul saliva and blood shot from its two mouths like bullets.


    Gyuu Park rolled on the ground, the need to appear gracious left far behind. The crooked teeth cracked the ground tiles and embedded into the platform floor. With a quick sweep of his left hand, Gyuu Park launched a handful of dirt, tiny rocks and debris he grabbed from the ground in the sky. The creature screamed and changed course in mid air to land on a broken wall to the side.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s Qi exploded from all of these tiny fragments and formed some kind of green dust in the air. It temporarily blocked the view between Gyuu Park and the creature. Even though the wall of dust lingered for but one moment, it still made the creature hesitate and wonder for that period of time.


    Rushing forward beneath the wall of dust with his entire body lowered, Gyuu Park readied his two hands that held tight with the fingers laced together.


    The chain made of aqua weeds was just above Gyuu Park¡¯s head, and the gushing wound he just created earlier was almost within reach. With this window of opportunity, he thrust his arms forward, with his index fingers sticking out, sticking with each other and the other fingers still laced. A green arrow of sharp, almost solidified Qi burst from the tips of the two fingers, aiming right at the wound on the chain.


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    Though off by a few inches, the sharp arrow of Qi struck true on the wound, and tore into its interior.


    A loud crack exploded from the chain, streams of Qi splintered from inside the chain, and tore the chain completely open. Foul liquid gushed from the wounds on the chain, the pungent smell almost knocked Gyuu Park out. He had to push himself back with his tired legs as far away from the site as possible. His eyes teared up, his throat felt swollen, and the skin on his face and neck was burning.


    Before Gyuu Park could do anything, another lightning descended from the sky. The blue light blinded him for a brief moment, the loud crack deafened his ears to all sounds, and the unusually strong shockwave released by the strike blew him almost entirely out of the docks area.


    When Gyuu Park struggled up straight, he felt his arms shaking uncontrollably. The wooden coin in his palm was severely burned to an unrecognizable state, and had barely half its former shape remaining. Gyuu Park took a deep breath, then held the half wooden coin to his forehead and kissed the back of his hand holding it: ¡°Thank you.¡± He did not yet know how this happened, but it must have been some kind of chain reaction involving this very blessed oiled coin, the stale and stuck Qiyun of this area, and the foul substance leaked from the chain.


    There was the smell of ozone in the air. There were no other creatures anywhere visible. In the spot where the creature he was battling would have been, there was only a pile of what looked like incomplete sets of skeletons, with two skulls, two incomplete spines, arms and some finger bones.


    Everything happened in but a brief moment, yet Gyuu Park had grasped already made a pretty educated guess on what happened: this creature was the amalgamation of corrupted spirits of a couple who lost their child, and had possibly been carrying this toll on their mind until their demise in the water.


    Wind blew across the platform, and these two sets of skeletons started to crumble and dissipate into the air like loose sand and dirt. Gyuu Park looked around a few more times - there was not anything he could see, aside from a black charred mark on the ground, created by the lightning.


    He limbed closer and closer to the bones, trying to go as fast as he could despite his muscles and bones complaining, hoping he could at least get something out of them that could help him make sense of everything.


    The piles of bone dust were almost gone before he screamed and lunged forward with his arms extended in front of him. When he landed on the ground, chest bumping into the surface of the concrete platform, he managed to grab a small handful of it.


    The dust felt chilly, even slightly freezing and also a bit clunky. But when he held it closer, his Qi started leaking out of his palm. He tried to control it, but somehow he felt a wave of dizziness rush through his head, and he started seeing different images of two faint shadows in front of his eyes.


    ¡°... we just can¡¯t find him¡­ we can¡¯t find him¡­ what horrible parents we are. What horrible people we are¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have ¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have ¡­¡± The two shadows stood on the edge of the concrete platform.


    ¡°... please, sir, please¡­ can you help us¡­ we really cannot find him¡­ please¡­ no one tells us anything¡­ please¡­¡± The two shadows knelt on the ground, kowtowing to someone, begging, weeping.


    ¡°... please ¡­ I beg of you, he¡¯s our boy¡­ he¡¯s been missing for days¡­ please¡­¡± The two shadows asked, while holding what looked like piles of fliers in their hands.


    ¡°Where are you!? Please! Come out! Son! Where ARE YOU?¡± The two shadows shouted: ¡°Please! Boy! Come out, stop scaring us! ¡±


    When the visions stopped, the bone dust was almost completely gone from his palm.

 Book 2 Chapter 55. Changing Mind

    It took another five to ten minutes for Gyuu Park to completely stand up straight. His Qi started flowing normally again, and his muscles and bones stopped hurting. It took a while before he could walk without limping, and by the time he exited the docks area, he was finally able to hold his phone in his hand firmly without almost dropping it on the ground.


    After a short moment of consideration, he decided to send a text to both Gloria and Sue, telling them that he needed to head back to his temple first: ¡°Hey, I need to head back to my temple first. Can¡¯t come by because I got something dirty on my clothes. Let¡¯s meet either tomorrow or some time after, I¡¯ll need to go clean up.¡±


    ¡°Understood, be careful on your way back.¡± Gloria responded.


    Before he left, Gyuu Park threw down some red paper coins laced with golden lines and burned them with his Qi. It was meant to be a sign of apologies for disturbing the peace, yet he had no idea if it would mean anything right now.


    Time was still late at this hour, and he had no choice but to go back on foot. It was quite far away, he had to walk past almost half the entire South Eastern District to get back to the temple. But he did not really have a choice right now, the only thing he could do was avoid traveling through areas that were too dense in terms of local residence.


    In Gloria¡¯s temporary hiding place, with Gyuu Park not present, the two young women could finally have a bit of wiggle room in the tight space.


    Detective Marcus Cai was indeed sleeping soundly with regular slow and soothing breathing patterns, and he occasionally mumbled something.


    ¡°So - what do you think happened? To Gyuu Park, I mean.¡± Sue asked Gloria: ¡°It¡¯s kinda weird, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But he must have a reason¡­¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°Let¡¯s ask him when we get the detective outta here¡­¡± Before she could finish, Gloria¡¯s phone started ringing, and it was from none other than Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Hey, what happened?¡± Gloria immediately answered.


    ¡°Okay, bring Sue over, find a quiet place so we can chat.¡± Gyuu Park, sounding like he was running, or at least walking relatively fast.


    Gloria gestured to Sue and pointed at the door. They went out of the entrance of this whole apartment building and found a hidden corner on the side between this building and some metal fences.


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    ¡°Okay, go.¡± Gloria said as she put Gyuu Park on speaker.


    ¡°Okay, first thing - that detective in there seems legit. And I mean well-intentioned legit.¡± Gyuu Park panted lightly, and sounded like he kicked away an empty can: ¡°I tried something when I was in the docks earlier. That ¡®Sitch¡¯ guy? Looks like someone from around here and he got injured from trying to save the man. I can ask around who this is. But at least from now we can sorta conclude he¡¯s a good dude, at least not a bad one. Too bad, whoever that ¡®Sitch¡¯ guy was, he¡¯s most likely dead. There are many bodies on the docks area, and the community watch and patrol team should get there shortly, hopefully ayway. ¡±


    ¡°Okay - we can sort of understand that. And what else? Are you okay?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. I looked a bit too hard and pissed some spirits off. I should¡¯ve known better. My mistake.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled and sighed: ¡°And - when I fought the spirits, I noticed that they too had some kind of chains or tubes on their backs. I am still not entirely sure what it does, but I think I have some rough idea - it¡¯s that Qi - I mean that particular forbidden nono thing we talked about. I cut it open and some kind of foul liquid leaked out. This liquid triggered an acute reaction from my blessed oil coin - so, be careful. When you¡¯re dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you - I guess I understand now.¡± Gloria frowned then looked at the direction of the docks, ¡°And - what else? Have you seen anything else?¡±


    ¡°Not much, aside from the fact that the docks are very dangerous.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°But - don¡¯t do anything yet, I need to check on some old records to make sense of what I saw. So - ¡±


    ¡°I understand, don¡¯t do anything rash, wait for you to get back to us. ¡± Gloria sighed, then snickered: ¡°How long are you going to dive into the records this time? I am still waiting for you to get back to me from last time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, I¡¯ll try.¡± Gyuu Park let out a very long sigh: ¡°And you stay out of trouble. Now I¡¯m gonna need to hang up - there¡¯s no telling if omens and foul flow of Qiyun could flow through the telephone.¡±


    ¡°Alright, take care.¡± Gloria shook her head, then turned her eyes to the detective lying on her bed: ¡°Sue, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well - things are complicated beyond belief now. I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Sue sighed and adjusted her position on the desk: ¡°I am beginning to think we should probably try the old ruins.¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯m not gonna lie, I am beginning to feel the same way¡­¡± Sue rubbed her temples, then checked her phone: ¡°Anyway - it¡¯s really late, do you wanna go back? You still have work tomorrow right?¡±


    ¡°...yes. ¡± Sue sighed: ¡°I¡¯m sorry - but I want to help you with the - well with everything. But let me do something before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what is that?¡± Sue nodded at her friend with a smile.


    ¡°Something I picked up when diving into old records with Turner.¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will work, but I¡¯ve experimented a little, and I think it could help.¡± Then she looked around: ¡°Do you have anything sticky, like ointment? And can I borrow some of your medicinal alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Here.¡± Gloria turned around and grabbed a flat, short metal jar with a lion on the lid, and a small tinted glass bottle: ¡°Will you be drawing some kind of blessed symbol?¡±


    ¡°You saw right through me.¡± Sue smiled, ¡°And, original recipe Lion Balm! Good for you! It¡¯s harder and harder to get these days.¡±


    ¡°What can I say, I bruise a lot.¡± Gloria chuckled.


    Sue scooped a small ball of ointment from the metal jar, splashed a little medicinal alcohol on it, then took out a small plastic bag of yellow dust - shavings from incense sticks. She proceeded to mix the ointment, medicinal oil and the incense shaving. The mix turned brown, like a blob of clay.


    Then with caution and care, Sue drew two symbols on both sides of the door frame: on the left, the traditional character of ¡°still¡±, and on the right, the traditional character of ¡°steady¡±.


    ¡°Still and steady?¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°What do these symbols do?¡±


    ¡°They should help you ward off the influence of bad Fengshui and negative aura.¡± Sue shrugged: ¡°I mean - I don''t know if it will work against EVERYTHING, but at least now you have something.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 56. Sanctions (Part 1)

    Not long after Sue left, Gloria found a corner and curled up in there to take a quick break. The detective stopped speaking in his sleep and his breathing patterns seemed to be getting more and more steady, and she was not able to get anymore from him.


    Before long, Gloria heard a clear mumble and the detective¡¯s breathing speeding up. She immediately stood up and got a glass of water and put it beside the bed. But before the detective actually awoke, her phone rang.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Gloria walked out of the door and answered.


    ¡°Is this Gloria Lee?¡± The man on the phone seemed to be someone from the community collective - it was not the phone number, or that Gloria recognized the person calling. It was purely because of the impolite and impatient tone that was overly common in the district, amongst low level functionaries.


    ¡°Yes, who is this?¡±


    ¡°This is a call from the South Eastern District of Poison City Community Collective, Safety Watch and Patrols Division, Ritualistic Safety Department.¡± The man did not give Gloria his name: ¡°I am calling regarding your meeting with Harmony Enforcer Fyman Nu today.¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t remember having a meeting with an enforcer?¡± Gloria frowned, her head got clearer from hearing the word ¡°Harmony Enforcer¡±, these were some of the most unwanted and unwelcome people in the district, for wherever they went, they brought intrusive and over zealous investigations and probing with them.


    ¡°You do now. ¡± The man did not even change his tone: ¡°You have a meeting with him at 11 o¡¯clock in the morning. You are to be present at least 15 minutes before the meeting and be in proper attire. Enforcer Nu will be inquiring about the incident at the Fuman Coffin Home, so you will need to bring every related document to the meeting. If you would like to reschedule the meeting, you will need to call us at least 48 hours in advance. Otherwise this will be considered an act of contempt for the community collective.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have 48 hours, do I?¡± Gloria scoffed.


    ¡°Then be here on time and bring all the required documents. And per the normal process you are allowed to have some eyewitnesses of your choice present. But to bring them along you¡¯ll need to apply for the approval at least 24 hours ahead of time. Or you can expedite the process after paying an express processing fee.¡±


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    ¡°...I understand. I will see to it.¡±


    ¡°And as a general courtesy, please make sure all of your eyewitnesses are properly dressed as well. ¡± The man said with the same old dry tone: ¡°Have a nice day. Please be on time for the meeting. After this call, please take the time to take a survey and tell us what you think about your experience.¡±


    When Gloria went back into the apartment, she saw that the detective was already awake and was chugging the water she left by the bed. And when he finished, he seemed to be slightly disturbed by the taste of the water. She did not blame him, the water in the building was not as clean as it could be. Even after running through a relatively uncheap filter, there was still a bad taste lingering.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake now.¡± Gloria shook her head and entered the apartment ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t mind the water - it¡¯s only filtered once. We couldn¡¯t afford better things here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, better, even. Thank you very much, for saving me.¡± The detective tried a few times and was finally able to push himself straight on the bed: ¡°Where - where am I?¡±


    ¡­


    The detective did not stay long and had to rush away, not even noticing that Gloria took a few big bills from his wallet. He seemed distraught, it would appear to Gloria that the death of this ¡°Sitch¡± had disturbed and saddened him to his core.


    Gloria had an extra shift at the coffee shop today, she signed up for it herself because she needed the additional money to make rent and cover up the other expenses, now that she was not able to do her side job of being a temp watcher, and the other ¡°additional income¡± being mostly unstable.


    The early morning phone call with Luoshan Zi was embarrassing, luckily her long time friend and mentor was quite understanding. She then called Tae Kuo and sent a message to Sue. Tae Kuo was apparently under similar scrutiny from the community collective as well, but he was willing to be there for her, even though he would technically not be allowed in to testify. Sue did not respond, for she might still be asleep.


    She had copies of most of the related files from the Fuman Coffin home at this temporary location, but she still needed to head back to make sure she had all the files ready. And on her way back she could also visit the Fuman Coffin Home.


    The Fuman Coffin Home was still on lockdown. There were freshly placed tapes from the community collective on the front and back doors as well as windows. There were some cut and sliced tapes on the ground, indicating that some local children might have tried to play pranks on the place.


    There were no signs or tapes on a spot where there was a hole in the wall, so she just hopped up, with half her left foot stepping on a hole to boost her shoulder just over the walls so she could look inside the yard.


    There were some red markers made of tape or red threads on the ground, and it seemed that there was a small bagua mirror placed in the yard, facing against the backdoor of the main room. Even with Qi concentrating on her eyes, she still could not see any traces of residual paranormal energy. Whatever the people from the community collective did, it seemed to have worked.


    Though she had the thought for a moment, she did not actually have the heart to sneak in at all. It would be a high risk low reward kind of deal.


    When she got back to the apartment, she found that Sue was indeed asleep - her friend did not even take off her clothes and just passed out directly on the sofa. After finding the file, she put a blanket on her friend, left a note then headed out. She needed time to prepare for the meeting, and she needed time to get to know who this Fyman Nu was, and how they were, and whether she would get into any further trouble.

 Book 2 Chapter 57. Sanctions (Part 2)

    The actual room where the meeting, or more accurately a questioning or an inquiry took place, was a spacious room with a U-shaped long desk and a small wooden chair at the center. Gloria sat in this chair, while Fyman Nu, a middle aged lady and another middle aged man wearing a pair of thick sunglasses sat behind the U-shaped table.


    Fyman Nu was a sharp-looking man in his early 30s. He had a full head of well combed dark hair, two keen eyes behind a pair of frameless glasses, a tall and thin nose and was in a full black suit with a dark red tie. It was as if he was trying his best to embody the stereotype of a South Eastern District enforcer, and a Harmony Enforcer at that.


    ¡°Okay, Ms. Gloria Lee, thank you very much for coming.¡± Fyman Nu did not even look at Gloria when he was addressing her, instead he just had his eyes on the files right in front of him: ¡°My name is Fyman Nu, I am a Harmony Enforcer of the community collective. I specialized in general paranormality related safety and ritualistic safety. My colleagues with me here are watchers and overseers from the collective, they are here as neutral observers and monitors for our meeting, so don¡¯t be discouraged or disturbed by their presence.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gloria took a deep breath and tried to make herself more comfortable on the hard and somewhat intentionally rough chair.


    ¡°Ms. Lee, how many years have you been a temporary watcher?¡± Fyman Nu finally looked up from the files and rested his hands before him, with his fingers laced.


    ¡°I have been for almost two years.¡± Gloria nodded.


    ¡°And for these two years, have you had any accidents like this?¡± Fyman Nu asked without a hint of emotion on his face. ¡°And by ¡®this¡¯, I meant the incident for which you were called to attend this hearing. The incident at Fuman Coffin Home, regarding an unfortunate Young Man whose exact identity we have yet to find out.¡±


    ¡°No - not that I could remember.¡± Gloria tried to force herself to calm down and be as collected and clear in her head as she could. It was the first time she had been in a situation like this, she had only heard stories about similar situations from others, and only one or two of them mentioned the presence of overseers, none of which were good.


    ¡°But a year and a half ago, you DID have an incident, right?¡± Fyman Nu raised a small photo up: ¡°At the time, you were tasked with sealing the body of a John Doe in a proper shroud. But you did not adhere to the standards of practice and use one made with red threads on the sleeves. If it was not noticed by an inspector the next day, it could have had some dire consequences.¡±


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    ¡°That - that did happen, but every other safety measure was employed, and I was helping Sifu Kuo make sure that the entire coffin home has ample protection¡­¡±


    ¡°And just four months ago, you were tasked with constructing a blessing symbol and protection array on an unidentified body. And against the safety warnings and caution, you did not finish the symbol.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the official paint we ordered was delayed - and I chose to use the paint on the protection array instead of the blessing symbol because it¡¯s more important ¡­¡±


    ¡°AND after a short four months, here you are.¡± Fyman Nu shook his head lightly, his eyes staring at Gloria: ¡°Another incident of negligence. In the event of a clearly forged placement order, and its suspicious timing, you did not exercise good judgment and failed to inform the collective, putting the safety of the entire coffin home, the sanctity and integrity of the other deceased at risk, in part contributing to their defilement.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. That''s not what happened.¡± Gloria raised her voice and almost stood up: ¡°That old woman came just minutes before we closed down. And she told me the body had not been placed for two days - it¡¯d be very very disrespectful and ominous to leave the body out for any longer¡­¡±


    ¡°YOU COULD HAVE asked the community collective for help. You could have asked Sifu Kuo to raise this issue with the community collective. But you did not, did you?¡± Fyman Nu cut Gloria off: ¡°You should have been properly trained on those. Didn¡¯t your Sifu teach you this? ¡±


    Gloria was about to say something about the local chapters of the community collective being slow and delayed in everything they handle. But words stopped at her throat for she realized where this line of questioning was going - it appeared that Fyman Nu was probably not really interested in her answers, but probably more interested in finding a reason to bring troubles to the Fuman Coffin Home. The man¡¯s true motives were still unknown, though his intentions were not nearly as hidden.


    ¡°I ¡­ I guess I did not always make the right decision when too many things were happening.¡± Gloria almost scratched a few claw marks on the armrests, and she finally answered after a short moment of wrestling in her mind: ¡°You weren¡¯t there, Mr. Fyman, things were much more hectic and urgent back then. I did what I believed to be the right thing to do. And I made judgment calls when I needed to while keeping the big picture in mind. I will apologize for the harm as the result of these choices but I don¡¯t think I wouldn¡¯t do it again if I was to make them again.¡±


    Fyman Nu narrowed his eyes and stared into Gloria¡¯s. He did not seem not happy with Gloria¡¯s answer at all. But he did not want to let it go just yet: ¡°You should know this, Ms. Lee, that even as a temporary watcher, your input and feedback to the function of the establishment is still valued. And if your drops in performance can be attributed to the flaws of the environment, we as the community collective would be more than willing to extend our understanding¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything anyone could do. We had limited resources and we had limited time.¡± Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Fyman Nu shook his head: ¡°Then, I think I have everything I need - and as an enforcer of the community collective, taking your records and your testimony into consideration and the nature of the incident. I think a permanent suspension of your qualification as a temporary watcher and trainee is fitting¡­¡±


    Gloria¡¯s heart dropped, as if someone just grabbed it and squeezed with the full force of their fingers.


    The middle aged man in glasses coughed lightly and raised an eyebrow at Fyman Nu.


    ¡°... but also considering this is an unforeseeable incident, and you did so out of compassion for the dead.¡± Fyman Nu let out a slightly frustrated grunt: ¡°I rule that a suspension of 6 months is the right choice, with one additional year of probation. Let it not be said that the community collective is overly harsh and has no grace.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 58. Sanctions (Part 3)

    ¡°Hey! How¡¯d it go?!¡± When Gloria dragged herself out of the meeting, Sue, Sifu Tae Kuo were already there waiting for her.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here.¡± Gloria responded after a short moment, shaking her head with a wry smile: ¡°Sorry - it was not - well, it could be better.¡±


    ¡°What did they say?¡± Tae Kuo asked, frowning.


    ¡°He - the enforcer basically said I have a history of being irresponsible as a temp watcher, and the incident about that body was my fault.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°And did he say anything about the reports and results from all of those investigations? I am pretty sure if the man has read it, he¡¯ll know for sure that you did all you can and it would be unreasonable to ask for anything else¡­¡± Tae Kuo asked with a heavy frown.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s pretty clear that either he did not read it, or that he was not going to quote it at all.¡± Gloria looked around, then turned and gestured toward a tea house nearby: ¡°Let¡¯s talk in private. ¡±


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Sue looked even more worried when they found a discreet corner in the tea house: ¡°Did the guy threaten you or something?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. But I think it¡¯s a bit more complicated.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°I think they might be looking for trouble, not exactly aiming at me, but aiming at the coffin house. And that means you, Sifu, and you Sue.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d he ask?¡± Tae Kuo frowned harder.


    ¡°Basically what kind of circumstances were, and if I could bring up some failures or errors in how the house is run. I get the sense that he was trying to dig up something.¡± Gloria took a sip of the tea: ¡°I just told them that we didn¡¯t have enough time and resources when everything happened. And I don¡¯t really regret the decisions I made because it was out of necessity.¡±


    Tae Kuo nodded, then filled up Gloria¡¯s tea cup, then Sue¡¯s then his own. He sat for a while, then raised his cup at Gloria, with both hands, as a sign of respect and gratitude: ¡°My sincere thanks, Gloria. What is the ruling?¡±


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    ¡°Six month suspension of temp watcher qualification, and one year probation. Consecutive.¡± Gloria sighed, then raised her cup back at Tae Kuo: ¡°I think he wanted to permanently suspend me, but one of the overseers kinda - kinda coughed some sense into him.¡±


    ¡°Two overseers, looks like they actually are paying a lot of attention.¡± Sue frowned: ¡°Did they announce themselves?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gloria finished her tea, then poured some more for Tae Kuo and herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting to election time for the city council, as well as the community collective. ¡± Tae Kuo said as he looked at the table top, his eyes unfocused from his thoughts: ¡°And usually this means time for promotion, appointments. The simplest explanation would be this Fyman Nu wants something to pad his resume.¡±


    ¡°And what of the no-so-simple explanation?¡± Sue raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not name it. For everything I could say would be pure speculation.¡± Tae Kuo let out a long sigh: ¡°But rest assured, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make sure we¡¯re be okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu.¡± Sue raised her cup at Tae Kuo: ¡°And please let me know how I can help. I - I really want this to be over.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and here.¡± Tae Kuo, took out two envelopes, and handed them to Sue and Gloria.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Gloria peeked into it, and found that there were a few bills inside. ¡°Sifu Kuo, this - why? Thank you very much! But why?¡±


    ¡°Meh, just something I owe both of you.¡± Tae Kuo chuckled: ¡°When I was traveling, I came into the opportunities of helping some folks outside of the city with their troubles. It¡¯s only fair that I share the fortune with you. It¡¯s the right thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu.¡± Sue tucked the envelope away, and nodded at him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Tae Kuo finished his tea, and Sue promptly filled his cup: ¡°First things first, I will talk to some folks in my circle, pull some strings and see what can be done. This is - very problematic, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°How about Bulu Wang? He was the lead investigator, right?¡± Gloria asked, with her fingers tapping the tabletop.


    ¡°He - he was reassigned.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°And this is why I will be asking you this: be careful, don¡¯t talk to anyone about the incident. I sense that something big is happening, we must not act rashly.¡±


    ¡°But - what should we actively do? We can¡¯t just stay passive, can we?¡± Gloria looked up at the ceiling of the house. The wooden panels were tidy and meticulously placed, and the red lanterns were clean, pretty and bright. She just was not in the mood to enjoy what otherwise would be a very pleasant sight.


    ¡°Stay put for now. And stay low.¡± After a moment of consideration, Tae Kuo answered: ¡°Don¡¯t rush into anything. I think soon we will be able to see what their agenda is. I am not going to guess what it is. You might have your theories, but no need to tell me for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh - okay.¡± Sue and Gloria exchanged looks.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll need to go in as well.¡± Tae Kuo smiled and stood up: ¡°It¡¯s no surprise they want to question me as well. But I am at least glad that I now know more about the man who¡¯s going to lead the questioning.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you have a meeting as well?¡± Gloria almost asked out loud.


    ¡°Yes. And they just informed me this morning. Needless to say, no time to ask for witnesses on our side.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°Now, go home and take a break. You look tired, and I can smell the negative paranormal energy from you. You must have been very busy.¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Sue immediately sniffed her own sleeves and collar: ¡°Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad. But take a bath with ginger and sage water, don¡¯t forget some talisman ashes.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 59. Surprise Guests

    The next morning, Gloria went to Luoshan Zi¡¯s coffee shop to kickstart today¡¯s shifts as usual. Maybe it was because of the relaxing baths she took with Sue yesterday; or maybe it was because the weather was unusually pleasant, with the cool breezes, blue sky, white clouds and bright but not burning sun.


    Though the poorest district in the entire Poison City, and the butt of many jokes for those who belonged to the upper class, the people of the South Eastern District did have one prized traditional site: medicinal bathhouses. These were specialty houses only the most traditional and native of the South Eastern District residents frequented. Gloria did not grow up in this district, but she was lucky to be raised by some of the local natives, one of whom was Luoshan Zi, her boss. She was actually the one who brought Gloria to a bathhouse for the first time on her 15th birthday.


    ¡°So, how was your day yesterday?¡± Luoshan Zi was already in the coffee shop prepping the kitchen and cleaning the coffee machines when Gloria went in.


    ¡°Eh, thank you for asking, but could have gone better.¡± Gloria shrugged and shook her head: ¡°Anyway - I brought Sue to that bathhouse you used to bring me to, and had a specialty bath, with sage and ginger. That made it a quite bit better.¡±


    ¡°Wow, next time call me first.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°I¡¯d wanna go with you, and - maybe get you a deal.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, next time. I figured I might need to go there again soon.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°And - how are you? Busy? ¡±


    ¡°Well, business is not as good as we¡¯d hoped, as you can tell.¡± Luoshan Zi raised her eyebrows, but still smiling: ¡°And - uh, I started picking up teaching young kids Kung Fu and other martial arts again, because you know, things are getting a bit weird right now. ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ ¡± Gloria immediately turned and looked down at the sink as she was washing the dishes - she did not want to trouble Luoshan Zi too much with the knowledge of what she had been doing, or what she had found out.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not worried?¡± Luoshan Zi asked curiously as she started brewing their signature coffee: ¡°Or do you already know what was happening in the city?¡±


    ¡°I - well - I heard about stuff.¡± Gloria still did not look up.


    ¡°You little minx - you¡¯ve been looking into it haven¡¯t you?¡± Luoshan Zi raised her voice and poked Gloria on her shoulder: ¡°You¡¯ve been sniffing around, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - maybe a little.¡± Gloria had no choice but to look her friend and mentor in the eyes: ¡°You know, the thing I encountered at Fuman¡¯s - I just need to find out what went wrong, okay? I had a hunch, and I followed it¡­¡±


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    ¡°... alright. ¡± Luoshan Zi sighed: ¡°Just be careful.¡±


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s it? ¡± Gloria chuckled, and let out an exhale of relief.


    ¡°What do you expect me to do? Stop you?¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged: ¡°Nah, I just want you to be safe - my nagging you and trying to stop you will not work, will it?¡±


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t.¡± Gloria chuckled and almost laughed out loud along with Luoshan Zi: ¡°But seriously, I really appreciate your support. It - it means a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, it better does.¡± Luoshan Zi rolled her eyes, smiling: ¡°And - I¡¯m just saying this because I DO want to be supportive, if you run into any trouble, you let me know as well, okay? I just found out about your meeting, and I could have helped you.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m so sorry - ¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh-uh, don¡¯t apologize to me. I just want to help you, okay?¡± Luoshan Zi gave Gloria a quick hug from the side: ¡°And do let me know if you need help.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ ¡± Gloria scratched her hair: ¡°Maybe - maybe there¡¯s something - ¡±


    Before Gloria could name what she needed, a group of guests rushed into the coffee shop, carrying uncheap-looking bags and a large suitcase, wearing thick and appearance-covering clothing.


    ¡°Welcome, what can we offer you?¡± Gloria immediately put up a smile and asked the guests. But she immediately froze, because the guests who came in were none other than the Teiths, the family for whom she used to babysit: the father Brian Teith, the mother Samantha Teith, and the son Kevin Teith. ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Teith, and - Kevin, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We need help. Gloria.¡± Samantha Teith immediately came over to the counter and grabbed Gloria by her hands: ¡°Please! We need help! ¡±


    ¡°Okay. What - what happened?¡± Gloria held Samantha Teith¡¯s hands tight, trying to help her warm up and calm down a little, ¡°Let¡¯s take a seat, and tell me¡­¡±


    Luoshan Zi went over to the door and flipped the ¡°OPEN¡± sign to ¡°CLOSED¡±, came back and patted Gloria on the shoulder and pointed at the kitchen. After getting a grateful acknowledgement from Gloria, she went into the kitchen and started making tea.


    ¡°Okay, we can chat here. What happened?¡± Gloria pointed at the most spacious booth to sit the Teiths down.


    ¡°Our home is not safe now. ¡± Brian Teith nervously looked around, and even peeked out the window as if he was leading his family in hiding: ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is - but - but - I think something not normal - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the cat granny! It¡¯s the cat granny!¡± Kevin interjected, but was quickly held back by his mother.


    ¡°Shhh, Kevin, lower your voice.¡± Samantha Teith shook her head with an almost whispering voice: ¡°Let¡¯s not make a fuzz.¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°Did you see it?¡±


    ¡°No - no, we did not see it.¡± Brian Teith shivered, then shook his head. He coughed and rubbed his eyes. The bags on both sides of his nose told Gloria he had not slept well at least for a few days.


    ¡°It was a shadow - I - we don¡¯t know what we saw.¡± Samantha Teith looked at Gloria: ¡°That thing tried to get to Kevin, and - it just passed through our locked window and the doors as if they were nothing - I don¡¯t know what happened! I don¡¯t understand ¡­¡±


    ¡°Tea.¡± Luoshan Zi came over with a wooden tray with three steaming mugs: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just tell us what happened.¡±


    ¡°Well - the other day, at night, we heard the alarm we put on the window going off - ¡± Samantha Teith sniffled, then wiped her nose with a piece of dirty tissue. Luoshan Zi frowned, and handed her a box of fresh ones. ¡°And - and we smelled smoke coming from Kevin¡¯s room - ¡±


    ¡°- Kevin slept with us for the past few days, because things were getting much more worrisome.¡± Brian sighed, ¡°I went to check it out, and I just saw this - this thing hovering over Kevin¡¯s bed. I didn¡¯t hesitate, and I just swung the baseball bat¡­ But it just - just changed shape and bounced over me and rushed towards our room.¡±


    ¡°And I - I tried to pepper spray that thing. It just scratched me and tried to snatch Kevin away - until - ¡± Samantha Teith held Kevin tighter, enough to make her son squirm and protest: ¡°Until that jade medallion we bought for him drove it away.¡±


    ¡°Show me the scratch.¡± Luoshan Zi immediately said, almost at the same time as Gloria.


    Samantha reached her left arm out, hesitantly pulling the thick sleeve up.


    Three long darkened scratch marks, surrounded by swollen skin tiny dark veins, as if the nails were toxic or laced with poison.

 Book 2 Chapter 60. Curse-Laden (Part 1.)

    ¡°Yeah, definitely an unclean mark.¡± Luoshan Zi narrowed her eyes at the wound, then she turned to Gloria: ¡°Is this what you¡¯ve been looking at?¡±


    ¡°Kind - kind of.¡± Gloria shook her head, and infused a little bit of her Qi into Samantha¡¯s skin, who hissed and almost reflectively retracted her arm. But with Gloria and Luoshan Zi¡¯s hands stabilizing her arm, she was not successful.


    ¡°What is going to happen?¡± Kevin asked, worried: ¡°Is it gonna be okay? Can you help my mom?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but I¡¯m gonna need some help - ¡± Gloria frowned and took out her phone, ready to craft a message to Tae Kuo and Gyuu Park.


    ¡°Let me help you at the same time then, what do you need?¡± Luoshan Zi sighed, then took a quick step back to allow the distressed guests to talk with Gloria without disturbance or distraction.


    ¡°We need some sage, ginger, and talismans. It would be better if we have clear water placed under the midday sun for more than two hours. ¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this. I may need to ask some friends.¡±


    ¡°I have sage and some ginger. And - different kinds of talismans, which ones do you need?¡± Luoshan Zi nodded and headed towards the kitchen.


    ¡°The evil repellant ones.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°And - could you make some ginger tea?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded and opened up a drawer, took out a small paper bag, a small box of matches and threw them at Gloria: ¡°Here, I think this is most of my talismans, you look for the ones you need. Do you need a bowl?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria nodded, then after a moment, raised her voice: ¡°Thank you, thank you very much.¡± Then she turned to the Teiths: ¡°Sorry - but before we could do anything we¡¯ll need to take care of this first. And I¡¯ll ask for some specialized help if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°No - no - don¡¯t worry about me, we need to protect my son first.¡± Samantha pulled her arm back and rolled down her sleeve: ¡°Please, please help us, we really need to - ¡±


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    ¡°You know people who can help right?¡± Brian interrupted his wife: ¡°Can you call them? Can - can they bring us to them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will text them right now and see if we can meet up with them. But first, tell me more about what happened - did you see it, whatever it is? Anything out of the ordinary you noticed?¡± Gloria started crafting her message while talking with the Teiths.


    ¡°Please, if you could, call them.¡± Brian sighed: ¡°We can wait - ¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you listen to me!? ¡± Kevin struggled and raised his voice: ¡°It¡¯s the cat granny! It¡¯s the cat granny!¡±


    ¡°Kevin!¡± Samantha held him tighter.


    ¡°What, mom? What?¡± Kevin slammed his hands on the table: ¡°I know what I¡¯m talking about, okay?! I know it¡¯s the cat granny. Why wouldn¡¯t you listen? You never listen!¡±


    ¡°Kevin! Don¡¯t talk to your mom like this!¡± Brian also raised his voice: ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the problem and how to solve it, okay?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the cat granny! I know it!¡± Kevin turned to his father: ¡°How can we solve it if you don¡¯t even know what it is? ¡±


    ¡°Ginger tea!¡± Luoshan Zi came over and announced in a cheery voice as she brought over a wooden tray with three steaming mugs and a small glass bowl filled with clean water with a small spoon on the side: ¡°Let¡¯s relax a little, shall we?¡±


    Gloria took the glass bowl, picked a yellow paper talisman drawn with red paint and red linings on the edges from the paper bag. With a quick flick of a match, she lit up this talisman in her hand, and let the ashes fall in the bowl.


    When the talisman was fully consumed by the fire and turned entirely into ash, Gloria used the spoon to stir the water to make sure the ashes got fully dissipated into the water.


    ¡°Oh, no - Kevin first.¡± When offered the bowl, Samantha shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who got scratched - you go first, and you should drink the most.¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°I - I¡¯m okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Just drink it.¡± Brian and Kevin said at the same time.


    Samantha whispered a ¡°Thank you¡±, then proceeded to take a sip of the water. When she wanted to pass it to Kevin, Gloria stopped her arm, and forced her to continue drinking. Gloria loosened her grasp only when more than half of the bowl went down Samantha¡¯s throat, and the rest was shared half and half by Kevin and Brian.


    ¡°Okay, Kevin, tell me what you saw.¡± After pushing the Teiths to drink some ginger tea, Gloria turned to the teenage son of the family: ¡°You told me a couple of times it was the cat granny. So tell me, and be sure to describe to me as detailed as possible - but be sure, don¡¯t force yourself to remember if you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay.¡± Kevin took a deep breath, and tried to adjust his posture on the chair: ¡°So - at first I just saw a shadow, because the lights are not that bright. We have bad lights. And then - and then she just jumped at us after scratching mom. She had these very creepy long fingers and dark yellow nails. She tried to grab me by my clothes - ¡± He pulled his hoodie up a little by the chest area to show Gloria what happened: ¡°But the jade medallion I had burned her - it burned her hand - and her hair, and - and her face¡­ and I saw her face, in just a flash. Her face was very very yellow, and - and broken. She - she had these two sharp teeths - fangs out of her mouth. But then she immediately disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Can I take a look at this jade medallion?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Here.¡± Samatha reached into her pocket and took out two small pieces of cracked jade that would roughly form a circle. The pieces had only a few green spots remaining, while the rest just showed pale white and were covered in black burn marks.


    The burn marks looked like remnants of charred tar, while the pale, tarnished spots looked like the jade was dipped in acid and lost its color.

 Book 2 Chapter 61. Curse-Laden (Part 2.)

    ¡°Yeah, this is not good.¡± Luoshan Zi passed the two pieces of the broken jade medallion back to Samantha after taking a close look at them: ¡°I am no expert, but this black stuff stuck on it seems to be some kind of burned skin - or fur. ¡±


    ¡°Cat fur? By chance?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Wait - there really is - is this cat granny?¡± Samantha asked, frowning.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. But there¡¯s no better explanation, is there?¡± Brian sighed.


    ¡°She¡¯s real!¡± Kevin protested.


    ¡°It is a pretty distinct possibility. Or something akin to that.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°So, what is it now?¡± The door to the coffee shop opened, and Gyuu Park¡¯s voice came in: ¡°You just can¡¯t seem to stay outta trouble for one day, huh?¡±


    ¡°Occupational hazard, wouldn¡¯t you call?¡± Gloria stood up and waved at Gyuu Park, who was wearing a loose hoodie, and had a head of messy hair, bags under his eyes and a cup of dark coffee in his hand: ¡°And you came to a coffee shop with a coffee in your hand. Do you know how offensive this is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was planning on getting some freebies here, but I wasn¡¯t planning on bankrupting your shop.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head, then extended a hand at Luoshan Zi: ¡°Ms. Zi, I¡¯ve heard all about you, my name¡¯s Gyuu, Gyuu Park.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯ve heard quite a lot about you as well.¡± Luoshan Zi smiled and raised an eyebrow at the dark coffee: ¡°You know, too much coffee can actually make you slow, I figure you¡¯d need some tea, green tea, maybe with a bit of honey and dried grapefruit peels?¡±


    ¡°That - that sounds wonderfully delicious, thank you.¡± Gyuu Park nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna put it on Gloria¡¯s tab. You guys figure it out.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled and went into the kitchen.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Folks, this is Gyuu Park, expert in handling situations like this. An actually ordained clergyman.¡± Gloria introduced the latest guest of the coffee house to the Teiths.


    ¡°Hello, so Gloria just texted me the details and a picture of your wound. It is indeed my area of specialty. But I need to take a look at it from up close - if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Gyuu Park sat down at the booth.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit rough - here.¡± Samantha hesitated for a brief moment, then pulled up her sleeve and showed the scratches to him.


    ¡°Now, excuse me, but I¡¯ll need to - either drip a small drop of this on your wound - ¡± Gyuu Park sighed, and pulled out a small bottle of thick liquid with a slight yellow-brown color: ¡°Or, I can just scrape it a little and put it in this liquid. It¡¯s not toxic, but it¡¯s gonna sting a little.¡±


    ¡°It - it kinda hurts, so maybe a quick dab - ¡± Samantha shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some cotton swabs.¡± Luoshan Zi opened up a drawer behind the kitchen counter.


    Gyuu Park dipped the head of a swab in clean water, then gently swept it a few times on the surface of each of the gashes, which made Samantha suck through her teeth and squirm. He then put the swab into a small china disk, and poured a few drops of the liquid on it.


    A sizzling sound came from the disk, then smoke arose from the swab, and the white cotton turned yellow, then brown, then almost completely black.


    ¡°Oh god, a curse.¡± Gyuu Park sighed then shook his head: ¡°Not good. Not good. But let me test and see what it is first.¡±


    ¡°Curse? What does that mean?¡± Brian asked, grabbing his wife¡¯s hand tightly: ¡°Is there a cure? Is there some kind of - de-curse thing?¡±


    ¡°There are ways to alleviate it, but it depends on the nature of the curse.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°We¡¯ll probably need help from a temple - and not MY temple. Maybe the Kshiti Temple, or the Muyuan Temple up in the Southern corners¡­¡±


    ¡°I texted Sifu Kuo as well. He should be here.¡± Gloria scratched her nose: ¡°I mean - if you don¡¯t mind - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I wouldn¡¯t mind. As long as he doesn¡¯t.¡± Gyuu Park held up the small disk high, then took out a small copper mirror with a wooden frame and started observing the reflection of the cotton swab in it.


    ¡°Qiankun Mirror?¡± Luoshan Zi leaned on a tall table and nodded in approval: ¡°Such a young clergyman, yet you know so much already?¡±


    ¡°Well, I try.¡± Gyuu Park turned the mirror a few different angles, then wiped it a few times with his sleeve: ¡°It¡¯s crude, I¡¯ve never mastered it, which is why this is not as good and clear as I¡¯d hoped. I might need a second opinion from Sifu Kuo, actually.¡±


    ¡°He might take a bit.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°No ordinary curse, that¡¯s all I can tell. And judging from the reflections on different angles - I am relatively sure that it¡¯s not going to harm you in the short term, which is good for everyone - it gives us time to deal with it.¡± Gyuu Park put the mirror down, then rubbed his temples: ¡°This may take a few days to research at least.¡±


    ¡°I got a place you could stay.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°But, of course, the rent is not cheap - not according to our standards at least. And it¡¯s right next to the Kishiti Temple, the entire building is technically built on blessed grounds, and we have a number of blessed and enchanted decors.¡±


    ¡°Great, we¡¯ll take it.¡± Brian nodded: ¡°But - are you sure it can stop this cat granny - or whatever it is?¡±


    ¡°No promises. But it¡¯s definitely much safer than most places you could find.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged.


    ¡°I know the place - it¡¯s - it¡¯s probably as safe as you can be right now.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°Gloria! Gloria!¡± Tae Kuo¡¯s voice came from just outside the door, along with Sue¡¯s signature knocking: ¡°What kind of conundrum did you get into this time?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 62. Curse-Laden (Part 3.)

    ¡°Yes, whatever it is, it is definitely a foul creature that could spread curses through contact.¡± After examining the gashes on Samantha¡¯s forearm, Tae Kuo reached a similar conclusion as Gyuu Park: ¡°And - though a curse, it¡¯s not anything immediately damaging, as far as I can tell. It¡¯s not consuming your energy, vitality, and as far as I can tell it¡¯s not affecting your mind, yet - ¡±


    ¡°But - it¡¯s bound to be doing SOMETHING, I mean, what¡¯s the point of a curse anyway?¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°And - can you remove it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, we don¡¯t understand it, so it¡¯s gonna take at least a bit of time and effort.¡± Tae Kuo sighed with a heavy frown on his face: ¡°It¡¯s definitely not as easy as we¡¯d like. And in the worst case scenario, trying to resolve it or remove it could lead to more unwanted changes.¡±


    ¡°... but it¡¯s definitely time we did not have.¡± Gyuu Park sighed.


    ¡°Well, then, aren¡¯t we in a pickle.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°We should go to Kshiti Temple.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t, they don¡¯t live here, it could take weeks for them to see us.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head as well.


    ¡°But - this is a curse. Wouldn¡¯t they treat this with some urgency?¡± Brian asked.


    ¡°We can try - maybe even today.¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°I will need to draft a letter of introduction to them. It might not help but we¡¯ve gotta try. You know how they are with outsiders, and - if they find out you¡¯re actually transplants¡­ So, don¡¯t talk about this unless you have to.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯ll still help.¡± Tae Kuo looked at the Teiths, then sighed: ¡°I¡¯ll sign the letter with you. I know about the agreement, but this is about a curse of unknown effect, left by a clearly malicious entity. I think they¡¯d want to take a look. If not, I¡¯ll try to request the audience of an elder.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why wouldn¡¯t the temple help us?¡± Kevin looked at both Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo, then fixed his eyes on Gloria.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. But the simple answer is, the temples were attacked by the people in the other districts, and so the temples swore to never aid anyone that still lives in the other districts.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°But - ¡±


    ¡°What if they have been living in our district?¡± Luoshan Zi asked.


    Gloria immediately turned to her boss: ¡°Luoshan, you don¡¯t need to¡­¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Yeah, no - I want to help. Because this is a concern to me as well.¡± Luoshan Zi smiled and shrugged: ¡°I cannot really help you forge your records - not alone, and not to an unreasonable extent anyways, but I know people who could, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you! ¡± Brian and Samantha immediately stood up and bowed to Luoshan Zi: ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. ¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°Any friend of Gloria¡¯s is a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°But - in the meantime, let¡¯s first find a place for our friends to stay, fortify the place up as much as possible. Then go and see if we can seek help from a temples and maybe the community watch and patrol team.¡± Sue sighed, then raised her hand.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Gyuu Park stood up, but was immediately struck by a sudden wave of dizziness and had to hold the back of the chair he was sitting in for support. He shook it off, then finished his tea: ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll get started with the letter.¡±


    Luoshan Zi closed down her shop early and led the way to the place she mentioned the Teiths could rent.


    It was a small but cozy looking apartment on the 5th floor of a relatively new apartment building. The entire community was half gated - meaning that it was surrounded by a metal fence and had a metal gate with a security guard stand, but it did not look like it could stop anyone determined from coming in.


    The door of the apartment was made of red wood with some simple evil-repelling symbols etched on it. Above it dangled a knot made with red threads and three copper coins. On each side of the door, there was one small table, serving as a mini altar for a wooden effigy. The one on the left was a man with a clean shaven face wielding a giant curved sword, and the one on the right was a man with a long beard wielding a spear.


    From the balcony, one could actually see the Kshiti Temple from a distance - it seemed that though the giant incense burners in it were still smoking, there were not many people going in and out of the temple.


    ¡°I - I think this is good already.¡± Samantha looked around, let out a sigh of relief then hugged Luoshan Zi from the side: ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t mention it. Just - just be safe.¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head: ¡°And - I think I have some evil repelling talismans stashed here, I¡¯ll go find it. But uh - I am not privy to the paranormal stuff like Gloria and her friends, so the quality might not be as good.¡±


    ¡°I can help take a look while we¡¯re at it.¡± Sue raised her hand: ¡°I am no expert, but I do know a thing or two - you know, if everyone is busy - I wanna help too.¡±


    ¡°Sue¡¯s knowledgeable.¡± ¡°She does.¡± Tae Kuo and Gloria said at the same time.


    ¡°Do you have a pen and some paper?¡± Gyuu Park tried looking in a drawer, but then he immediately raised his hand, holding a ball-point-pen and a piece of letter paper. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    ¡°The temple looked really empty.¡± Brian came into the living room from the balcony: ¡°Is today some kind of special occasion?¡±


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know.¡± Tae Kuo looked to Gyuu Park, who was writing the letter on the side.


    ¡°I - don¡¯t ask me, I don¡¯t know either.¡± Gyuu Park sounded like he wanted to spit: ¡°I may be a clergyman, but there¡¯s a club out there and it¡¯s hard to get in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it might not be good news for us.¡± Tae Kuo sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re not open today.¡± Tae Kuo¡¯s worries came true, as when they came to the front gate of the Kshiti Temple, two young men dressed in ritualistic clothing stopped them from going in.


    ¡°Can we - can we at least talk to one of the elders?¡± Gloria asked: ¡°Or - or send a message in? Please, it¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I have an official letter of introduction.¡± Gyuu Park handed an envelope, containing his handwritten letter and with his and Tae Kuo¡¯s signature on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but none of the elders are in today.¡± One of the young men shook his head: ¡°And we¡¯ve been instructed to not take any messages or deliveries of any kind. If you want, you should be here early the day after tomorrow. Because our clergymen and elders won¡¯t be here tomorrow either.¡±


    ¡°... shit.¡± Gyuu Park cursed with lowered voice.


    Gloria¡¯s phone rang, it was Sue, in a terrible rush: ¡°Gloria! Come back! The curse on Samantha¡¯s arm just got worse!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 63. Tracking Marks

    What Sue meant by ¡°worse¡± did not fully describe what happened: the three dark gashes on Samantha¡¯s arm expanded, dark, root-like veins grew from the centers of the gashes. And when Gloria focused her Qi, she could see that some kind of black smoke was slowly rising from them.


    Tae Kuo washed his hands, coated his fingers on both hands with oil, then laid his middle and index fingers on her wrist and the inner side of her elbow. Gloria could tell that Tae Kuo was infusing a bit of Qi into Samantha¡¯s muscles, skin and meridians, to check whether her body was being corroded by the curse.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± When Tae Kuo retracted his fingers and wiped them clean, he seemed to be baffled.


    ¡°What - is she gonna be okay?¡± Brian asked, holding Kevin tight. Samantha also looked at Tae Kuo with worries in her eyes.


    ¡°I think she is. Strangely, nothing has changed.¡± Tae Kuo frowned, then looked Samantha in her eyes: ¡°I can¡¯t sense any significant change or corrosion to your body. There is no change in the balance of energy on your arms and your meridians. So the only change is - it just grew in size.¡±


    ¡°But - but what kind of curse would do that?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Wait - could it be a tracking curse?¡± Sue snapped her fingers and asked.


    Tae Kuo and Gyuu Park both turned their heads to Sue, surprised.


    ¡°Sorry - I mean - it¡¯s just an idea, I¡¯ve read a lot of stuff recently - ¡± Sue scratched her hair and lowered her head.


    ¡°Nonono - I think you¡¯re right, Sue.¡± Gyuu Park smacked himself on his forehead: ¡°That explains it - it¡¯s a tracking curse - that¡¯s why it¡¯s not doing you any harm for now, and it¡¯s constantly releasing some kind of energy in the air. It¡¯s tracking you for the caster.¡±


    ¡°Tracking me?¡± Samantha shivered: ¡°So - are you saying - that thing will come for us again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Tae Kuo nodded and sighed, then turned to Gloria: ¡°We need to make some preparations - this change could mean that the thing will come soon. And IF - I mean IF, it¡¯s really the Cat Granny, we¡¯d want fire.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try.¡± Gloria nodded, she knew a few places where she could buy some borderline illegal fuel or even weapons.


    ¡°When did it attack you last time?¡± Gyuu Park asked Samantha.


    ¡°Late - late last night, what?¡± Samantha moved a bit away from her son and husband, who then pulled her back to them, despite her protests.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Then it means that we still have at least a little bit of time.¡± Gloria nodded at Sue: ¡°It will not strike right away.¡±


    ¡°Sundown.¡± Gyuu Park took out a few copper coins and put them on the table: ¡°Sifu Kuo, can you lend me a few droplets of your priced oil?¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course.¡± Tae Kuo sighed, then handed the small bottle he treasured to Gyuu Park: ¡°Don¡¯t be wasteful.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want that either.¡± Gyuu Park took out a small wooden plaque with symbols and ancient words carved on its upper surface like the drawings on a talisman, and placed the three coins on the plaque in a line, with almost equal distance in between. With the oil bottle in hand, he dropped one droplet in each of the three square holes at the centers of the coins. He then backed off, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to the plaque for three times, chanting a spell in a lowerved voice.


    Gloria could not tell what Gyuu Park was doing, so she looked to Tae Kuo. This Sifu nodded lightly in approval, and turned to Samantha: ¡°Lady, can you give us a lock of your hair, and let us take a little bit of your blood from your injured hand?¡±


    Samantha was confused at first, but then nodded. Luoshan Zi brought over a pair of scissors and handed them to Brian. Tae Kuo pricked the tip of Samantha¡¯s middle finger, and held a droplet of her blood using his Qi. Having wrapped the lock of hair and the drop of blood in a small piece of tissue paper, he then put it in front of the wooden plaque.


    ¡°Okay - this - this is a detection talisman.¡± Gyuu Park stood up and panted a little: ¡°With the blood and the hair, it will react if something that radiates similar energy as the curse mark gets close - you will see the oil in the middle bubbling. ¡±


    Tae Kuo nodded: ¡°Good, very good. Now - one of us should stay here just in case we are wrong about the timing of the attack, while others go out and see if we can collect as many supplies as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with them.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged: ¡°You could go ahead, I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything. And - uh, even if something was about to come, I can try to hold it off for a while.¡±


    Brian seemed to be in disbelief: ¡°Wait - are you sure - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t underestimate Luoshan here.¡± Gloria immediately shook her head at Brian: ¡°She  - well, she taught me almost everything I know.¡±


    ¡°¡®Almost¡¯? ¡± Luoshan Zi raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°I picked up a few tricks in my casual practice, okay?¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant - ¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head: ¡°You should¡¯ve picked up more, and discovered your own stuff.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, MOM!¡± Gloria chuckled, then could not control her own laugh: ¡°We¡¯ll be back as soon as possible. If anything happens, call us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and be back soon.¡± Luoshan Zi pointed her finger at Gloria, then turned to Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo: ¡°Remember, today the building¡¯s access code is 4321.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Tae Kuo nodded.


    ¡°So, what can we gather?¡± When at the exit of the building, Gyuu Park asked: ¡°I can go back and check, but I basically brought everything I could from my temple. Just let me know what else I can help you with.¡±


    ¡°Your temple¡¯s that broke?¡± Tae Kuo asked with a heavy frown.


    ¡°Dude, have you been to my temple? It¡¯s a miracle it¡¯s still fucking standing!¡± Gyuu Park rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Then - holy shit I¡¯m out of stuff as well.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°My coffin home¡¯s closed, and everything¡¯s kinda - confiscated by the collective. I brought all I have left already as well!¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± Gloria raised her voice: ¡°Neither of you have anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Gyuu Park sighed, then took a peek at Tae Kuo: ¡°I mean - I heard it was possibly an entity, so the stuff I didn¡¯t bring won¡¯t help - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah - same - same with me¡­ ¡± Tae Kuo stammered.


    ¡°I get it, you¡¯re good friends. I appreciate it.¡± Gloria sighed and looked up at the sky: ¡°Let¡¯s - try the Kshiti Temple again?¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Tae Kuo snapped his fingers then looked at Gyuu Park: ¡°The Association of Local Churches Pact!¡±


    ¡°What - what is that?¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s very risky, stupid, even.¡± Gyuu Park opened his eyes wide, but then shook his head: ¡°But what the hell - let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Gloria asked as she followed the hurried footsteps of the two men.

 Book 2 Chapter 64. Confiscate and Secrets

    ¡°Hi, we¡¯re back.¡± Gyuu Park waved at the two young men guarding the door to the Kshiti Temple.


    ¡°Sorry, but we still can¡¯t let you in.¡± The young man standing on the right side shook his head: ¡°Like I told you, we¡¯re instructed not to receive anything or deliver any messages.¡±


    ¡°How about the general rules to which all of the temples and churches abide by?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The rules set up by the The Association of Local Churches? The association of which the Kshiti Temple is an important, rule-abiding founding member of?¡± Gyuu Park took out a wooden plaque that showed his position as an official clergyman.


    ¡°Yes - we know who you are, Mr. Park.¡± The young man on the left side nodded: ¡°But - we still can¡¯t let you in, it¡¯s the by the order of our council - ¡±


    ¡°Which does not override the official pact made by the association, nor will it have any power pertaining to how certain emergencies should be handled.¡± Gyuu Park cut the young man off, emphasizing on ¡°emergencies¡±: ¡°And unfortunately, we have one on our hands. People¡¯s lives are at stake here. We need the help of the Kshiti Temple. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m sorry.¡± The young man on the right shook his head: ¡°Without any kind of official authorization, we cannot do anything - ¡±


    ¡°Do the fire center not handle fires when their leaders are out on meetings? Huh? Do the community health centers stop taking in the injured when their officials go on research tours?¡± Tae Kuo raised his voice: ¡°What does this say about your oath to protect the residents of this very district, and to prevent any paranormal entities from harming members of our community?¡±


    ¡°Well, but - ¡± The young man on the left tried to say something, but the young man on the right stopped him.


    ¡°I am hereby invoking the The Association of Local Churches Pact. You need to let me in, and since your elders and clergymen are not here, I have the authority to the resources on their behalf in case of an emergency.¡± Gyuu Park looked the two young men in the eyes.


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    ¡°The Association Pact - are you serious?¡± The young man on the left asked as he stared at Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo with disbelief.


    ¡°Yes. We are serious. What? Do the rules say only the bigger temples can do it to smaller ones?¡± Gyuu Park raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Well - no, but - ¡±


    ¡°Alright, I think you should come in, Mr. Park.¡± The young man on the right nodded and opened the door: ¡°But that letter, we do need it so that we can report to our elders and our clergymen when they come back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Gyuu Park bowed to the young men gently: ¡°And thank you, your aid is truly life saving.¡±


    It took about five, or three minutes for Gyuu Park to draft a letter and sign his name. There were only a few people inside the temple, who were mostly in the same uniform as the young men. And with just a few quick hollers, Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo got their hands on a few bottles of blessed water from the well, and two bags of blessed rice - made of prime quality sticky rice, each grain coated with blessed oil.


    ¡°These are good and all, but where are the talismans?¡± Tae Kuo asked one of the temple staffers who was bringing a piece of half-finished wooden stake with some symbols carved on its body.


    ¡°I - I¡¯m afraid those are kinda off-limits right now.¡± The staffer stammered: ¡°When they left, they locked everything here in the warehouse - and only the elders have the keys.¡±


    ¡°Alright, take me to this warehouse.¡± Gloria said - she did not bring her tools, but she could try and see if she could pick the locks.


    As it turned out, she could not - the locks to the warehouse were quite advanced, and there was also a passcode lock, which was far from what she used to deal with.


    ¡°Here! A little help here!¡± While Gloria was scratching her hair at the locks, Tae Kuo called out to some staffers at the temple to help him - he was scooping out some of the incense ashes at the bottom of a tall copper burner.


    ¡°I thought it was supposed to be from the bottom of woks.¡± Gyuu Park asked as Tae Kuo took three wooden bowls filled with the ash with him.


    ¡°This would have a similar effect - but it¡¯d be better if we could find some other things to mix.¡± Tae Kuo nodded: ¡°Believe me, I found it the unusual way.¡±


    ¡°From one of your out-of-town trips?¡± Gyuu Park chuckled.


    ¡°Hey, a man¡¯s gotta earn a living and go out to learn more.¡± Tae Kuo looked Gyuu Park in the eyes and sighed.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Gloria came over, shaking her head: ¡°I can¡¯t open the warehouse, looks like we¡¯re not gonna get those talismans. We must find some other things that we could use.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sir.¡± Gyuu Park stopped a staffer that was just walking by: ¡°Do you have any talisman paper and ink here?¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯m sorry, but those are stored in the warehouse as well.¡± The staffer shook her head.


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± Gyuu Park sighed and let the staffer go, then turned to Gloria and Tae Kuo: ¡°Looks like no shot - which temple do you wanna go next? We need more supplies if it¡¯s gonna strike tonight - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the nearest temple will be at least half an hour away.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°And - if we could catch a taxi or a bus it¡¯d be much quicker. But - we can try, they don¡¯t come here very often.¡±


    ¡°Alright, first - I think we should go to the grocery store just on the other side of the street.¡± Tae Kuo sighed as he tucked the three bowls of ash carefully in his bag: ¡°Hopefully they¡¯d never need this - but just in case.¡±


    ¡°Okay - this sounds like another thing you should probably write down in the notes.¡± Gloria frowned as she looked at the ash.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s very old, and there are talismans for the very same purpose. Not to mention - not many people like to rub grease, lard or butter on themselves.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged.

 Book 2 Chapter 65. Collateral Damage (Part 1)

    Barely after the three finished paying at the grocery store¡¯s cashier for a blob of lard and a small cut of butter, Gloria¡¯s phone rang. Her heart dropped a beat when she took a look at the name of the caller, it was Luoshan Zi.


    ¡°What happened? Did the oil bubble?¡± Gloria immediately put her friend on speaker.


    ¡°Yes, it bubbled. The one in the middle.¡± Luoshan Zi sounded like she was deliberately lowering her voice to avoid being heard: ¡°The bubbles are still small and - not very fast, so I am not sure how urgent it is. But I think you need to come back.¡±


    ¡°How fast are the bubbles? And how big are they?¡± Gyuu Park immediately asked: ¡°And - could you tell me if the drops changed color in any way?¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Luoshan Zi put her phone down for a quick moment, then came back: ¡°No - no change in color. The bubbles are - maybe slightly less than one bubble per second, and the size is very very small, like a hole made by a threading needle.¡±


    ¡°Alright - looks like we still have a bit of time before it actually hits.¡± Gyuu Park nodded and let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Have you heard from the community watch and patrols team?¡± Tae Kuo asked: ¡°We called them a while back, anything?¡±


    ¡°No - I¡¯ll call again. But sounds like they are very busy at the moment, and curses are not their top priority.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Gyuu Park took a deep breath, shaking his head: ¡°Now, Ms. Zi, remember, let¡¯s set up a code. If you hear us knocking at the door, ask us a random question that no one else knows the answer to.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Luoshan Zi said: ¡°And? What else should I do?¡±


    ¡°Oil, if you have oil, start boiling some oil. If not then water. If anything unclean tries to get in, splash it. Or if you¡¯re comfortable, prepare something that could produce fire.¡± Gyuu Park answered: ¡°And then - candles, just in case the power cuts. Get some candles, check everyone¡¯s position at all times, stay still. And - oh! Hide all the mirrors and do not leave any still water around.¡±


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    ¡°Understood. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Keep everyone in the same room, don¡¯t go unaccounted, not even going to the bathroom.¡± Tae Kuo added: ¡°Make sure you have a visual on everyone at all times.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Come back as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Young folks, you want candles?¡± The kind and warm looking old woman at the cashier asked the three: ¡°We have some really nice candles, made the old way, with beeswax, cinnabar and tiny grains of soaked sticky rice. You want some? Three dollars for one pack, six per pack.¡±


    ¡°... hmm, I¡¯ll take two packs.¡± Tae Kuo thought after a while: ¡°And traditional rice wine? Do you have it?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± The old woman¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°I have! I have a jar right here, freshly made this month, you want some?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please.¡± Tae Kuo nodded.


    ¡°So - what is this rice wine for?¡± When they were on their way back, Gloria asked.


    ¡°Nothing, I just need a drink. Life¡¯s tough these days.¡± Tae Kuo sighed, twisted open the simple wooden lid on the clay jar, then poured some of the wine directly into his mouth. ¡°I kinda need it. I¡¯ve dealt with shit before, and I - I need a drink if I¡¯ve got a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°Give me a hit.¡± When Tae Kuo put the jar down, Gyuu Park took it from him and poured some into his throat: ¡°Glad to know that I am not the only one.¡±


    Gloria sighed, her fingers clenched tighter on the bags she was carrying: ¡°Let¡¯s go. Even if  we have some time, it¡¯d still be better if we get back earlier.¡±


    ¡°On it, on it.¡± Gyuu Park passed the jar back to Tae Kuo.


    They sped up their pace on their way back, even though they were still carrying quite a bit of extra weight on themselves.


    ¡°Uh-oh. ¡± When they reached the gate of the community, they were just in time to see three men in slightly raggedy uniforms with community watch and patrol team¡¯s red armbands going through the gates.


    ¡°That¡¯s all the men they sent?¡± Tae Kuo frowned.


    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Gyuu Park rushed over and stopped the three men, who, when turned around, turned out to be quite of age and were in shape to do anything physical. ¡°Are you here responding to a call?¡±


    ¡°Yes - we¡¯re here to help with a lady named - Luoshan Zi.¡± The leading man was also the youngest, who was wearing a pair of thick glasses.


    ¡°Okay, but we called for a potential child kidnapping, and a curse. ¡± Gyuu Park said.


    ¡°Yes, but those are speculative circumstances, now that we are understaffed, we cannot respond to this kind of reports with too much manpower.¡± The leading man looked at his fellows on both sides. ¡°But trust us, we are very experienced investigators for similar matters.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they send anyone else?¡± Gloria asked, almost facepalming but could not due to her arms carrying bags.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid no, missy.¡± The man adjusted his glasses and sighed.


    Gloria sighed, then forced a smile on her face: ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go up there - ¡±


    ¡°Help! Help!¡± Just this moment, a scream exploded from the building above: ¡°Someone took my son! Someone took my son!¡±


    Gloria, Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo immediately looked up, it seemed to be coming from somewhere near the top of the building.


    ¡°Go go go!¡± Gloria immediately pushed her Qi to speed herself up even more, rushing through the front gate and into the building. Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo followed, leaving the three members of the community watch and patrol team members behind.


    The air in the stairwell was abnormally chilly and still, with a hint of rot and foul smell lingering. When she narrowed her eyes, she could even see tiny dark particles roaming the air. Something unclean and ominous was afoot.

 Book 2 Chapter 66. Collateral Damage (Part 2)

    ¡°What is this? Fuck - what is this?¡± Gyuu Park coughed and cursed when he entered the stairwell.


    ¡°What is what?¡± Tae Kuo asked, confused.


    ¡°You don¡¯t see it? The fucking lines and - hair like shit everywhere!¡± Gyuu Park pointed at the ceiling and the handrails. After not getting a response from the Sifu, he turned to Gloria, who was staring at him in confusion as well. ¡°Fucking hell - use your Qi?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve been using it since we came in. But I don¡¯t see anything like that.¡± Gloria shook her head with a frown on her face: ¡°But - I believe you, there¡¯s probably some kind of resonance. So you lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Follow me, keep your eyes sharp!¡± Gyuu Park rushed past Gloria and up the stairwell.


    They ran up two levels. The air became more chilly, the smells that were assaulting their senses were becoming more foul and stale. It was as if the air itself had become more dense and more ladened with additional, unpleasant moisture. Gyuu Park kept looking around, and shifting his position as if he was trying to dodge certain hazards. Gloria still could not tell what it was that Gyuu Park saw but she couldn¡¯t, but she followed his action. Same did Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Yeeeeeee - Ahahahahahaha - ¡± A gurgling, chilling laugh came from somewhere above, even though the three were ready for something abnormal, they still felt a wave of horror brushing through their bodies.


    ¡°Go! Go!¡± Gloria spoke through her teeth, both herself and her teammates.


    Gyuu Park continued leading the way, and before long they got to the 4th floor, with a side door connecting to a platform outside, connecting to another building.


    They were about to go up, but the cry of a small child, or maybe even an infant came through the side door.


    Gyuu Park looked back at the door, seemingly quite confused.


    ¡°Let me go and have a look.¡± Gloria pulled out a handful of the blessed rice and a bottle of blessed water, then said to the two men: ¡°You go and drop the things off. Find me after that.¡±


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    ¡°Got it.¡± Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo nodded, then proceeded upstairs. The apartment was just one more floor up, and it would not take much time for them to do so.


    ¡°Ms. Zi! Sue! Open up!¡± Gyuu Park banged on the door: ¡°Please! Let us drop off a few things and go help Gloria!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gloria?¡± Luoshan Zi¡¯s voice came from behind the door, cold and calm.


    ¡°Fuck - fuck! She¡¯s the one to answer.¡± Tae Kuo banged his fist on the wall: ¡°Ask us something else! Ask us something only we know! We¡¯ve gotta help Gloria. NOW!¡±


    ¡°Okay - ¡± Luoshan Zi hesitated for a brief moment: ¡°I¡¯ll bring someone.¡±


    ¡°Quick, please!¡± Gyuu Park yelled.


    ¡°Okay! What - what is the number of emergency reparations team members we found together? The number we found that doesn¡¯t add up? ¡± Sue¡¯s voice came instead of Luoshan Zi¡¯s.


    ¡°Seven! The number is seven!¡± Gyuu Park immediately responded after a short moment.


    ¡°Where the hell is she!?¡± The door swung open, with Luoshan Zi holding a candle in her hand and Sue beside her.


    ¡°Hard to explain. But here¡¯s some blessed rice, blessed water, some candles and - and ashes from an incense burner. Do you know how to use them?¡± Gyuu Park threw the bags he was carrying into the room.


    ¡°What? Incense ashes? ¡± Luoshan Zi frowned.


    ¡°Use it the same way as wok bottom ashes! Mix it with some grease and rub it on yourself!¡± Tae Kuo also threw his bags down and was ready to leave: ¡°We need to go now. Keep the doors locked!¡±


    Gloria felt a dry tingling sensation in her nostrils and throat when she stepped onto the platform outside. Though there was no smoke, smog or dust in the air, just the dark particles, the true nature of which she had no idea.


    This was not a simple platform, there were several outlets and vents for what she could only assume were from air conditioners, a small water tower, a giant seemingly unused satellite dish and a metal box that looked like a switch box.


    She stepped onto the dirty ground, littered with stains from the rain and garbage tossed onto it from higher levels. Another cry came, and Gloria immediately lowered her body and lightened her footsteps, while infusing the rice in her hand with her Qi. She wanted to make sure that if there was anything, she wanted to be able to strike first.


    One step, two steps, three steps. On the fourth, she saw a shadow crouching on the ground behind the concrete base of the water tower. It looked indeed like an old woman, with boney arms, fingers, ankles and a full head of long hair.


    Gloria took one more step forward. Although she was not able to see whatever Gyuu Park saw earlier, she could still clearly see the dark tendrils made of dark particles growing from the woman¡¯s back, and the grim, almost porridge and tar-like dark aura around her.


    Just when Gloria was about to throw the blessed water and rice at the old woman, the old woman¡¯s body twitched, and then a familiar voice spoke: ¡°Please! Help! Someone took my son! Someone took my son!¡±


    Chills ran down Gloria¡¯s spine, and a really unpleasant thought arose in her mind. Without thinking for another second, she lunged at the old woman and threw her entire handful of blessed rice and a whole bottle of blessed water at her.


    The old woman turned to Gloria, her blurry, glowing eyes open wide and revealed her fangs extenuating from her upper jaw. Gloria expected a scream, but all she heard was a hiss. She got a good look at the old woman¡¯s face - a jaundiced, slightly wrinkly one with scratches on both sides of her mouth like whiskers of an actual cat, before the figure of the old woman melted and turned to a pool of dark tar on the ground.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gloria gasped, immediately turning around and running towards the entrance, just in time to see that Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo here to help her. ¡°Go back! Go back!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tae Kuo and Gyuu Park asked. The door slammed shut behind them.

 Book 2 Chapter 67. Collateral Damage (Part 3)

    ¡°What the - what¡¯s happening?!¡± Tae Kuo tried to pull on the door, and found that it was locked tight, and an invisible force was stopping him from opening.


    ¡°It¡¯s a diversion, DIVERSION!¡± Gloria rushed over to the door and started pulling it along with Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Fucking sneaky fucker.¡± Gyuu Park took out a small folded talisman from his pocket: ¡°Let me try this - ¡±


    Before Gyuu Park could finish, a sudden child¡¯s cry drew their attention. When they looked at the direction from which it came, they did not see a child at all. Instead, they saw a large rat, with blood red glowing eyes and a scaly long tail, standing in the shadows of the vents.


    All three of them almost cursed at the same time: ¡°What the - ¡±


    The mouse opened its mouth and let out another child-like cry. This time it was higher-pitched, came with a little bit of echo and somehow more gurgling. Gloria immediately threw the empty bottle that used to contain blessed water at it. After a loud crash and a pained screech, the mouse was sent flying with its back and front legs broken.


    ¡°Alright - that¡¯s - let¡¯s leave that to the custodians.¡± Gyuu Park grunted, still pulling the door.


    Chitterlings and scratches drew the attention of all three of them once again. They turned around, and found that there were more than one rat, but a whole horde of them coming from shadowy corners of this platform. Bloodshot glowing eyes fixed at them.


    ¡ª--------


    On the other side, shortly after Sue and Luoshan Zi closed and barred the door, they heard a young woman¡¯s voice and some knocking at the door: ¡°Hey! Let me in! I need help!¡±


    ¡°Wait - who - who is this?¡± Sue asked through the door: ¡°Gloria? Is that you?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Please let me in! She¡¯s - she¡¯s hurt me! I¡¯m bleeding! Please let me in!¡± The voice outside became more desperate and hoarse: ¡°Please! Open the door!¡±


    ¡°What is today¡¯s special?¡± Luoshan Zi pulled Sue to the side and asked.


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    ¡°What - oh!¡± Sue was about to ask before she gasped and covered her mouth.


    ¡°What!? Help me! Please! Help me! I¡¯m injured! I¡¯m bleeding! Please!¡± The voice became even more hysterical. The frame of the door shook when she banged it: ¡°Open up! Open up!¡±


    ¡°Go away! You¡¯re not Gloria!¡± Sue screamed.


    ¡°Open up!¡± The person outside screamed once more.


    ¡°Go away! Leave!¡± Brian Teith held her wife and son in his arms, and yelled.


    The voice disappeared.


    Sue and the Teiths let out an exhale of relief. Luoshan Zi rushed over to the side of the door and pulled out the bowl of incense ash from one of the bags. She then ruffled through them and found the butter and lard they bought.


    ¡°Here! Here!¡± Luoshan Zi raised the ash and the blobs of half-solid animal oil: ¡°Come here! Everyone!¡±


    ¡°Okay, what?¡± Brian asked.


    ¡°Wok-bottom ash.¡± Luoshan Zi sat down on the floor as she ripped open the packages for the butter and lard and put it into the ash, mixing two ingredients together ¡°This is a very - and I mean very old trick. By putting the ash you gather from the bottom of a wok on your forehead and shoulders. Oh - I forgot this - your wrists and the soles of your feet as well, so, socks off, NOW!¡±


    ¡°But - what?¡± Samatha still seemed confused.


    ¡°NOW!¡± Luoshan Zi raised her voice, and turned to Sue: ¡°Sue, you too. You¡¯re a civilian.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Sue nodded, and took off her socks.


    ¡°Listen to her, mom, dad.¡± Kevin raised her hand: ¡°I - I read somewhere about the wok-bottom ashes as well. But - isn¡¯t this incense ash?¡±


    ¡°Incense ash, presumably from the bottom of the burner, from how fine it is. By rubbing it on certain parts of your body, it can mask you in the eyes or general senses of paranormal entities.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded as she rubbed some oily ash on Sue¡¯s forehead: ¡°And when the wok-bottom ash couldn¡¯t be found, a known substitute is this - incense ash with some grease.¡±


    ¡°Does it work?¡± Brian asked.


    ¡°It should.¡± Luoshan Zi picked up another small blob of greased ash onto Sue¡¯s left shoulder: ¡°Better putting it on and not knowing, than never trying.¡±


    ¡°But - we still don¡¯t know if - ¡± Samantha sniffled.


    ¡°Just do it.¡± Luoshan Zi turned to the Teiths after handing a blob of ash to Sue to let her apply it herself. The Teiths hesitated for a brief moment, but after a quick exchange in looks, they decided to trust Luoshan Zi, and let Kevin use it first.


    ¡°Tick - tick - tick - ¡± Some sudden sound of water dripping in the bathroom almost got everyone in the department to jump up from where they were sitting.


    ¡°Here. Hold these.¡± Luoshan Zi immediately pulled the bags with blessed water and rice over and whispered to the Teiths and Sue: ¡°I¡¯ll go check. If there¡¯s anything, I will buy you some time. Try to run out the door.¡±


    ¡°O - okay.¡± Brian and Samantha nodded, shivering.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Kevin sniffled.


    Luoshan Zi smiled, nodded and headed towards the bathroom, crouching and with lightened footsteps.


    The water kept dripping, and seemingly with faster and faster pace. And after a while, she could even hear the water splashing onto the ground. The water pipe seemed to be making a strange humming and buzzing sound as well.


    Step by step, Luoshan Zi reached the door to the bathroom. And with a handful of blessed rice infused with her Qi, and one bottle of blessed water, she was ready to throw a sudden attack at whatever that invaded her bathroom.


    When she peeked through the bathroom door, there was nobody inside. Instead, it was only that her faucet was leaking and her sink was clogged for some reason, causing the water to overflow onto the ground.


    Just this moment, a few grains of rice hit Luoshan Zi¡¯s shoulder. She looked back, just in time to see a shadowy figure climbing over the railings on the balcony, and the civilians crawling toward her in panic.

 Book 2 Chapter 68. Cats (Part 1)

    ¡°The door. ¡± Luoshan Zi whispered to the Teiths and Sue, then walked forward, with some talismans in hand, staring the shadowy creature right in the yellow, glowing eyes.


    Being someone that had lived in the South Eastern District for most of her life, Luoshan Zi had heard of the story of the cat granny before. It was more than just an urban legend, for the elders and even her parents used to tease her when she was still a child. ¡°If you don¡¯t behave, the cat granny¡¯s gonna come and get you¡± used to be a common threat and warning. But right now, it was the first time she ever laid eyes on the actual cat granny in the flesh. And somewhat horrifyingly, it looked exactly like the blurry picture that was once on the front page of an old tabloid she read when she was still in primary school.


    Slightly messy long hair, jaundiced face, scratches on both sides of her face like whiskers, and a full mouth of tainted, sharp teeth. Right now, it seemed that most of her attention was placed on Luoshan Zi, while her eyes kept scanning every corner in the room, seemingly searching for her target.


    The Teiths were in a state of panic, they could barely move at this point. Sue was in a better stage, and she kept pulling them, even though her body was trembling. Luoshan Zi felt the chills in her body as well, as she moved to the front of the Teiths, blocking the cat granny¡¯s view.


    The cat granny frowned lightly, then opened her mouth and let out a threatening hiss. This was not a cat¡¯s voice, nor a human or an old woman¡¯s - it was more bellowing, echoey, and even came with a barely audible sharp ting. She gradually moved to the sliding glass door between the living room and the balcony. The sliding door was shut and locked from inside, but when she put her fingers on the lock¡¯s position from outside, a twisted, crooked finger creeped out of the lock¡¯s hole and started turning it. After a few tries, the lock clicked open.


    The living room was silent, with only the sound of the stove with a pot of burning oil and the creaks of the sliding door¡¯s wheels turning. Luoshan Zi took a deep breath to push her fear down. Then, her Qi started accelerating in her meridians. The air was becoming gradually more foul with the prolonged presence of the cat granny. And Luoshan Zi worried that the incense ash with lard and butter would not be able to hide the civilians here much longer.


    ¡°What are you doing? Go out the door!¡± Luoshan Zi turned back and whispered to the Teiths.


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    The cat granny¡¯s eyes opened wide just when Luoshan Zi finished her sentence. She slammed open the sliding door, and lunged at Luoshan Zi with a scream. Her arms swung forward at Luoshan Zi, her long, sharp nails and her boney ready to tear into this human.


    ¡°Shit! Go!¡± Luoshan Zi jumped up facing the cat granny, sticking her middle and index fingers up on both hands. Her forearms were instantly coated with a layer of green energy like translucent jade.


    A loud clunk exploded as Luoshan Zi¡¯s forearm blocked the cat granny¡¯s wrists. The layers of green cracked up and crumbled, the foul dark energy left two scorch marks on the cafe owner¡¯s skin. She did not have time to worry about these, as her fingers turned and aimed. Before the cat granny made another move, slender and sharp blades of glowing green Qi shot out from Luoshan Zi¡¯s finger tips. Dark tar gushed out of the cat granny¡¯s eye sockets along with a deafening screech.


    Luoshan Zi kicked the cat granny in the chest, sending the creature into the wall and ceiling while riding the force back down on the ground. Ashes leaked through her fingers - the talismans in her palms were all but expended in her last attack. And a chilling pain started seeping into her leg through the sole of her feet.


    ¡°Go! What are you waiting for!?¡± Luoshan Zi pushed her Qi more to squeeze this chilling and corrosive energy out of her body: ¡°GOGOGO! LEAVE!¡±


    The Teiths finally regained their strength and ability to move. Brian opened the door, and Samantha ran outside while holding Kevin in her arms.


    Luoshan Zi rolled to her right and snatched a lit candle from the ground, as well as Tae Kuo¡¯s short peachwood sword. With a quick run of her left palm along the relatively dull edge of the peachwood sword, she sliced a thin gash on herself and coated the sword with her blood.


    The cat granny squirmed and groaned on the ground for a short while. She fell on a bag of blessed rice, her skin was burned yet it did not seem to impact her mobility. Before Luoshan Zi could follow up with another attack, she already crawled up, with her arms in the ready. Her left arm was blocking her face and her right was lowered, ready to retaliate any attempts coming her way. Her eyes were destroyed, and the dark tar continued to seep out, flowing down her face and dripping on the ground.


    The cat granny turned around, seemingly searching for traces of Luoshan Zi somewhat aimlessly. After planning for a brief moment, Luoshan Zi picked up a shoe by her side using her left foot toes, and kicked it in the direction of the kitchen.


    The cat granny growed, and immediately lunged at the direction of the shoe. Luoshan Zi stamped forward the moment she saw the cat granny¡¯s back, with her peachwood sword ready to plunge.


    But the next moment, the explosive feeling of danger struck her. Her step slowed for one mere moment, just in time for the cat granny to swiftly turn back and swung her claw right at her chest.


    This creature did not lose sight. She could still see, through a hidden eye located on her throat.


    A sharp pain came from her right forearm. Even though she retracted the sword the moment she sensed the danger, the dark nails still sliced through the jade energy layer. The flow of her Qi was interrupted by this attack, and a grueling agony coursed through the entire right half of her body.


    With a quick step using her left foot, Luoshan Zi backed into a wall while holding her right forearm. There was no room for her to dodge, and it seemed she was out of energy to escape as well.

 Book 2 Chapter 69. Cats (Part 2)

    The cat granny gurgled and lunged at Luoshan Zi, with her eye on the throat wide open and her both arms thrusting forward. Her sharp nails glimmered like freshly polished knives, ready to cut into Luoshan Zi¡¯s flesh and bones.


    A loud grunt came from the side, while a full force kick landed on the cat granny¡¯s right waist. The cat granny was too focused to react, and was thus sent through the sliding door, almost falling off the balcony handrails.


    ¡°Luoshan, you¡¯re injured. Go!¡± Gloria rushed over, with bite marks and scratches on her arms and even her neck and face. ¡°Go go GO!!¡±


    Luoshan Zi breathed in through her mouth, then nodded at Gloria and limped towards the door. On her way out, she was helped by Sue, who did not leave along with the Teiths but remained in the apartment near the door, with a bottle of blessed water in her hands. Gyuu Park recoiled, the kick was hard on him as well, and he needed to turn his ankles to relieve the pain and relieve the tensions on his muscles and tendons.


    The cat granny growled and sprung up from the ground. Her bloodshot eye with dark yellow iris twitched left and right, staring at the three that came in. The crazed rats left a lot of bit marks on them, but did not do too much damage. Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo were standing in front of the sliding door, in fighting poses and holding talismans, bottles of blessed water, a candle and the short peachwood sword that Luoshan Zi just dropped.


    The cat granny opened her mouth and hissed. Her two eyes kept bleeding black tar, and a foul and chilling smell was getting thicker by the second. But from the looks of things, she did not want to attempt to go directly over them.


    At the same time, neither Tae Kuo nor Gyuu Park wanted to make the first move, for this was their first time actually dealing with a creature like this. Spirits, regular creatures, humanoid or non-humanoid, they had plenty of experience. But right now, with the exposed eye on the neck, and the dark aura with the ability to create real vivid illusions and control rats, they were more willing to wait for the cat granny to strike first, in order to get a chance to observe and strike back.


    Gloria ruffled through their bags, attempting to find more talismans, artifacts they could use for battle while her eyes were fixed on the cat granny.


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    The cat granny¡¯s throat eye narrowed slightly at Gloria, then curled her extremities and launched herself at the ceiling on top of Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo. In the blink of an eye, her claws dug into the ceiling and started moving on upside down aiming at the apartment¡¯s front door. Tae Kuo was the first to react, and with a swift swing of his right arm, his short peachwood sword shot at the cat granny¡¯s back.


    The cat granny¡¯s body bent sideways to an almost complete right angle, the peachwood sword struck the ceiling and barely grazed the edge of her body. Tae Kuo jumped backwards, kicked the wall on the side to push himself towards the cat granny. While his body was in midair, his two arms swung upwards at the same time. The bottle of blessed water in his right hand splashed up, and the talismans burned up in his left hand fingers, igniting the entire candle clutched in his left palm. With the push of his Qi, the flames of the candle shot up, meeting the blessed water in the air.


    A bright, golden flash exploded from the contact. The cat granny screamed, and her claws loosened. Gloria jumped upwards, with the final piece of talisman she could find clutched in her right palm and a string of wooden beads on her right wrist, she swung her palm at the cat granny¡¯s head like she was wielding a chopper.


    Though temporarily blinded, the cat granny still raised her arms up to cover her head and her chest. Gloria¡¯s hand chop collided with her left forearm. And with the aid of the flames from the talisman, Gloria¡¯s attack broke the forearm in half, with only a bit of skin connecting the two parts.


    A gutsy scream blasted out from the cat granny¡¯s belly, a shockwave of chilling dark energy kicked Gloria in her face and chest, sending her towards the ground. But before her back completely landed on the hardwood floor, her left hand swung upward, with her fingers in a claw formation.


    A light blue clawmark shot towards the ceiling right at the cat granny. It was but a simple Qi attack, the cat granny simply moved her right arm over and blocked most of it.


    Tae Kuo roared, as he lunged forward and splashed his bottle of the blessed water at the menacing, but now injured creature. At the next moment, he struck the water in the air with a palm strike, with almost every droplet of Qi he could bring out.


    His Qi and the blessed water displayed a strange synergy: the shadow of his palm absorbed every droplet of water it came into contact with, growing brighter in the process.


    Another deafening scream came from the creature, a small portion of her left leg and the dangling part of her left forearm were crushed by the palm shadow. But the main parts of her body were intact, due to a last minute maneuver from her, by bending her waist to an impossible angle once again.


    Gloria grunted, she was almost seeing stars from the impact and the corrosion from the dark energy. Tae Kuo was not ready to strike again, as his last attempt drained him of most of his usable Qi. Gyuu Park pushed himself off the ground, and without any plan of attacking the cat granny, he rushed to the door and simply blocked her way.


    The cat granny¡¯s mouth opened to a horrifyingly wide angle, her teeth grew long and sharp. She bit down on Gyuu Park¡¯s arms, her razor-sharp teeth ready to tear both his arms clean off.


    Blood splattered, Gyuu Park grunted in pain. The teeth pierced through his defense of Qi, his skin and his muscles and sunk into his arms. But this was all the creature could do. Her eye on her throat opened wide, as if she was surprised. Not only this, for a brief moment, her teeth started to get blackened and cracked up, as if it was being corroded by something.


    A forceful scream came from Sue, and at the same moment, a metal pot of boiling hot oil was thrown all over the cat granny¡¯s body.

 Book 2 Chapter 70. Cats (Part 3)

    The cat granny let out a scream louder than any other sound she made ever since she appeared. The oil was scorching hot, but it only started to smoke and catch fire when splashed onto the cat granny.


    Gloria, Tae Kuo and Gyuu Park took this window of opportunity and rushed to Sue¡¯s side, for she was the only civilian in the apartment right now.


    ¡°Are you okay!?¡± Sue still held the pot in her hand up, ready to use it as a red hot blunt weapon should she be forced into a fight. ¡°Is it - is it dead?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think it - ¡± Gyuu Park shook his head, but before he could say anything else, his legs gave out and he almost fell onto the ground, if not for Tae Kuo¡¯s catching him by his arm.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gloria immediately knelt by his friend.


    ¡°He¡¯s bitten. The dark energy is this creature poisoning him!¡± Tae Kuo wiped the sweat off his forehead: ¡°We need to take him to a care center! We can¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll buy you some time, can you help him for now!?¡± Gloria grunted, every fiber of her muscles hurt, she just did not have the luxury of escaping right now. With her fingers trembling, she reached the inner pocket of her jacket and took out a wooden coin - the same oiled blessed coin made by lightning struck peachwood gifted to her by Gyuu Park. As she infused her Qi into the coin, she felt the hairs on her shoulders, the backer of her neck and forearms standing up. Tingling sensation pulsated through her body, numbing the muscle sore she felt, yet simultaneously causing a throbbing, burning pain in her head, eyes and ears. ¡°Sue! You go with them, now!¡±


    Sue shook her head, as she held the door open with her left handto let Tae Kuo carry Gyuu Park out of the apartment, while holding the pot in her right.


    Large chunks of skin and flesh were melted off the cat granny¡¯s body. Pale gray smoke rose and filled the entire apartment with a foul burnt smell. The cat granny stopped struggling on the ground after a while, and started standing up, using what was left of her extremities.


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    ¡°Sue, what are you doing here?¡± Gloria grunted as she raised the coin up: ¡°Leave!¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m here with you.¡± Sue shook her head, while still holding the empty metal pot.


    The cat granny gurgled and turned her face towards Gloria. The eye on her throat bulged out, staring at her, specifically the coin held in her fingers. She hissed, showing once again her sharp fangs. Within the blink of an eye she launched herself from the ground directly at Gloria.


    Gloria¡¯s mind moved, but her body lagged behind. Her hand holding the oiled blessed coin missed the cat granny¡¯s head by just a hair, and she was tackled to the ground in the kitchen. The coin dropped on the floor and rolled to a corner of the living room..


    ¡°Sue! Run!¡± Gloria screamed.


    Sue did not listen, the base of the metal pot in her hand landed on the back of the cat granny and made a loud bong. The hit also cracked something, and left a visible, even grievous dent on the cat granny¡¯s head, from the edges of which one could even see yellow and black layers of bones and similar dark tar seeping out.


    The cat granny screeched and swung her right hand at Sue, knocking the pot completely away from Sue¡¯s grasp and leaving a small scratch on the back of her right hand.


    Sue fell onto the ground, but immediately locked her eyes onto the coin lying on the ground. She struggled up, and dragged herself to the position of the coin, crawling and stumbling.


    Gloria grabbed the cat granny¡¯s right wrist and left shoulder in an attempt to block the creature¡¯s attacks. But the cat granny just forced her body down with her mouth open, aiming her bite at Gloria¡¯s neck.


    Gloria concentrated what was left of her Qi on her forehead and butted her head upwards, just in time to make contact with the creature¡¯s nose. Another cracking sound came, this strike seemed to have broken the creature¡¯s nose bridge.


    Sue screamed, with equal desperation and determination, as she slammed the blessed oiled coin onto the dent on the cat granny¡¯s head.


    Sparks of lightning exploded from the coin. Sue was thrown back and down on the ground behind. Gloria screamed, with the bolt of electric energy coursing through her at the same time.


    But the contact between the cat granny and Gloria was short-lived: the creature jumped up and banged her head on the ceiling, then fell down while continuing shaking her head, seemingly trying to shake off the coin that was embedded into her skull. Glowing cracks crawled from the back of her head onto other parts of her body, like destructive, red hot vines.


    Sue tried to stand up, but the feeling of getting electrocuted and having been thrown almost completely across the room kept her legs shaking and unable to move at all. This time, it was Gloria who made the move. She pulled herself up from the kitchen floor, ran to her friend¡¯s side and began dragging her towards the door.


    The cat granny lunged at Gloria and Sue, one last attempt at an attack. The cracks that had reached her waist area burst, and a gust of dark fog shot right out of the sliding door leading to the balcony, breaking her lower body off. Her arms and hands lost control before they could touch anyone. Glowing cracks filled up the cat granny¡¯s face and entire upper body. Her upper body lost the ability to maneuver or even move, and simply fell onto the floor and shattered like a glass statue.


    Gloria got one good look at the pieces scattered on the floor before she pulled Sue out of the apartment: they were all pieces of wood, including barks and roots, with some clay pieces mixed in.

 Book 2 Chapter 71. Forbidden Arts

    ¡°Go! Go downstairs! Go find someone for help!¡± Gloria raised her voice at Sue, while squeezing her meridians to find any traces of Qi to put on both her hands, ready to use the last bit of her power to buy her friend some time: ¡°I¡¯ll hold it off! Go find someone! Even the two from the patrol team!¡±


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Sue took a look back at the inside of the apartment, then started stumbling to the stairs. She wanted to go find help, but her muscles just would not listen. The lightning bolts exploded from the coin left quite a few marks on her. She was just a civilian, if it was any other day, she would be patting herself on the back and applaud her own fortitude. But right now, she just wanted to traverse the stairs down faster, so that she and Gloria could survive the day.


    Gloria stood in the frame of the door, her eyes glancing at every corner of the apartment. The cracked pieces of the cat granny remained on the ground, shaking and trembling slightly, while releasing faint gray smoke into the air.


    The main torso of the cat granny did not completely collapse yet, and was left on the ground like a charred and stained wooden container, the interior of which was especially burnt and he could even see some dark red cinder on the inner wall.


    Gloria looked around, there was nothing she could find which she could use as a good throwing item. So she took a step back and picked up a shoe on the ground and tossed it at the broken torso.


    ¡°Crack¡± the torso was broken in several places. A small charred wood carving with some arcane symbols edged on one side fell out. The symbols were dark red, and a faint glow immediately dimmed the moment it was exposed to the air.


    ¡°What the hell - ¡± Gloria looked around some more, it seemed that there was nothing dangerous remaining in the apartment. The cracked pieces of tree bark and roots gradually stopped shaking as more smoke arose. And for some reason, the pieces seemed to be showing signs of crumbling and fading in color as well.


    ¡°Gloria? GLORIA!¡± Sue¡¯s voice came from the staircase: ¡°Are you alright?! I - I can¡¯t walk anymore! Are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes, I am okay!¡± Gloria responded: ¡°For now! Don¡¯t come over, I¡¯ll guard here just in case it¡¯s not dead!¡±


    Gloria looked back at the remainder of the cat granny¡¯s body. With the wooden carving exposed, the pieces of wood seemed to be losing the dark energy remaining in them at a faster rate. Realizing that the wood carving could be cursed, Gloria leapt to a corner of the room, where one of the cloth bags they brought back were. The cloth bag was now soaked. When she picked it up, a broken glass bottle fell out. She recognized it - it was one of the bottles of blessed water they brought from the Kshiti Temple, which may have been broken during the fight.


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    With the cloth bag soaked in blessed water, she was finally comfortable enough to pick the wood carving up. Just to be safe, she tried her hardest to squeeze her Qi into her hand.


    With the soaked cloth bag covering her hand, Gloria knelt down and used the tips of her index and middle fingers as well as thumb to minimize contact.


    The wood carving felt cold, even through the cloth bag. She wrapped the cloth bag around the carving, making sure there were several layers of wet cloth between her and the carving. But careful as she was, a stream of chilling energy flowed into her head. Her entire body tensed up and the muscles on her back almost spasmed from fear.


    Before she could resist, Gloria felt that she was pulled into a dark void.


    Her mouth was covered up by a piece of cloth. Sand and rocks squeezed her body from all directions, her hands seemed to have been tied behind her back. Her legs were tied up together by some rope as well. She tried to wiggle and use her Qi to break free. But she immediately realized that there was no Qi in her meridians, and her muscles were much weaker than she¡¯d expect. Judging from the environment, it was clear that she was buried alive in the dirt.


    She tried to struggle and move her body again, and a sharp pain from her back almost made her bite her tongue. Sharp objects were embedded in her back. Roots, roots of trees, now stuck into her back. Some of these objects even had their tips and branches sunk into her internal organs.


    Before long, Gloria felt that her life force was being drained from a hole or gash on her back. She tried her hardest to resist, but still could not stop or even slow it at all. Before long, extreme sleepiness and darkness swallowed her.


    ¡°Yeah, no, this is definitely not normal human tissue.¡± When Gloria opened her eyes, the first thing she heard was the voice of Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it down. But this is definitely an outlet, or conduit of some kind of dark art.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s voice sounded exhausted: ¡°I think I have a theory - but I will need to confirm it. For now let¡¯s not mention this to anyone. The two old geezers from the watch and patrol team are no help, but no foul to us either.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gloria lifted her upper body up. She was in a patient room in the community health center along with Tae Kuo, Gyuu Park and Sue. Her body was sore, but in a much better state than she imagined. The vision was far from real - it was as if it was just a simple vision, not something that actually happened to her.


    ¡°Gloria, you¡¯re up.¡± Sue rushed over, holding a cup of tea: ¡°Here, have some tea.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Only now did Gloria find her lips cracked up and her throat dry and itchy. She did not waste too much: ¡°So - what happened?¡±


    ¡°You passed out holding this.¡± Tae Kuo raised a wood carving and showed it to Gloria. Now she was able to see it for what it was like - it was shaped like a cat. Though crude, it still had the patterns that resembled two eyes, a nose and three whiskers on each side: ¡°And - I think you took the last bit of its foul energy like a champ. It¡¯s a - well, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a totem.¡±


    ¡°A totem, what does that mean?¡± Gloria rubbed her temples: ¡°Sorry - my head is still fuzzy.¡±


    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s a conduit of some sort.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head and answered with a low voice: ¡°My guess is - and remember to keep this among us, that this is a manual recreation of the cat granny.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my thoughts as well.¡± Tae Kuo nodded with a stern look on his face: ¡°The symbols have mostly faded. But I can vaguely tell what they meant - they were conjuring spell symbols, forbidden ones, used for conjuring shadows or aspects of powerful entities.¡±


    ¡°Meaning - whoever carved this, they know what the cat granny is like. And they unleashed this ¡®copy¡¯ of the cat granny for their own purpose.¡± Sue whispered.

 Book 2 Chapter 72. Late Delivery (Part 1)

    ¡°But - who the hell would do something like this? Or - who the fuck CAN do something like this?¡± Gloria felt more confused, at the same time slightly fearful.


    ¡°Probably the same people that did something at the docks to cause the Qiyun flow to be stagnant. And they would probably have something to do with all the children snatching as well.¡± Gyuu Park sighed.


    Tae Kuo opened his eyes and stared at Gyuu Park, his mouth moved, but did not say anything.


    ¡°But why? ¡± Gloria felt like burying her face in her palms. The frustration built up in her mind finally broke through, her head being foggy and her being in a state of exhaustion and slight pain cracked through her walls and she had to let something out: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know - this doesn¡¯t make sense. None of this makes sense to me. Something is missing - something is wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it actually started to make sense.¡± Tae Kuo said as he fixed his eyes on the wood carving: ¡°I - I¡¯m not gonna pretend I know anything in depth, but I think - I THINK, if Gyuu, you¡¯re right, then - it¡¯s time we realize that all of these horrible things are happening not because of some natural occurrence, but man-made. At least, the majority of it would be¡­ And - ¡± He sighed, and took a careful look at Gyuu Park: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough with the useless reservations, Tae.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°I think you know the answer already - the commonly known but almost never brought up secrets around the clergymen and church circles. I get it, you want to move away, and you want to take care of your family. But let¡¯s face it, if it is indeed what we think it is, you can¡¯t ever escape even when you¡¯re away.¡±


    Tae Kuo sighed, shook his head and did not respond.


    ¡°What is it? What do you know? ¡± Gloria and Sue immediately fixed their eyes on Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo: ¡°What is this thing you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk here. ¡± Gyuu Park took a look at the door, concerned that someone might just walk in and hear what they were saying: ¡°It¡¯s not - not exactly an allowed knowledge. Even the younger generation of potential watchers and clergymen don¡¯t know about this. If it weren¡¯t for what happened in that fucking underground temple - ¡± Before he could continue, footsteps approached and he immediately stopped. It was a man in a white coat, a doctor, or healer, from this community care center.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± The man came into the room and raised some paper pouches in his hands: ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°I - I¡¯m fine.¡± Tae Kuo nodded: ¡°Still a little tired though.¡±


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    ¡°Same for me.¡± Gyuu Park sighed.


    ¡°I - I¡¯m very thirsty, and my muscles feel like burning up.¡± Gloria took a deep breath and answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s natural. And it¡¯s becoming more and more common these days.¡± The man sighed and put down the paper pouches on a small table: ¡°These are your medicine, with your names written on it, don¡¯t mix them up. Three pots for each pouch, three pots per day, and come back if you still feel wrong. ¡±


    Sue hesitated and asked: ¡°Sir, did you happen to mention¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless they ask specifically, I won¡¯t mention a thing. But please understand that I am beholden to the community collective.¡± The man shrugged: ¡°And yeah, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s in anyone¡¯s best interest to NOT report injuries from paranormal entities. So - uh, yeah - and remember, take showers with warm water with ginger for the next few days. Go out in the sun more and don¡¯t run into unclean places.¡±


    ¡°Understood, thank you - sir.¡± Sue nodded.


    ¡°Now, ladies, I don¡¯t think I need to remind you, that you are more susceptible to invasion and corruption of Yin energy than men. So - take care and make sure you drink plenty of ginger water.¡± The man nodded at Sue and Gloria: ¡°Also - uh if possible, eat some lamb and beef, or better yet, some dog with black fur if possible. The extra Yang energy should help you clear out your body of the infestation.¡±


    ¡°Oh - okay¡­ will - will do.¡± Sue was taken aback slightly, but still nodded.


    ¡°Now - you are discharged. So please, safe travels. And let me know if you have any questions. ¡± The man nodded and turned back, waving at them from behind: ¡°Take care, you folks. And stay away from filth.¡±


    Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo squirmed off the bed, and then helped Gloria off her bed. Without much delay, they left the community care center and headed off to Fuman Coffin home, the nearest place where they could be alone.


    The coffin home was still sealed and under lockdown. It was just that Tae Kuo and Gloria were both familiar with the place and were not hindered by the community collective¡¯s seals and locks at all.


    ¡°So - what do you want to tell me?¡± After sitting down in the back room, Gloria asked Gyuu Park and Tae Kuo. Sue sat on her side, nervously waiting for an answer.


    ¡°I needed to confirm something, I don¡¯t want to trouble you with some unproven speculations, but - ¡± Gyuu Park sighed: ¡°But just as we said - these things that happened, they are very likely due to some human effort, and it is - ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not jump straight in.¡± Tae Kuo raised his hand and interrupted Gyuu Park: ¡°There could be many factors at play here - but - there¡¯s this incident that you might not know about, Gloria. It happened 15 years ago, almost - before the incident with the ship.¡±


    ¡°Geez, that was a common unfortunate number, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gloria scoffed and rubbed her nose bridge.


    ¡°No - it seemed less connected, or at least most people thought so.¡± Tae Kuo took a look at Gyuu Park, who seemed rather displeased with his interruption but still willing to let him speak: ¡°It¡¯s - I think more than a few months before the incident, which is why no one made the connection at the time. It was a small temple, unregistered with the collective. It was built underground, hidden underneath a tea house.


    ¡°The reason for it being hidden was that it was a temple dedicated to - not a god, but a Yasha - a demon, or evil spirit of the ethereal world and of the night. And very, very predictably stereotypically, they were performing actual animal and human sacrifice. They were found, of course, and the community collective and the association of churches gathered forces to get rid of it.


    ¡°But that¡¯s far from all of it. In fact it was just the start - days and weeks after the temple had been destroyed, many of those who were members of the raid team died one by one of horrible fate and in gruesome ways. The community collective and association of churches mobilized a lot of resources to look into it but to no avail. Not many even had the idea to think in the direction of Qiyun manipulation. And after a few months, the incident in Lake Aqiu happened, so the investigation was put on hold and remained unconcluded for years. Until around eight or seven years ago, an elder from Kshiti Temple who practiced an unnamed sutra realized it was actually due to the omens and some kind of curse. Those who died were all presumed to be from paranormal causes, and thus the presence of omens were confused as byproducts instead of actual causes.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 73. Late Delivery (Part 2)

    ¡°But - what does this have to do with what we¡¯re dealing with now?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Well - it¡¯s because the people who ran that underground temple, they controlled two big gangs that ran the docks area. In fact, they were one of the biggest, if not THE biggest importer of illegal goods at the time.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head: ¡°But - I don¡¯t know - I¡¯ve read some of the sealed records, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s connected. They were practicing the forbidden arts, yes. But they were very crude and unskilled in their implementation. And that¡¯s one of the reasons they got exposed before they could grow bigger. The neighborhoods around them had become practically graveyards.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But you might have also known that, mostly only mid to low level hench freaks were arrested. Most of the leaders of the group were still at large.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°What if they were at it again? What if some people picked up their memo and started - started something?¡±


    ¡°And the 15 year cycle would - would be a good time to start again?¡± Sue nodded, then turned to Gloria: ¡°If - Gloria, IF, this 15 year cycle thing is true, then we might be dealing with some kind of really - really messy situation here.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria grunted and started scratching her head.


    ¡°I - I¡¯d suggest you go out of the city for a period of time.¡± Tae Kuo thought for a moment, then said: ¡°You know, I actually know someone out there - and I have some family members that could spare a room or two for us for a few weeks. So if we make the arrangements, you guys can come with us - ¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°But I¡¯m not gonna - I can¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going either. But thank you very much, Tae. It means a lot.¡± Gyuu Park also shook his head: ¡°I - I just have something I want to finish. And I don¡¯t have a lot of time. Maybe when this is all over?¡±


    ¡°Geez, Gyuu, what¡¯s with the melancholiness?¡± Gloria could not help but chuckle.


    ¡°Nothing - it¡¯s just - like I said. I am quite close to something. I will go back to check on a few old records.¡± Gyuu Park nodded: ¡°Now - if you¡¯ll excuse me, I should get going. I need to head back to my temple, before the bureaucratic power hungry dicks come at me and give me another reason to regret taking over the temple.¡±


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    ¡°Wait - wait.¡± Tae Kuo raised his hand and stopped Gyuu Park: ¡°There¡¯s something else. Something I think you¡¯d all be better off knowing.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay, what is it?¡± Sue immediately took out a small notepad.


    ¡°Do you guys know anything about Blue Envelopes?¡± Tae Kuo asked, with his voice intentionally lowered as if he was afraid anyone else would hear him.


    ¡°Uh¡­ no?¡± Gloria looked at Sue, then Gyuu Park.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay - it¡¯s a categorization of cases by the city. The collective doesn¡¯t use it.¡± Tae Kuo leaned in: ¡°Whenever a case outside of our district becomes too weird, or is showing signs of paranormality, the city will classify them as Blue Envelope cases, and trade intelligence with the community collective in order to solve them. And - needless to say, there are quite a few of them in the city¡¯s folders and archives. So - if you have connections in the city, it¡¯d be a good idea to take a look at the Blue Envelopes dating back to that time. In this case, given everything we know - I¡¯d say the cat granny cases would have been categorized as such.¡±


    Sue and Gyuu Park fixed their eyes on Gloria. Gloria shook her head and sighed after a moment of consideration: ¡°I¡¯ll try - I don¡¯t know if the ¡®connection¡¯ I have will be able to help with this. But - we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡ª-------


    The first thing Gloria did when she got home was to start boiling two pots of water so that she could cook the medicine for her and Sue. The medicine was mostly dried up barks and grass of different sorts. When boiled in water, they gave off a powerful bitter and even slightly pungent stench. These were not the same as the ¡°modern¡± medicine commonly used in the other districts, which meant the process was more messy, but would most likely involve less unnecessary chemicals. At least, that was what the care centers told the people in this district.


    When the medicine was ready after more than two hours, all Gloria and Sue could drink was dark brown liquid that tasted like bitter, grassy soup. It seemed to have worked though, for Gloria could feel that her body became slightly lighter after finishing the first pot.


    Sue coughed and almost dropped her pot. Her tongue was dark brown just like Gloria¡¯s, and she even had a bit of her medicine dripped on her shirt.


    Sue¡¯s reaction to the medicine was different from Gloria¡¯s but it was probably better - she immediately felt sleepy and actually needed Gloria¡¯s help to get into bed.


    Gloria checked her friend¡¯s meridians and made sure there was no concerning residual energy. Then just when she was about to go to bed, she heard someone knocking at her door.


    It was a wooden box with a printed note on top, left by a delivery man. Judging from the note, it was a highest priority expedited package. It was cheap at all, and would have cost whoever sent this to her a fortune.


    It was a box from Gyuu Park, and inside, there were a few piles of records, old scriptures and some handwritten notes. Just under the lid, there was a fresh note, seemingly ripped from a new notebook.


    Gloria took only one look at the note on the top, and immediately rushed out of her apartment and started running like hell toward the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.


    ¡°Gloria, please take these records. They contain some answers I have found. Please take care and do what you think is right with them. This knowledge is precious beyond anyone could imagine. So please pass it on¡­¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 74. Expected And Unexpected

    Gloria was not able to catch the bus on time when she got to the station, and she had to wave her hand at the cars driving by her, in a desperate attempt to catch a taxi that was empty, or someone who was willing to give her a ride.


    ¡°Where you¡¯re going, miss?¡± Without having to wait for too long, a taxi with a rusty exterior stopped in front of Gloria.


    ¡°Fragrant - ¡± Gloria was in a hurry so she almost directly let out her actual destination, but something told her that this would be a bad time to let anyone know where she was actually heading. So she changed her answer, to a nearby place not far from Gyuu Park¡¯s temple: ¡°I mean - Yen¡¯s Wine House.¡±


    ¡°Fancy a drink huh?¡± The driver was a ruggedly looking middle aged man with uncombed hair and beard: ¡°You want my number? I can bring you back here later if you¡¯re too drunk.¡±


    ¡°No need. But thank you.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°And - can you speed up a little? I am meeting a friend there and I am already super late.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hold on tight.¡± The driver chuckled: ¡°The price will be about 20 dollars, feel free to tip if I get you there earlier than you expected, eh?¡±


    ¡°No problem. Please.¡± Gloria rushed. And before her last word dropped, the rusty taxi burst forward from its original location. Though the driver appeared a bit boastful and maybe even slightly overconfident about his driving, Gloria soon had very little doubt he was able to get her there much faster than she normally would.


    The rusty taxi swerved on the road, passing yellow signals just by mere seconds before they turned red, and finding detours she had no idea existed. It seemed this driver was someone who had plenty of experience on the road.


    ¡°You look impressed, first time hopping on a taxi driven by an old timer?¡± The driver laughed out loud as he looked at Gloria from the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, and also I don¡¯t take taxis very often.¡± Gloria held onto the door while clutching her seat belt: ¡°I - I don''t know¡­ How long have you been a taxi driver?¡±


    ¡°Almost 20 years. I know the district in and out. ¡± The driver laughed again: ¡°Even when I go out of our district, I still know most of the streets and small alleys, which ones I can go and which ones I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Gloria asked: ¡°Do - do you happen to know about a lot of the urban legends and folklore?¡±


    The driver immediately stopped laughing and became silent. His smile faded and became very stern and somewhat solemn. After peeking at Gloria a few times, he finally asked: ¡°Are you - are you from here? Why do you ask?¡±


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    Gloria immediately sensed that this driver was probably someone that knew things, so she immediately clarified: ¡°Yeah, I grew up here. And I am quite interested in folklore and urban legends - like, why aren¡¯t there as many temples in the other districts? And - and - ¡±


    ¡°And why the other districts don¡¯t have as many paranormal stories and incidents?¡± The driver asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, exactly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe the lies.¡± The driver sighed and looked to his side, taking another swerve from a small alley into the main road. His sudden and even reckless maneuver made a few cars on the main road honk at him. Gloria right now recognized where she was, it was just the main road leading up to the general area of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. This driver was indeed familiar with the roads and knew his way. ¡°I¡¯ve been all around the city, they are far from immune to ghosts - I mean those things that constantly plague us.¡±


    ¡°Really? How - how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well - like I said, I¡¯ve been around. ¡± The driver quickly found the wine house, he pulled into the parking lot, then looked back from his seat at Gloria: ¡°Now, that would be 20 dollars. And - you know, it¡¯s okay to be curious. But take it from someone who¡¯s been in this city since before you were born - a lot of times taboos are there for a reason. Curiosity will not only kill the cat, but it can kill you and those you love and care for as well.¡±


    ¡°I - I understand.¡± Gloria handed over 25 dollars: ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she rushed off the car and into the wine house, while taking a quick stop to remember the license plate of the taxi.


    Though she was in a hurry, Gloria still took the time to evade the eyes and ears of those around her. She went into the bathroom of the wine house, then found her way into another narrow alley. Through the alley, she made it to the front door of the temple.


    For a moment, she wanted to push the door open and go in. But she noticed that there seemed to be a few threads buried in the dirt around the door frame and behind the upper corners, so she knocked on the door a few times and called out: ¡°Gyuu! I brought good wine here! I have a few questions to ask you! ¡±


    There was no answer.


    ¡°Gyuu! I know you¡¯re in there! If you¡¯re taking a pooper I¡¯ll just go in now!¡± Gloria pushed the front door lightly, not hard enough to trigger whatever mechanism that was behind the door, but enough to make Gyuu Park think she was really about to come in.


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t!¡± Gyuu Park finally answered. His footsteps rushed over, and after some creaks and bolts, the front door opened. Gloria did not give Gyuu Park any window of opportunity to close the door again, as she pushed forward and practically forced him to let her into the temple.


    The temple was a mess last time she came, it was cleaned up now. She could see contraptions and trigger devices hidden in different corners.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Gloria asked with a stern tone: ¡°Why do you send me that box?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Can¡¯t I make a backup of my precious knowledge and notes?¡± Gyuu Park shrugged, the bags below his eyes appeared rather apparent right now.


    ¡°Bullshit! Bullshit!¡± Gloria raised her voice, then forced herself to calm down: ¡°What is going on? What are you not telling me?¡±


    ¡°I - it¡¯s complicated.¡± Gyuu Park looked into Gloria¡¯s eyes, then shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gloria. But I can¡¯t tell you right now. But you need to know - it¡¯s not anyone else¡¯s fault. It¡¯s not mine either - it¡¯s those people¡¯s. It¡¯s theirs.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®they¡¯?¡±


    ¡°The group of sick fucks that are performing the dark arts, I presume. And possibly the one who conjured that projection of the cat granny.¡± Gyuu Park sighed, looked up and scoffed: ¡°You know, if it weren''t for you, I would have never grown a pair and gone into the archive to steal some previously off limits records. And by then I think I have some answers.¡±


    ¡°What? What?!¡± This information was such a shock that Gloria could almost feel her head ringing.


    Some faint footsteps came to the front door of the temple. Gloria looked to the door, but was unexpectedly grabbed by Gyuu Park and thrown at a corner of the room. While she was in the air, Gyuu Park stomped his left foot on the ground, and the entrance of a tunnel appeared beneath her. She tried to move in the air, but it seemed Gyuu Park¡¯s Qi had invaded her meridians and locked her muscles. Though it would only work for a brief moment, it was long enough for her to fall into a tunnel below.


    ¡°Stay alive. And find the answer.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s voice echoed in the tunnel.

 Book 2 Chapter 75. Wind of Vengeance (Part 1)

    ¡°Gyuu! Gyuu!¡± Gloria knocked on the stone ceiling closing up above her. The elevation was not really high, but just enough to prevent her from using full force to break through. The walls around her were hardened and smooth, further preventing her from using any force on the ceiling that was intended to stop her from breaking through. ¡°What the fuck is happening!? Let me out!¡±


    There was no response. She stopped calling and remained silent for a brief moment - she could not hear anything from above, it seemed that the moving ceiling and trap door was relatively soundproof. This also meant that she would not be able to reach Gyuu Park from where she was.


    ¡°Stay alive.¡± This was what Gyuu Park told Gloria. Gyuu Park would never think to harm Gloria in any way, if she could be absolutely certain of anything, this would be one of them. So she immediately started to look around, for any indication of an exit or a road. The Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple was not a spacious place, and it would stand to reason that this underground area would not be more spacious than the temple above. With this thought in mind, she decided to turn back and venture into the dark room behind her. There were walls in front of him, all of which were made of simple wooden frames, silk and paper, forming into a small labyrinth.


    When she got her phone out, she noticed that under the floor there was no signal. Luckily for her, her phone battery was still half full, just enough for her to use it as a flashlight to light up the underground area, especially the walls in front of her.


    There were red symbols on the walls, some of which Gloria could recognize, some of which she could not. She jumped up and tried to get a view of how the walls were arranged, but immediately, the air became thick and pushed her down. She tried again, and it was still the same situation.


    On the ground above, Gyuu Park made himself a pot of tea, sat on a simple hay mat and started waiting at the center of the sanctum. The footsteps from outside of the door multiplied, some of which were heavy, some of which were light. Before long, the footsteps scattered and some of them circled around the temple area.


    The footsteps at the front door were especially heavy, their breathings were easy to hear as well. It appeared that they were not really intended to conceal themselves. Thus, Gyuu Park finished his cup of tea, poured himself a new one, and raised his voice: ¡°My masked and hidden friends out there, if you want something, why don¡¯t you just come in directly? My temple is not a big one, but welcoming to all. I am not some high end powerful practitioner, but I will definitely try to accommodate everyone. So, if you want something from this temple, come in here directly.¡±


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    Before he could say another word, two cloaked shadows hopped from over the outer wall, accurately avoiding all of the contraptions and devices Gyuu Park set in his front yard. Both figures were wearing masks, and from the bottom of their long sleeves, he could see a shiny blade and  a spiked flail head.


    ¡°Gyuu Park, clergyman of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.¡± The figure with a long blade under the sleeve spoke with a cold, hoarse female voice from behind and a wooden wolf mask: ¡°You have overstepped.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t know about that. ¡± Gyuu Park scratched his head and chuckled: ¡°I mean - I don¡¯t know what I did. And judging from your clothes, I don¡¯t think you work for the community collective or the association? And I would say that you should be wary of overstepping some boundaries yourself.¡±


    ¡°For one who¡¯s about to die, you sure are talkative.¡± The one with a spiked flail in the sleeve and wearing a wooden gorilla mask scoffed with a male voice and stared at Gyuu Park: ¡°And it¡¯s predictable, what you will face. Before we proceed, I must ask you this: do you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh? To be honest, I have been expecting that I would just die in an accident.¡± Gyuu Park shook his head, and raised his new cup of tea: ¡°Or - more gloriously, a bullet would go through my head, or my heart; or, someone would put something in my food and drink. But no - here you are, wanting to send a message, set an example.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed a wise one. One could see why they would assign you this temple.¡± The woman wearing a wolf mask said: ¡°Alas, here and now it is for you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe.¡± Gyuu Park put down his teacup right beside the teapot and stood up: ¡°So why don¡¯t you just go ahead?¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± The door to Gyuu Park¡¯s left, and the wall behind him were torn, two more cloaked figures burst out and lunged at Gyuu Park. But some contraptions hidden on the ceiling and the upper corners of the sanctum were triggered. Sharpened metal and bamboo spikes shot at them. With their momentum targeting Gyuu Park, the spikes did not cover many of the crucial parts of the two sudden invaders, but ended up landing on their legs and lower waists.


    The two shadows grunted in pain, their attacks instantly lost most of their aim and momentum. Gyuu Park leapt into the air, his body spun as he unleashed two swift kicks right on their foreheads.


    The two figures flew backwards after two flashes of jade green light and two loud cracks - their necks twisted in unnatural angles and parts of their skull caved in slightly. Neither of them were still breathing when they landed on the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna need to do better than this.¡± Gyuu Park lifted up the teapot with his right foot and kicked it towards the two cloaked figures that confronted him earlier. At the same time, some contraptions in the backyard of the temple were triggered as well, along came painful moans and grunts from two voices.

 Book 2 Chapter 76. Wind of Vengeance (Part 2)

    The assassins were deployed as a group. And from what Gyuu Park could tell, only the two that were standing in front of him were the main enforcers, while the others were merely followers and peons. He knew not who these people were, who they work for, but he would need to put in some effort to get that information out of them.


    The flying teapot exploded in mid air, the water inside became heated by his Qi shot out in all directions at the two cloaked figures. Both of them activated their Qi to guard themselves while lunging at Gyuu Park from left and right.


    The man with a gorilla mask struck first, with his spiked flail coated in bright, light blue energy shooting out electric sparks and cracks, he took a swing at Gyuu Park¡¯s left shoulder. The woman wearing a wolf mask was just one step behind, with her curved blade still tucked inside of her sleeve. Though mostly hidden, the blade was giving off an ethereal light green glow.


    Gyuu Park moved leftwards and at the man with his left arm raised slightly, intending to create a circumstance where he would be facing the man one on one. The flail head missed its mark from Gyuu Park¡¯s lowering his body, and with a lightning speed, his left arm flung up and to push the man¡¯s flail holding wrist, while his right arm unleashed a palm strike at the man¡¯s upper chest.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s palm strike landed true and firm, caving and cracking something metal underneath the man¡¯s clothes. A metal chest plate. The man was thrown back, his mask almost falling off his face and almost falling into the woman behind him. The woman, quite apparently much faster on her feet, immediately jumped up and swung her strangely shaped blade at Gyuu Park from midair. A light green energy blade shot at Gyuu Park¡¯s face, the concentrated Qi in which seemed like it could easily pierce through the hardest marble.


    Gyuu Park lowered his body once again while pushing his legs on the ground to launch him to the side. The energy blade touched only her afterimage in the air, while tearing a hole in the corner of the wall. With a trace of Qi concentrated on his right hand index and middle fingers, Gyuu Park thrusted his right arm at the woman, shooting out a concentrated stream of Qi.


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    The woman arched herself backwards and backflipped in the air, and Gyuu Park¡¯s counter attack only ripped a small tear on her cloak as well as scratched the mask a little.


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you enlighten me then, my dear assassins and the graceful usherer of my end?¡± Gyuu Park steadied himself and his breaths somewhere in the back of the inner sanctum and asked: ¡°You sure seem like fine professionals, you¡¯re sure on a level that¡¯s good enough to know who your employer is and what they want? Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder you overstepped the way you did.¡± The woman behind a wolf mask said with an even colder voice: ¡°You¡¯re good. A prodigy worthy of the name, too bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you know about me? That¡¯s interesting.¡± Gyuu Park chuckled: ¡°But - why don¡¯t you tell me more? Let me be an enlightened ghost when I walk the bridge and report to the King of Hell.¡±


    ¡°Clever.¡± The woman scoffed.


    ¡°How about I save you the trouble?¡± The man spit out some blood and spoke through his teeth: ¡°How about you don¡¯t have eyes and mouth so that you fall off the bridge and maybe become a roach in your next life? Then you can continue living your worthless, crappy life.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then maybe I am even more inclined to take you with me then, you monkey.¡± Gyuu Park kicked the wall behind him, then he jumped left. A hidden compartment dropped open from the floor and a wooden stick and two daggers fell from a hidden shelf. He grabbed the wooden stick and bash the bottom of one dagger¡¯s hilt. The dagger shot at the man wearing the gorilla mask, and he lunged at the man with the other dagger in his left hand, while holding the stick in his right hand. Though appearing to be ready and calm, he knew in his heart that he did not have too much time left. And if he wanted to make the most of the situation, he needed to spill more blood from one of these two. Or better yet, fell one of them.


    The man roared and banged the dagger away with his flail, but even though he appeared to be aggressive, he was actually backing away and luring Gyuu Park closer. The woman behind the wolf mask side stepped then crept at him from his right side, with the claw-shaped curved blade aiming at his waist and her other hand aiming at his neck.


    Gyuu Park swiftly, if not violently turned his body in the air and swung the stick at the woman¡¯s face. The woman immediately raised her curved blade to face the stick. The sharp tip of her blade instantly bit into the shaft, and with the movement of her arm she redirected the hit to her side.


    The woman¡¯s left hand clutched and then flexed. The dark, glowing sharp nails on her middle and index fingers shot out at the push of her Qi. Gyuu Park was not expecting this, and instantly felt two chilling blades sunk into his chest and abdomen.


    The woman scoffed, her blade wielding arm twisted and turned, retrieving the blade and swiping at Gyuu Park¡¯s neck.

 Book 2 Chapter 77. Wind of Vengeance (Part 3)

    The woman¡¯s arm swung forward at Gyuu Park, the blade slicing through the air, aiming to cut open Gyuu Park¡¯s neck.


    Even with the sharp, presumably poisonous nails embedded inside Gyuu Park¡¯s chest, he was still able to make a swift move. With a quick twist and pull of his wooden stick, a slender long blade unsheathed from the stick.


    A loud clunk exploded from the impact. The two razor-sharp blades bit into each other slightly. Their Qi collided against each other, pushing both of them away from each other. Gyuu Park raised his left palm and attempted a palm strike at the woman. The woman raised her right knee and bumped at his palm directly. Both of them were powerful attacks, and both of them were thrown back further.


    ¡°Now!¡± The woman raised her voice as she rode the force and adjusted her posture in the air. The man wearing a gorilla mask lunged at Gyuu Park from the side, his spiked flail swinging from overhead at Gyuu Park¡¯s shoulder.


    Gyuu Park tried to hop backwards in order to evade the attack. But the moment he attempted to move his legs, he felt a wave of numbness pulsing through his meridians and muscles. He moved, but at a pace slower than he¡¯d expect, and slower than he needed.


    The cold hard spiked head of the flail clashed against Gyuu Park¡¯s shoulder. He could feel the spikes piercing into his muscles, and the rough and hardened head made of dense metal breaking the bones in his left shoulder and his upper left arm.


    Gyuu Park grunted and rode the impact to slide on the ground away from the man. The pain almost made him scream, but he simply bit the tip of his tongue to keep himself calm. With his right arm still usable, he swung his slender blade as he bounced from the ground. A thin crescent shaped green energy blade was unleashed at this man.


    The man with a gorilla mask was in the middle of attempting a follow up attack. And at this close a range he could only put the shaft of the flail in front of himself to defend himself.


    The energy blade sliced through the metal shaft of the flail like a hot knife through butter. And in but a moment, the energy blade cut through his entire left arm and then the metal plate on his chest.


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    The man let out a pained moan and tried to back off. But Gyuu Park lunged at him with the sword thrusting forward. The woman circled around the back of the man and tried to stop Gyuu Park by swinging her curved blade at the back of his neck once again, but she was not fast enough.


    The long slender blade, now glowing with an ethereal green, impaled the man on his left chest. Hot blood jetted out of the man¡¯s body, this strike just destroyed his heart. And in the next moment, the curved blade sunk into his back instead of his neck, and he could feel his blood rushing into his lungs.


    Gyuu Park twisted his blade, leaving the majority of it in the man¡¯s body and violently turned back to swing the broken blade at the woman. The woman chuckled and hopped back, leaving the blade still in Gyuu Park¡¯s back. This desperate strike did not land at all, and Gyuu Park fell down on his rear, almost pushing the blade on his back deeper.


    The man in a gorilla mask was already gone, his blood poured all over the floor. Gyuu Park panted as he scooted himself closer, his dangling left hand dipping into the pool of blood.


    ¡°I can see why we were so well paid.¡± The woman scoffed and approached Gyuu Park step by step, just in case he had anything else up his sleeves. ¡°It was quite a discount. Viridian Jade Manual, who would¡¯ve thought?¡±


    ¡°So you know.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s voice was getting weaker by the moment: ¡°And guess today is the day for me. What can I say.¡±


    The woman did not respond, still inching in step by step, and had another thin blade tucked in her right hand fingers.


    ¡°Now - now that I am on my way to the bridge. How about you let me die a regretless death?¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s face became pale, the broken blade fell from his fingers, the blade slicing a few small cuts on his palm and wrist. ¡°How about you tell me who you work for?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± The woman scoffed, her breathing patterns began to calm down: ¡°Thank you for the good fight. I learned quite a lot. So - I am indeed feeling gracious today. So, maybe I¡¯ll let you know - ¡± But before she could finish, she swung her right arm across the space in front of her. A small blade shot through the air, aiming right at Gyuu Park¡¯s throat.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s right palm stopped the blade, at the cost of his palm being completely impaled by the blade. The sharp tip left a single red dot on his skin, but that was all its momentum could do.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± A chilling smile spanned across Gyuu Park¡¯s face: ¡°Too bad you had to stab me in the back.¡± Before he even finished his sentence, his skin started shriveling and decaying at a visible pace, his blood on the ground began reeking of rot and death. The woman took a step back, even with a mask on her face, she was visibly shaken.


    ¡°A word of advice.¡± Gyuu Park¡¯s voice was heaving, barely audible. His face was still smiling, even though his entire body was almost completely dried up and almost crumbled under its own weight. ¡°Some things are just not worth¡­ the money.¡±


    Gyuu Park¡¯s glowing eyes were the last thing to succumb to the decay. Strangely, even though his flesh and blood was completely gone, his bones remained. And under the moonlight, they gave off a chilling green shine.


    The woman¡¯s body shook and trembled, her knees almost gave out. The reason was simple, for she felt a daunting presence looming over her.


    A curse. A curse by and through blood.

 Book 2 Chapter 78. Foul Fell

    Without even considering the option of cleaning up the bodies and the scene, the woman pushed her Qi to course through her meridians at the maximum capacity, and at the same time activated all of the blessed artifacts she carried, hoping to suppress the curse.


    Countless little claws scratching and cutting her skin; thousands and tens of thousands of tiny needles poking into her veins, meridians and even into her bones, sucking out her blood, Qi and even bone marrow. Snakes were squirming in her stomach. Worms and ants were crawling in her muscles and internal organs.


    All of this was but illusions, brought to her by the curse. She knew, and she forced herself to calm down and keep up her speed on her way back. When she made it back to her base, she could perform a ritual to temporarily seal this curse, or even have her cohorts help her lift it completely. To her horror, all her artifacts kept cracking up and completely breaking one by one, none of them could halt the curse even by more than half a minute.


    ¡°Shit! SHIT!¡± The woman swore as she glided through the chill night air. After a short while, the only thing between her and the creeping yet unintelligibly heavy dark aura, was a simple jade Buddha pendant on her waist. Right now, a shade of dark yellow was gradually corroding from the outer rims of the pendant, leaving small cracks in its path. When all the green was gone, its protection over the woman would also be fully expended.


    Strangely, her other much more expensive artifacts were destroyed and turned into crumbs and ashes in the wind already. Yet, this cheap looking pendant gifted to her by an old monk at a nameless temple seemed to have endured the curse much longer than the others. Lucky for her, with her full speed, she got her base in sight already.


    ¡°Help! Help me!¡± She stumbled through the outer wall and into the front yard of her base: ¡°Artifacts! Bring me some artifacts!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± A man in a full body dark cloak came out from the inner room: ¡°Mei? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Curse! That clergyman - ¡± The wolf mask cracked and fell onto the ground, turning into dried up barks and ashes. The woman¡¯s face was that of a model-like beauty, with a thin scar on her left forehead. But this did not last, the scar grew wider and burst open, releasing dark green and foul goo instead of blood.


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    She could not finish her sentence, for a simple reason - the jade Buddha pendant completely turned yellow, crumbling into dust and grains of sand. For a moment, she thought she could hear a light sigh coming from the dust.


    ¡°BITCH!¡± Seeing the woman turning into a pile of mush and crisp in the yard, and feeling a dark and chilling aura looming over himself, the man in a full body dark cloak cursed and tried to rush into the inner room and get to the altar at the center.


    In the inner room, there was another man in a full cloak standing beside the altar, and four other monk-looking individuals, wearing almost nothing sitting with their legs crossed in meditation poses in the corners with cloth bags over their heads.


    ¡°Curse! Curse!¡± The man struggled, scratching his back and his inner thigh. Before long, he even took off almost all of his clothes just so he could scratch the uncontrollable itch: ¡°Help me!¡±


    Inside this inner room and near the altar, the effects of the curse seemed to have slowed down. But this made the man¡¯s suffering even more grueling - the skins on his arms were swollen and blistering, dark marks crawled up his chest and his neck. He scratched harder and harder, at the same time his skin and muscles decayed and rotted. In just mere moments, he tore pieces of his own flesh and skin off, and continued without even stopping.


    The other man in a full body dark cloak took a step back in panic, for he had never seen something like this before. But horrified as he was, he was in no mood to catch it and instead instinctively avoided it like the plague.


    The four monk-like individuals were surprised as well, and all of whom chanted a quick spell before pointing their fingers at the almost completely bare man who was scratching his own flesh off his bones. Four bright yellow streams of condensed energy shot at the bloody man rolling on the ground. Like thin spears or pikes, the streams of energy penetrated the man¡¯s body, stopping his movement and leaving four steaming holes behind.


    Flames arose from the man¡¯s body. Bright yellow and orange flame scorched the body from inside, turning it into ashes before long.


    ¡°What - what is this?¡± The only man in a cloak asked the four individuals sitting in the corners: ¡°WHAT IS THIS!?¡±


    ¡°Curse, a curse of the foul, fell soul.¡± One of the individuals sighed through the bag on his head: ¡°Too bad, too bad. This humble monk expected so, just never thought it would dawn on all of us so early.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The man in a cloak rushed to this individual and clutched his fingers over the individual¡¯s neck: ¡°Answer me! What the fuck happened!?¡±


    ¡°Yours is a path of defilement and corrosion. Yours is a path of desecration and sin.¡± Another individual sighed, and gently yanked the metal chains embedded in his ribs and restraining him to the corner: ¡°Namo Amitabha. Our time, is nigh.¡±


    ¡°It is right. It is right.¡± The other two individuals nodded, then started chanting in unison.


    The man in a cloak tried to say something else, but his words were cut short, as the individual whose throat was grabbed by him started chanting as well. And within just mere moments, his skin was engulfed in flames.


    In less than a minute, the bodies of all four individuals turned into ashes and dirt.


    The altar cracked and crumbled. And the man in a cloak started sensing a sense of itchiness crawling through his entire body from his back and his legs.

 Book 2 Chapter 79. Array And Labyrinth

    The wood and paper walls looked easy to break, but Gloria decided not to try. Not only because these seemed to be the work of Gyuu Park and she wanted to pay everything due respect, but also because she recognized that this was the kind of special array that would easily retaliate against anyone who tried to break through with brute force.


    She tried to remember some of the walls and the symbols on them, but the harder she tried, the quicker she forgot the symbols. And should she spend more time staring at the symbols, her eyesight would become fuzzy, her head would begin to hurt and become dizzy as well. The whole area did not take up that much footage, yet the walls of paper and wooden frames seemed to have created some kind of strange field of illusion. Even with Gloria and all her mastery of mystic Kung Fu and Qi, she was still having trouble finding her way through everything


    ¡°Bagua Array.¡± Gloria rubbed her own temples and closed her eyes. She needed a minute, this array was put here to confuse, and not to hurt her. Thus, she just needed to recall everything she had learned from Gyuu Park and possibly from the community archives to figure out how she could see through the illusion.


    ¡°Bagua Array - bagua mirror - bagua - bagua steps?¡± Gloria ruffled through her pockets and tried to see if she had brought a mirror or just a simply a piece of paper with her. But there was not - she came here in a hurry, the only thing she brought was her wallet and her phone.


    She turned her phone on, and started searching through the information she stored. There was still no signal down here, the only thing she could rely on would be the things she had in the phone¡¯s storage.


    After scrolling for a while, she found the image she was looking for - an image from a few years back, when she just started ¡°trading¡± with Gyuu Park. This was the result of one of the earlier trades. A simple long image, with some words on the side, and numbers explaining where each step should be taken, and in which direction.


    ¡°Bagua steps¡±, the technique was so called. Unlike the sharp and often double-edged bagua mirror, or the mysterious bagua sword, it was a simple, easy to use ritual that could help the performer clear their mind and maintain the stability of their Qi.


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    After memorizing the instructions on the image, Gloria looked around, trying to locate the direction of North. But she had spent too much time in this underground labyrinth already, and she had already lost track of her original position and direction.


    All of a sudden, a rotten and dangerous feeling rose in her guts. The calmness that she forced upon herself was instantly broken - she needed to break through this array and out of here, as soon as possible.


    After taking another look at the picture on her phone. She took a deep breath, looked around once more, and located the paper wall that was closest to her. This was a tip from the instructions: when one could not locate North, the next best option would be to locate the closest wall, use it as a temporary reference, or ¡°fake North¡±.


    With her back facing the wall, Gloria stepped forward to the right using her left leg, then left forward with her right leg, then straight right with her left leg¡­ All of this was to make the performer step into all eight positions of bagua, eight symbols that represented the different aspects of the world and universe. And with the performer¡¯s figure moving through all eight positions, the ritual would call down the righteous energy from the world, and help clear up any curses, omens and illusions that troubled the performer.


    But, right now there were several factors that were clear hindrances to her attempts - the fact that she did not know where actual North was, the fact that she was performing this ritual without the sun and clear air, and the fact that without proper reference of locations around her, the positions she stepped over were probably not very uniform.


    When she finished the eighth step, Gloria sensed a chilling energy flowing into her meridians, her bones and her mind. The fuzziness in her vision cleared, the dizziness in her head was lifted.


    She looked at the paper walls once again, it appeared that after performing the bagua steps, the path through the space in which these walls were placed became clear as well. Without a moment of doubt or hesitation, she rushed through the embrace of the paper walls.


    On the other side of the room, there was a heavy metal door. But with her pushing in full force, it did not take her too much time. Behind the metal door was another long tunnel, with barely any light. After a short while, she finally saw some dim light poking through what looked like a thick wall of leaves and rattan at the end.


    It was somewhere downhill, from where it seemed to be behind the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. The exit was hidden behind thick, unmanaged grass, and was quite a bit of distance from the nearest road. A good place for a secret exit indeed.


    Gloria looked back up at the temple, there were bright, brand-new sealing tapes from the community collective around the outskirts, and she could see people with armbands walking in and out of the temple ground.

 Book 2 Chapter 80. Gust

    It did not matter how worried Gloria was, she needed to get to the temple with tact. She just had a run-in with the community watch and patrol team, there was plenty of reason that they would try to pin more fault on her, Fuman Coffin Home and even Gyuu Park¡¯s temple.


    Gloria deliberated for a minute, then decided to circle to the mainroad to the temple and acted as if she was just coming from the outer areas and wanting to go to the temple like a regular visitor.


    Things were not looking good.


    Strength and energy slowly return to her body, the dizziness from the maze faded. For some reason, right now even without her consciously concentrating her Qi on her fingers, she could see the faint auras surrounding the temple, and the blurry flow of energy in the air.


    It gave Gloria no assurance of anything, for the simple fact that she saw a dark cloud looming over the temple. And from the inner rumbles of this cloud, she could see blinkings and flares of blood red light. A bad sign. She had heard of similar occurrences, but all were in a symbolic and metaphoric sense, never this literal.


    ¡°Hold.¡± When she got to the front door and just outside of the newly established quarantined area with tapes, a member of the community watch and patrol team with an orange armband stepped in front of her: ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Gloria Lee, I am a friend of Clergyman Park. I¡¯m here to visit him, what happened?¡± Gloria tried to suppress the extreme concern and anxiety in her voice and tried to appear just like a concerned friend.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± This man with an armband hesitated for a short moment, then raised his hand and said: ¡°Please wait here.¡± before heading inside.


    A moment later, he came out, with another member - seemingly a female superior, also with an armband.


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    ¡°Can you tell me your name again?¡± The female superior asked.


    ¡°Gloria Lee - I am a friend of Clergyman Park. Please, let me know what happened!¡± Gloria raised her voice slightly, not to an offensive extent but should be just enough to convey her eagerness to see what was going on.


    The woman sighed and extended her arm to the side: ¡°Please, let¡¯s have a quick chat.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gloria decided to walk to the side of the temple following the woman. She needed to know where Gyuu Park was sent to, but it was not easy and it would not help if she appeared too eager.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have some bad news.¡± The woman sighed: ¡°He¡¯s not with us anymore.¡±


    This news struck Gloria like a bolt of lightning, all the same while draining all the energy from her entire body. Her legs almost completely gave out, and if it weren¡¯t for the woman, her knees would have hit the ground.


    ¡°What - what happened?¡± Gloria thought for a moment, then asked through her teeth. Her throat and tongue felt dry, her heart was pounding her chest. She somehow felt she knew, only she was not expecting it to actually happen.


    ¡°It seemed like some people attacked this place, and - the Clergyman was very capable. He sent a signal to us, while fighting them off. We came as fast as we could - but - ¡± The woman then sighed: ¡°Do you know if he had any enemies? Anyone who would want to do this?¡±


    ¡°I - I need to see him.¡± Gloria muttered and did not answer. Then, she shook the woman¡¯s arm off and rushed toward the main gate of the temple. The man standing at the front gate only acted as if he wanted to stop Gloria but did not put any effort into it at all.


    In the inner sanctum of the temple, Gyuu Park¡¯s body laid on the ground, on a simple mat. Covered by a bloodied blanket with blessing symbols drawn on it. She could recognize it was him because of his old, worn shoes. There was another man standing by him, who tried to voice his objection to Gloria¡¯s lifting the blanket, but was not able to. The woman with an armband followed Gloria into the inner sanctum and gestured to other members of her team to continue working.


    ¡°Who did this?¡± Gloria¡¯s voice trembled as she looked at the wounds on Gyuu Park¡¯s chest and shoulder, and fixed her eyes on a pool of blood on the ground, beside which laid another body - one weaning a full body of black. ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. But - ¡± The woman sighed: ¡°We¡¯re going to find out.¡±


    Gloria did not answer, she just knelt by Gyuu Park¡¯s side, her hands covering her face, her tears seeping through her fingers.


    Just this moment, in the corner of this woman¡¯s vision, a stream of light purple air shot from the yard on her side, through the sky and shot through the thick dark cloud. Some faint cries and moans came through the hole in the sky, but it was not audible to anyone but this woman with an armband.


    Investigator Liwen Sima fixed her eyes on Gloria Lee after seeing what happened above the temple. This was definitely simply a ¡°friend¡± of the clergyman. She took note in her heart - the name ¡°Gloria Lee¡± sounded familiar to her as well. It would be prudent, she considered, to look into this weeping young woman and watch over her.

 Book 2 Chapter 81. Land And Cloud (Part 1)

    Sue had never seen Gloria like this. For the longest time, she had always thought Gloria to be one of the strongest people she knew. She knew full well her friend had some secrets, secrets concerning her ability to fight ghosts, endure curses and corruption from paranormal entities. Since what happened at the Fuman Coffin Home, she had thought of Gloria as a pillar of safety around her. Someone she could and sometimes must rely on.


    When Gloria was brought back by the members of the watch and patrol team from the temple, she was in an almost catatonic state, and was only responding to basic signals like pointing of directions and others¡¯ helping her to not bump into walls.


    The investigator from the community collective, Liwen Sima, told Sue that she needed to take care of Gloria and be careful for a few days before leaving Sue her contact information. Gyuu Park¡¯s surprise passing was a shock to Sue as well - one that she had never thought would happen.


    Gloria threw herself into her bed, without saying anything. And Sue had to put a blanket on her so that she would not catch a cold. And with Gloria like this, she began to hesitate if she needed to cancel or reschedule her regular meeting with Turner Ouyang.


    Shaking her head, Sue went into the kitchen and put a pot of water on the stove. Tea, and maybe some hot soup, that was the only thing she could do right now.


    ¡°Sue, please come over as soon as possible. I think I just found something.¡± Just this moment, Turner¡¯s message buzzed her phone. She typed a line of apology and asked to reschedule, but after some rethinking, she deleted her draft and called the young man directly.


    It took a short while before Turner answered, with a lowered voice: ¡°Hello Sue, why¡¯d you call? I thought we agreed that we keep it down while I¡¯m at work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. But - Gloria¡¯s having a really tough day, I need to stay here with her. So I want to ask you directly - how important is it?¡± Sue asked as she turned off the stove and poured the freshly boiled water into a cup. She forgot to put the tea leaves in, so she had to pick the small bag from the cupboard and splashed some on top of the water.


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    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s very important. It¡¯s like - like a major update, major DLC.¡± Turner stammered for a few moments, then responded in code: ¡°It¡¯s - like - a huge teaser trailer for an upcoming DLC.¡±


    ¡°I see. Is it gonna take long?¡± Sue asked after thinking for a long moment.


    ¡°I can definitely make it short, won¡¯t take more than ten minutes of your time.¡± Turner responded: ¡°But - I¡¯ll need to write down some of the stuff for you, so you can share it with - you know, with your friends, about how good things are gonna get.¡±


    ¡°I see. Let me check on Gloria and let you know.¡± Sue picked an instant soup bag, put it into a small clay bowl, poured the rest of the water into it and put the bowl into a tray along with the cup of tea. With hurried but careful steps, she carried the tray into Gloria¡¯s room.


    Having put the tray on the small bedside table, Sue sat down by Gloria¡¯s bed, held her friend¡¯s hand and said with a soft, gentle voice: ¡°Gloria. I¡¯ll need to go check with Turner - he just told me he found something really big. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡± Then she adjusted the position of the tray as well as the bowl and the cup to make sure that it won¡¯t easily spill, then gave Gloria a quick hug before rushing out of the room.


    Sue got to the archive by a taxi, having rushed the driver all the way. And the moment Turner saw her, he pulled her into a reserved small room with tinted windows.


    ¡°Woah, what is this?¡± Sue was surprised how eager and rushy Turner was.


    ¡°Sorry, but this is the only room I could find with no surveillance camera. Look, look.¡± Turner pulled over a whiteboard, with a lot of words already written and had some pictures stuck on to it by magnets.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Sue immediately noticed a blurry picture of a carving on the whiteboard: ¡°Is this - is this a wooden carving?¡±


    ¡°A carving, yes. But not wooden.¡± Turner spoked with a low voice while looking around: ¡°It¡¯s made with yellow topaz. And - here.¡± He said as he handed a small piece of old, handwritten note to Sue.


    ¡°¡®It is likely a ceremonial carving commemorating the vile ancient dragon Shyurak.¡¯¡± Sue read: ¡°¡®However, we are not able to get anything out of them and could only deduce that they obtain this imagery from the old scriptures and records. But it is nevertheless a disturbing link to the - ¡¯ To the what? Where¡¯s the rest of the note? ¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the rest of the note. Trust me, I dived through almost half the folders and records from the same year.¡± Turner shook his head: ¡°But - you recognize this name right?¡±


    ¡°Shyurak¡­¡± Sue pondered on the name for a quick moment: ¡°Wait - this is the dragon from that folk story right? The One-armed Knight and the Burnt Queen?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Exactly. The tale as old as this very city.¡± Turner turned and flipped through a pile of notes. Then, he found another rough picture, of what looked like the rubbing from an old stele, or a pillar or tablets of sorts. ¡°This is - this is all collected from the record of that underground temple you asked me to look into. I gotta admit, at first I thought it was kind of a leap and stretch, but - but I think you¡¯re onto something here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sue waved her hands: ¡°What¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°The carving spell, it¡¯s not really super common.¡± Turner opened his eyes wide and looked into Sue¡¯s: ¡°It was very, and I mean VERY selective. But that temple you told me about - their practitioners used it, and used it quite recklessly.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 82. Land And Cloud (Part 2)

    ¡°Slow down. Slow down.¡± Sue raised her right hand at Turner while rubbing her temples with her left: ¡°I¡¯ve had a rough day as well, so - my brain¡¯s a little foggy today. It¡¯s - I¡¯m no expert, so please don¡¯t take this as criticism or me not trusting you, okay? But why would this - carving spell be difficult?¡±


    ¡°No - nonono, don¡¯t worry.¡± Turner shrugged and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ve asked this question. Many have. It¡¯s not an uncommon question. But it seemed that - it¡¯s because carving spells require a certain level of skill to make right. Because it is - if you think about it this way - normally, most of the spells are cast through talismans or arrays, they¡¯re two dimensional and symbolic. Talismans, arrays they are all created using symbols - symbols with power and grouped together using certain combinations. But these carving spells - they¡¯re - ¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re concrete and three dimensional.¡± Sue nodded: ¡°Which makes them - absorb energy and manifest it in different ways?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Turner nodded: ¡°And - have you heard about the practice ¡®Visualization¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the practice of staring at certain drawings and paintings to train the mind right?¡±


    ¡°Yes - it¡¯s a mind training and cultivation method for monks and oldschool practitioners. Not so common anymore.¡± Turner continued: ¡°It is, from what I¡¯ve learned, not a very easy practice, and could lead to hallucination and even severe mental illness if you¡¯re not careful and focused. Using carving spells seems to be quite similar to the process of visualization - you¡¯ll actually have to have a vivid image of an object in your head and solidify it using whatever object or energy at your disposal. And for the purpose of the carving spells like this, or the wood carving you found in cat granny, it requires the caster to have - well, I don¡¯t know how to properly describe it - ¡±


    ¡°It requires the caster to have a clear mental image of what the object to mimic is like?¡± Sue scratched her jaw.


    ¡°Something like that - yes. ¡± Turner sighed: ¡°It¡¯s just a mental image though - it needs - I don¡¯t know, some kind of mental imprint or deep impression. From what I read from the records, if the caster is not mentally strong enough, or has a clear enough impression of the object, the spell will consume their sanity, their focus and their will, eventually their identity. So - ¡±


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    ¡°So you mean, whoever cast the spell to - to recreate the image of the cat granny, knows what she was like to one of the deepest levels a human can.¡± Sue nodded.


    ¡°Yes, and - ¡± Turner ruffled through some of the notes he put on the desk beside him: ¡°But here¡¯s the thing - it explains the ¡®cat granny¡¯, but how the fuck, I mean HOW, THE FUCK, can anyone has any impression of Shyurak?¡±


    Sue did not immediately respond - she could only continue scratching her jaw, then her nose. She had a thought, but it was a bit of a stretch, and might need Turner to confirm.


    ¡°From what I could find about this - is that there must be somewhere in the city, where the legendarily evil and vile dragon Shyurak had left its mark, or something with its image embedded. Or - or - here¡¯s a even more unorthodox and even fantastical thought: someone, someone really really, really immensely powerful, had created the image of Shyurak for those cultists running the temple to use.¡± Turner thought for a quick moment, then turned around and handed a small printed brochure to Sue: ¡°This is purely my speculation. But that¡¯s - that¡¯s not important right now, we can look into it later. Here - this is everything I can conclude for now about the circumstances and how to trace the ones who created the cat granny. Sorry for the tangent - ¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Sue chuckled as she took the printed brochure and started glancing through. She stopped at one of the pages: ¡°Wait, here: to perform a carving spell safely, it requires at least three people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And this is one of the reasons I want to get you here as soon as possible.¡± Turner lowered his voice to almost a whisper: ¡°Like I said - it¡¯s no simple spell. I found this number from an old manual deep in the ancient records section.¡±


    ¡°This means - and it requires blood and some blessed artifacts as well - this is not a cheap spell to cast.¡± Sue frowned: ¡°What the - then who the hell would conjure up the cat granny? What do they want?¡±


    ¡°My guess would be to mask the disappearing kids and to redirect attention.¡± Turner spoke with an even lower voice: ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to tell you about this - but the string of child abductions all over the city is catching quite a bit of attention. That, and the bizarre deaths all around the city. And of course, this information being shared all over the internet does not help.¡±


    Sue ticked her tongue as she turned a few more pages, then she stopped at the second last page with a title ¡°Stagnation of Qiyun and the overhaul to quell paranormality.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - this is something I found, because you mentioned that there is Qiyun stagnation and weird distribution around the docks area. I thought it might help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, this is - this is very helpful.¡± Sue nodded and closed the brochure down. ¡°But - do you have anything else? I - I¡¯m sorry but I really need to get back to Gloria.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just this.¡± Turner pulled out a small booklet from his pocket: ¡°Keep this with you, and don¡¯t let anyone other than you, Gyuu Park and Gloria see it.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the secret note of one of the cultists running that underground temple all those years ago.¡± Turner responded: ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but it¡¯s not put into evidence lockers where it should be, but kept by some - questionable folks. I went through some trouble to get it.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 83. Stillwater

    ¡°Alright, I think this would be good for now.¡± In the back room of another coffin home, the watcher came over to Sue¡¯s side and took a careful look at the body of an old woman lying inside of a redwood coffin. ¡°It¡¯s time to put the jade medallion in.¡±


    ¡°What - people still do that?¡± Sue was just about to wrap up, and she was surprised to see the watcher had a small ring-shaped jade medallion in her hand dangling from a red thread. She gradually lowered it into the mouth of the old woman. Sue could see the old woman¡¯s name and birthday etched on both sides of the medallion


    ¡°Yes, people still do that. Because right now it is as good a time as any, even better time or more valuable time to do this.¡± The watcher shook her head and closed the old woman¡¯s mouth as the jade medallion fell in. Then she tied the red threads around the old woman¡¯s neck and left a meticulous knot under her jaw: ¡°After all, it¡¯s a final gift, in hopes for her protection and blessing when she moves into the other world.¡±


    ¡°Does it work?¡± Sue asked.


    The watcher made a ¡°shh¡± sign, then took out a coin made of two layers of wood and placed it upon the old woman¡¯s forehead. After these many days of looking into traditional spiritual rituals and practices, she became much more knowledgeable about the artifacts, both commonly and uncommonly used. And right now, she recognized this very coin, something she wouldn¡¯t be able to do if she had not spent that much time in the archives. It was called ¡°The Coin of Resolution and Good Will¡±, a kind of relatively uncommon yet not super rare artifact used along with the medallion. The coin should be made of two separate pieces stuck together into a thicker one - one side was to be made of peachwood, the side to touch the skin to cleanse the remnant of negative emotions and energy from the death; and the other side was to be made of redwood, to face upwards and to channel the love, care and blessing of the dead to their children and heirs.


    The watcher picked a small glass jar from her side, inside of which was a light yellow concoction made of honey and wine, common ¡°glue¡± for sticking accessories and jewelry to the body, and stuck the wooden coin to the old woman¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Okay, help me push her into the spot, her family will be picking her up soon.¡± The watcher nodded after making sure the coin was in the right spot and was firm enough so that it would not slide off.


    Two of them bowed to the foot of the coffin with three incense sticks in their hands for three times after, before heading out of the coffin home and closing the door behind.


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    ¡°So, to answer your question.¡± The watcher sighed as she washed her hands with the water from a metal bowl placed under the sun: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it works. Some say it does, some say it actually does the contrary, some say it¡¯s just superstition. But it is the requirement of the family, so - ¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sue nodded, and she waited her turn to wash her hands.


    ¡°And - I¡¯m answering you now because I don¡¯t want to upset her.¡± The watcher shrugged: ¡°But that¡¯s probably enough for today. Have you brought a clean cloth bag? I have some additional sticky rice for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right! Thank you!¡± Sue nodded with relief and a little excitement.


    ¡°What are you doing with this rice? You used everything up from last time already?¡±


    ¡°I - well, I¡¯ve been learning about certain traditional evil repellant rituals.¡± Sue shrugged and tried not to answer in detail, for the need for secrecy was still top priority.


    ¡°How¡¯s your friend?¡± The watcher shook her head: ¡°I - I heard about Clergyman Park, I¡¯m so sorry. Hope you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m just trying to get through. She needs more time.¡± Sue sighed.


    When Sue left, she did not immediately go home, but instead went to the docks area to catch the street vendors who were still selling snacks to get something Gloria would like. And on the side, she went there just to pick up small metal bowls of steamed sticky rice she hid in discrete corners.


    Buried in the balls of rice were small incense sticks or small pieces of charcoaled red wood. Some of the bowls were knocked on the floor, some were stolen or thrown away. Among ten small bowls she placed this early morning, she was only able to get back three.


    After extracting the small incense sticks and redwood, she threw the rice into the water and headed home.


    The first thing she needed to do when she got home was to crush the incense sticks and charcoaled redwood, and put the powder into a small bronze pot filled with oil and rice wine. Then she pulled out a long piece of yellow talisman paper and a painting brush, dipped the brush into the concoction, swirled it and drew a straight line along the length of the talisman paper as steadily and evenly as possible.


    With this ¡°talisman¡± with only one line on it, Sue stuck it onto a small wooden altar placed in the corner of the apartment. This was something she learned from reading old records from the community archives with Turner Ouyang - a simple way to measure how Qiyun flow fluctuated in the area. It would record only the passive signs of the change in flow and did not require any active input of Qi or any other types of energy, thus would not lead any negative effects back to her.


    After making two bowls of instant soup, she went to check the talisman paper. The portion of the line close to the top had turned red. The next thing she needed to do was measure the red part. Then she drew a line of the same approximate length on the calendar - thus, with several days of measuring, she was able to gauge the strength of Qiyun flow in the docks area over this period of time.


    The first three days she started measuring, the lines seemed to be of similar length. Then the lines began to grow shorter and shorter over the following four days. But then today, the length was visibly longer than the previous days¡¯. This meant that something changed in the docks area, and introduced some kind of positive Qiyun to the area and alleviated effects of the negative flow.


    Sue frowned and pulled out her phone - she heard somewhere that something happened last night at the docks. Could it be related?

 Book 2 Chapter 84. Awake

    With the thought of ¡°something must have happened¡± in mind, Sue started browsing through different websites for news about the docks area. There was no news. All she could find were a few posts on some old and crappy forum about seeing explosions in the water, suspecting some local gang members were fighting in the area.


    Sue sighed as she closed a browser tab and moved onto another. She was in fact not surprised about there being no news. It was just quite frustrating that she might need to find out some other way. She knew she could probably try to turn to Chef Tang, now that she had made the connection already. But she did not have much worthwhile intelligence to trade.


    Maybe, just maybe, she needed to go dive into the box sent to Gloria by Gyuu Park - he was a clergyman with access, so he must have decided to send it to Gloria in hopes of preserving some secrets and important information. But for this many days, Gloria had stayed mostly in her room without much of a life or routine. Gloria would definitely understand, but she could not help but feel, things were getting bad, and someday her friend needed to snap out of it and carry on.


    Having found nothing informative on the internet, Sue decided to knock on Gloria¡¯s door, not only to check on her friend, but also to deliver her some tea and snacks - she had been in her room all day again.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Gloria responded, with a clear voice.


    ¡°Hey, Gloria. I want to bring you some tea and snacks - takoyaki, fried donuts, but I can¡¯t find any pot stickers¡­¡± Sue came in here with the tea cup in one hand and paper bags in the other.


    ¡°No problem. No problem.¡± Gloria was sitting on her bed and shaking her head: ¡°I - I wanna say - thank you for taking care of me these past few days.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t - don¡¯t mention it.¡± Sue smiled, nodded and put everything on her bedside table: ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Shitty.¡± Gloria wiped her eyes: ¡°I wasted these days. I want to get back to what we were doing. I - I want to figure out why.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with you.¡±


    ¡°... we clearly stumbled onto something, or at least Gyuu Park did.¡± Gloria looked Sue in the eyes: ¡°I - I can¡¯t really ask you of this, so I just want to - ¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve bought a pocket knife, a few canisters of pepper spray, and I¡¯m planning to take on some self defense classes.¡± Sue shrugged: ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. I want to help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria stood up and held Sue deep in her arms: ¡°I don¡¯t know what I do to deserve - ¡±


    ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Sue chuckled and pulled out her phone - it was from none other than Sifu Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Speaker.¡± Gloria chuckled as she let go of Sue and wiped her eyes.


    ¡°Hi Sifu Kuo, what¡¯s new?¡± Sue answered: ¡°You¡¯re on speaker and I¡¯m here with Gloria.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Hi! ¡± The Sifu¡¯s voice sounded surprised and happy: ¡°Glad you¡¯re doing better, Gloria. And I have some - some not bad news. Not so bad, not so bad.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the concern, Sifu. Hope you¡¯re doing well.¡± Gloria responded: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just lay it on us.¡±


    ¡°Okay - here¡¯s the news.¡± Tae Kuo cleared his throat: ¡°Here¡¯s the thing - I¡¯ve just talked with people from the The Association of Local Churches. They are trying to arrange for the selection of the next clergyman or clergywoman for the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. They don¡¯t have anyone yet, mostly because all of the administrators from the association and the bigger churches are still busy with something. And probably thanks to the same reason, they¡¯re not planning to do anything to us for invoking that pact and taking things from the Kshiti Temple.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ indeed a not so bad news.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°But - what is keeping these people busy? What happened?¡±


    ¡°That we still don¡¯t know yet clearly. I¡¯ve only heard a few things, and some warnings about watchers needing to keep track of all personnel closely and carefully.¡± Tae Kuo answered: ¡°It is definitely big enough for this tight-lippedness, and people on the higher ups positions are kinda worried.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but you HAVE heard something, right?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°It appears that there are some practitioners missing, including monks and taoists. These were not the administrators or service people in the temples and coffin homes. They are actual practitioners mostly in hiding, or just staying inside their respective temples practicing and meditating and almost never going out. I think you should know what this means, if this rumor is true.¡±


    Gloria and Sue looked into each other¡¯s eyes, then Gloria coughed and asked: ¡°I - I think I have some thoughts, but - what do you think we should know?¡±


    Tae Kuo went silent, then for a moment he spoke with a low but still clear voice: ¡°I should probably not tell you this. But since you are, in fact, involved with everything, and have done much more than the average clergy person, I¡¯d say it¡¯s beyond reasonable to share this information with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, which is?¡±


    ¡°These folks, though they are mostly rarely seen and exposed to the world, are still important pillars to the system of temples, churches, for they are most knowledgeable in the scriptures, in the traditional ways, and a lot of times can wield the most spiritual power with them. Their missing would be - devastating to say the least. And, and the strange thing is - there is almost no benefit in kidnapping them.¡±


    Gloria scratched her head. Sue¡¯s eyes opened wide, and before Tae Kuo could continue, she asked: ¡°Pillars, you say?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Tae Kuo stammered, then he immediately asked: ¡°Wait - how do you know this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind, me, I¡¯ll tell you next time we meet. What else do you wish to tell us?¡± Sue let out a long sigh and asked.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Tae Kuo sounded like he¡¯s both impressed and a little worried: ¡°The next thing is - I heard the community watch is stepping in on this matter. But I don¡¯t know to what extent. So, just wanna tell you to watch out.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 85. Projects

    ¡°So - what - what have you found these days?¡± Gloria looked at Sue, sniffled and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s very interesting. ¡± Sue held Gloria¡¯s hand and sat beside her: ¡°But - I just want to make sure you¡¯re certain you want to get back into it? Right now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I want more now.¡± Gloria shook her head, then after a short moment of hesitation, she made the decision to let out something that was on her mind: ¡°Sue - there¡¯s - there¡¯s this thing I want to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what is it?¡±


    Gloria took a deep breath, then spoke with a trembling voice: ¡°I think - I mean I know, that I am responsible for Gyuu Park¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°... why¡¯d you think that?¡± Sue inched closer to her friend.


    ¡°Do you - do you know about deliverers?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah - what about it?¡± A chill crawled up from the soles of her feet, up her ankles and through her spine.


    ¡°Gyuu Park and I killed one.¡± The next sentence that came from Gloria almost knocked Sue to the ground: ¡°It was - it was after I fought off the ghost from the electric substation.¡±


    ¡°You fought off the ghost, then you came to Gyuu Park¡¯s temple, but the deliverer followed you?¡± Sue narrowed her eyes: ¡°But - who could have sent it to you? And how did that person put the target on you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°And - and Gyuu Park set up a trap for it. We didn¡¯t exactly kill it. But - it exploded on its own, and then Gyuu Park just drove me out of there.¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes became red: ¡°I - I thought nothing of it at first - I was just too occupied. But then - ¡±


    ¡°That deliverer exploded. And so you think, the omens it carried were transferred to Gyuu Park?¡± This thought flashed through Sue¡¯s mind, but she did not utter it. She just held Gloria in her arms, trying her best to console her. She understood why Gloria kept herself in her room this many days now. She would probably have done the same, maybe even worse.


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    Gloria sobbed for a short while, but then collected herself and turned her sight on the open, but not examined box sent by Gyuu Park: ¡°You wanna look at it with me? I think - it¡¯ll be a start for us.¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course.¡± Sue nodded.


    Gyuu Park¡¯s box was quite heavy, and now Sue knew why: Its body was made of thin but sturdy solid wood panels with internal metal plating, and with notes and manuals fully stuffed inside. On the top, it was a few pieces of folded hand written notes - the only things Gloria had read from this box.


    ¡°Look, he organized our visions. I mean, the notes on our visions we saw in that warehouse.¡± Sue found a small handwritten booklet stuffed to the side: ¡°Oh - and there were symbolisms to everything we saw. And he noted the similarities and differences of our visions. I¡¯ll - uh, I¡¯ll compare what he wrote to my notes.¡±


    Gloria frowned as he opened a small envelope and a piece of stained and heavily folded letter paper fell out. When she smoothed it over, her eyes narrowed: ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a document from one of the electric companies - this logo - it looks like S&S Corp.¡±


    Sue walked over and fixed her eyes on the paper. The first thing she saw was a few lines of handwritten notes in red ink. It looked like, to her, that this was some rough calculation on the numbers. After five lines of calculations followed by a big question mark, there was another line: ¡°Why the deficiency?¡±


    ¡°It seems like some kind of official document.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes as she read through some of the printed words that were not covered by the dark coffee stains: ¡°... thus, as a theory-proofed and field-tested model of intelligent distribution unit, with additional fortifying and impact-resistant designs and smart energy relaying, the latest model should be able to serve the need to replace all older models across the city¡­¡±


    ¡°This - why did Gyuu Park put this here?¡± Sue scratched her head.


    ¡°Is this from the document of the city wide project to quell paranormality?¡± Gloria looked up at Sue: ¡°You think - do you think this is a piece of evidence from that?¡±


    ¡°I think - maybe it is!¡± Sue almost jumped: ¡°And - and it makes sense, doesn¡¯t it? The electric companies control a lot of the city¡¯s core infrastructures. If I want to deploy something on that level, I¡¯d definitely commission the electric companies on that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a few pics of this and keep some backups. Do you happen to know if we have some place that could do discrete photo copies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d think YOU would know more about that than me. I think the only place I¡¯d know would be that old copy machine in the community archive.¡± Sue sighed: ¡°But - I can¡¯t say that they wouldn¡¯t check the things they copy. I can¡¯t do that to Turner¡­ God, I hope he won''t get into too much trouble with the things we HAVE looked into.¡±


    ¡°Okay, looks like we need to buy a cheap printer.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°In the meantime, we need to keep this safe. And - do you happen to know if someone can read these calculations? They look like some kind of - some kind of advanced math.¡±


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t say that I do.¡± Sue chuckled and shook her head more.


    Without saying much else, they continued diving into the things in the box. Most of the space was occupied by a few very old looking scriptures and manuals, with the covers made with tarnished blue papers, and held together by dirty and almost crumbling cotton threads. Then underneath these manuals, they found a small wooden box holding a small sword made of copper coins and red threads, and a thin writing brush made with black bamboo shaft and a brush head made of glistening white hairs.


    Under this wooden box, they found another booklet - a handwritten manual, it seemed, with a very old-looking cover, and the writings were made with the traditional writing brushes as well.

 Book 2 Chapter 86. Blue And Purple

    Book 2 Chapter 86. Blue And Purple


    Blue Envelopes, for people in the know, meant only one thing: mysterious, paranormal, supernatural, almost certainly unsolvable cases. Almost all of them involved heinous crimes, often brutal and bloody. In the minds of many, the ideal condition would be, that these cases be handed to the people who knew about the paranormal. But the history of the city would be the first one to laugh at this very idea, if it could think and laugh.


    The people running the city were not stupid, and they did try to recruit many people, from greedy watchers to disgraced clergymen, priests and monks. But what effects they had, was kept secret from most in the city.


    Why the color Blue? It was quite simple - for one, it was the 5th color on the rainbow, if one was to count from red. It was the first color that shifted ¡°cold¡± and thus ¡°Yin¡± from the perfect balance of green; for two, it was the color of water, one of the best media and conduit for spiritual and paranormal energy to pass through.


    Not many in the city still remembered when the first ever Blue Envelope case was. For most of those who knew about these cases, the first one was a case that was resolved, but not entirely, and since nothing good or bad ever came of it so it became forgotten. Such became the norm for the Blue Envelope cases, for there were only a few that met satisfying endings and were resolved peacefully without remaining mysterious.


    And due to the fact that they were classified cases sealed by the city, and not the community collective of the South Eastern District, most people who had interest in looking into and learning about them were ironically barred off purely due to their not being in the city law enforcement.


    Yet, right now, when Gloria and Sue opened up the small old manual handwritten with writing brushes, using old language syntax, traditional writing styles and characters, they found they became the unexpected insider to a few of the cases.


    ¡°Such is the case officially documented and numbered by the city, as Blue Envelope, One Thousand One Hundred and Forty Eighth. This case is one that raises alarm with me but did not get enough attention from those in places of authority, for it was simply difficult to track down and seek accountability of.


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    ¡°The Nameless Grimoire, the Unspoken Tooth Manual, the first Half of Black Thoughts, many names it has. A thin book of little renown but disturbing content. A book of terrifyingly grand affects and disruptions. Be it the crazed written mumblings of a mad man, or an inspired but misguided work of unhinged and ethic-less theorization, I cannot even tell.


    ¡°Locked deeply inside of a secure vault in the city¡¯s archive, nary a fitting place. The city has promised time and again it will take good care and guard of the book, as one of their historical collections and artifacts. Yet the case proved to the not yet witless once again, their incompetence and instincts for passing blame.


    ¡°The grimoire was placed in a guarded and locked box, and its security should be subject to frequent scrutiny. Yet it was replaced with a fake without alerting those who were charged with securing it. A simple pile of blank paper with only a fake cover was all it took to pass the examinations.


    ¡°The city did not have an answer and hard as they tried to investigate there came no clues or leads. It was of great misfortune, or one could presume, that it was at least in part intentional and weaponized. The community collective had requested that they hand over the security tapes from the cameras in the room for the past six months. It was to no avail, for the city had claimed that it was of great security concern and the request itself should subject to an intense review process before it could be released. I think this would be a waste of time, the simplest reason being it had become a point of embarrassment for two city governments.


    ¡°I have only limited knowledge of what this grimoire entails. For I have only read scattered hard copies and some photocopies of its content. The symbols were arcane but not indecipherable. The rituals documented are complicated and brutal to prepare, but not impossible if one is dead set on trying. This becomes one of the gravest concerns for the association. There will be upcoming meetings for this. But before anyone could make an unwise decision, here is what I know:


    ¡°The grimoire, unlike many suspected, was still made of paper, not human skin. It was not much of a special paper either, rather it was the same kind of paper to make purple talismans with. Its cover was made with pressed and dried peach tree bark. It is said that the covers had three layers, and the internal layer was a sealing layer with two miniaturized arrays, one in the front and one in the back. Aside from curses and dangerous Fengshui Practices on a large scale, it documented one of the earliest and most refined rituals for influencing the flow of Qiyun and redirecting karma, a forbidden art of the highest order. One if used by anyone, would cause nothing short of catastrophes that would stain and pollute the lives and deaths of generations to come.


    ¡°The Move of Three Spirits, it is so called. A ritual of utter cruelty and disgrace. A ritual of enriching the present and current generation, at the expense of the future and the offsprings. It can, and it will doom more than the caster could even realize.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 87. Debt Collection

    ¡°Blue Envelope Case, Number 1148? Is this right? ¡± Sue looked up at Gloria and asked.


    ¡°Yes. That sounds like so.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°I mean - I¡¯ve heard about it, but - there¡¯s no easy way to get access to it right?¡±


    ¡°I asked Turner once, he told me our archive only has copies of very old ones. I don¡¯t think they have copies of cases more than 200.¡± Sue sighed: ¡°And those cases are really, and I mean really, old. Most of them have been resolved already.¡±


    ¡°So this means - the only way we can get access to this information is through someone on the inside.¡± Gloria nodded as she scratched her jaw: ¡°You know what? I think I know just the one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too risky.¡± Sue shook her head: ¡°You know he¡¯s a cop, right? Your saving him may not mean as much to him as it should.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve gotta try. I¡¯ve - ¡± Gloria shook her head, as she hesitated to openly admit it: ¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time.¡±


    Sue sighed after thinking for half a minute : ¡°Okay, do you need backup? I can go with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that, thanks. But - not directly with me.¡± Gloria nodded as she put the manual back into the box: ¡°This is good - and I have the suspicion that this - this grimoire was related to the underground temple. And given everything - it could be connected to everything we¡¯ve seen right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Sue looked up at the ceiling, then looked her friend in the eyes: ¡°When do you wanna go?¡±


    ¡°When I hear back from him.¡± Gloria chuckled, as she sent the message she just crafted to the number of Detective Marcus Cai: ¡°We need to meet in person, right now! ¡± Followed by a detailed address of an internet cafe - the same one in which she spent a few hours before going into the docks area and finding the detective.


    It did not take long before a response was sent: ¡°On my way - 10 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Shit! He¡¯s closer than we are!¡±


    It took them 14 minutes to get to the internet cafe, and through the front door, Gloria could already see him sitting in a corner, facing the entrance, his face lit up by the cheap computer screen.


    Sue went in before Gloria, and sat in a seat somewhere close to Marcus, next to two other female guests. The owner of the internet cafe came over with a greasy smile. Just when he was just about to pressure Sue into renting more hours and buying drinks she did not need, Gloria came in and sat in the seat opposite to Marcus, just on Sue¡¯s right side. The owner was instantly de-energized when he saw her, and just left Sue be.


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    ¡°So, how do you wanna do it?¡± Marcus asked with a smile, eyes still fixed on the screen in front of him: ¡°It¡¯s kinda loud here.¡±


    ¡°Sword of Light and Feathers ONLINE, do you have an account?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t say I have.¡±


    ¡°Open it, register a quick account, then give me your account number.¡± Gloria shook her head.


    It took about two minutes for Marcus to pass a small piece of paper with his account number. Gloria logged into her newly created account, added Marcus¡¯ account as friends, then started a voice chat.


    ¡°This is creative. But I¡¯d assume you still can¡¯t say the ¡®bad¡¯ stuff here?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Safety first. Don¡¯t say anything stupid.¡± Gloria responded: ¡°I¡¯m here to call in the favor.¡±


    Marcus sat straight in his chair, and he turned off his phone: ¡°Okay - what do you need? I¡¯ll do my best. ¡±


    ¡°Your best wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes and made her voice stern: ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t consider it repaid if it is just your best. Are you a man of your word?¡±


    ¡°Of course. ¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°I need to get access to a Blue - a case. I want to know everything anyone has on it.¡± Gloria responded, while sending a blue envelope emoji to Marcus via text chat.


    ¡°How do you know about this?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t concern you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do you happen to know the number?¡± Marcus sighed, then asked: ¡°But, to make it clear. There are things that are off limits to us - in practice, I mean. In theory anyone in our depar - in our clan, has access to it, but it has been pretty clear that we shouldn''t just pick anything to look into. ¡±


    ¡°One, another one, two plus two, then two to the power of three.¡± Gloria responded with a prepared answer.


    Marcus became silent, a frown appeared on his face. Gloria couldn¡¯t help but try to peek at him from beside the monitor screen - it seemed that his facial expression had become quite stern.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not gonna do it?¡± Gloria asked, impatient.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to - I cannot. There is something critically important going on, lives are at stake. And - what you¡¯re asking is kind of a landmine, wired to alerts. If you touch it, it will explode and attract hostile - hostile monsters. Even if we don¡¯t get hurt in the process, the savory types that follow will be nothing but trouble. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care. ¡± Gloria did not even hesitate: ¡°Let them come.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not up to you, you do not have to care about your own life. But these people are not above - you know what I mean.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And - like I said, people¡¯s lives were at stake here.¡±


    ¡°So - what you¡¯re saying is, you don¡¯t wanna help?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes, her voice became colder.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I said.¡± Marcus shook his head and lowered his voice: ¡°It¡¯s - well - it¡¯s more than complicated. But - how do you feel about becoming a consultant? ¡±


    ¡°A consultant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, off the books, if you¡¯d like.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°This will let you in on some of the things we know, and when possible, you can even exchange information and - help us in some of our investigation, and we can in turn in the name of investigation look into the information you want. This is just a thought, you don¡¯t need to answer right away, but - this would be the best plan I can offer you right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have this kind of time.¡±


    ¡°Well then you¡¯ll have to make time.¡± Marcus¡¯ voice became stern as well: ¡°Listen, this is big, it connects a bunch of people and groups. You ever wonder why I was there, where you found me? I was looking into similarly, if not more dangerous things.¡±


    ¡°... fine. I¡¯ll reach out when I have made a decision.¡± Gloria stood up and left.

 Book 2 Chapter 88. Badges

    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s an insane idea.¡± When Gloria and Sue retrieved to a local dim sum shop for recon, Sue shook her head immediately at the idea of Gloria becoming a consultant for the PCPD: ¡°This is - even if we ignore the obvious problems with working with the badges, long hours, crap pay, shitty coworkers - if the collective knows you¡¯re working with them, they¡¯d have many more excuses to investigate you and to dig up dirt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± Gloria played with a piece of shrimp dumpling in her bowl, a wry smile on her face: ¡°It is definitely to be expected from them. But - I don¡¯t have a choice, do I?¡±


    ¡°I can ask Turner for some more information - we went to the central archive once already. So - I can try ask him another time - ¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve done quite enough. What you¡¯ve been doing is already very risky, I can¡¯t let you do that.¡± Gloria raised her hand and cut Sue off: ¡°I¡¯ll - I¡¯ll work with him. I¡¯ll try my best to squeeze my way to that case, and get as much as I could from them. I suspect they¡¯ll want some help and intel regarding our community, maybe the rituals and the paranormal. And - to be honest, I¡¯ll share some information if it¡¯s called for.¡±


    Sue sighed, then held Gloria¡¯s hand: ¡°I understand - I think I do. Now, I¡¯m not gonna try to stop you. But - just be careful, okay? Promise me you¡¯ll be careful. And let me know if there¡¯s anything I can help you with. Anything you hear, tell me and I will ask Turner for help.¡±


    ¡°I figure some day we¡¯ll have to treat Turner for a good meal, maybe something more, even.¡± Gloria looked into her friend¡¯s eyes and smiled.


    ¡°Oh, piss off. No one¡¯s got time for that!¡± Sue laughed out loud, then she lowered her eyes and stared at the ground: ¡°Maybe - maybe when we have time, eventually¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be over soon.¡± Gloria held her friend¡¯s hand tight: ¡°Soon. And then, maybe we can save up some money to move.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe.¡± Sue took a sip of her lemon tea: ¡°So, how are you going to proceed with this? You¡¯re gonna frequent his precinct? You¡¯re gonna take less shifts at Luoshan¡¯s coffee shop?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - I¡®ll talk to her in a bit. I can¡¯t imagine having much spare time after this. ¡± Gloria shook her head, then she looked up at Sue: ¡°But - that¡¯s enough about me today, anything you wanna talk about? You found anything suspicious or interesting?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, right, we did find something interesting.¡± Sue nodded as she finished the food in her bowl: ¡°The wood carving of the cat you found from inside cat granny? It¡¯s related to some kind of three-dimensional talismans, and apparently it¡¯s very likely connected to that underground temple - because from some record found by Turner, those cultists had a three dimensional carving of the ancient dragon Shyurak on their altar. He thinks it¡¯s a practice of visualization - I am not very familiar with this but thought you may know. One thing¡¯s for sure though: whoever made the carving inside the cat granny, has access to the old records of her or may have seen her in real life.¡±


    ¡ª-----------


    ¡°Okay - how much do you trust this - this Gloria Lee?¡± Sitting on top of his working desk in his small office, Kevin asked Marcus, while munching on a piece of shrimp dumpling, made by his mother.


    ¡°She saved me once, and from some very unfriendly circumstances. I think right now I¡¯m the shady one.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And - you know how people from the South Eastern District think about us - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but - ¡± Kevin swallowed, then took a gulp of his milk tea: ¡°She still stole Shrevas and Keryn¡¯s case files.¡±


    ¡°It could be for a good cause. COULD.¡± Marcus shrugged as he looked at the screen of Kevin¡¯s computer: ¡°I¡¯m not disagreeing, it¡¯s important that we¡¯d be cautious. But I do believe it will be mutually beneficial. After all, for those willing to talk to us there¡¯s not many that are gonna be as familiar with the paranormal as a temp watcher of a coffin home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get your point.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°What did the captain say?¡±


    ¡°Still waiting for his response - he¡¯s been quite busy lately. ¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s been really busy since that ¡®motorcycle accident¡¯ huh?¡± Kevin air-quoted with a coy smile: ¡°I wonder who could have hurt him like that.¡±


    ¡°There''s still some stench on him. I¡¯ll see if I can get something outta him.¡± Marcus chuckled. Before he could say anything else, Kevin¡¯s computer chirped.


    ¡°Looks like the pattern matching algorithm found something.¡± Kevin put down his plastic bento box with his pair of metal chopsticks placed inside and hopped off his desk to sit on his working chair.


    ¡°What¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°Well, this is not good.¡± Kevin frowned: ¡°It¡¯s kinda all over the place - South Western District, three cases. Northern District, two cases. South Eastern District - one case.¡±


    ¡°How restrictive are your filters?¡± Marcus also frowned: ¡°This might be - might be a little too frequent? And how come there¡¯s only one case in the South Eastern District? Even if the community collective is corrupted as hell, there¡¯s no reason - ¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I - I think I have a theory.¡± Kevin leaned back on his chair: ¡°How familiar are you with The Association of Local Churches?¡±


    ¡°Um - I¡¯ve known about it, but not much. It¡¯s a powerful entity, a huge, huge group, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s VERY powerful.¡± Kevin scratched his nose: ¡°I heard it from my mother - she knows someone who works there. If there¡¯s one thing I remember about that lady, is that she always comes bearing gifts. Sometimes it¡¯s expensive snacks, sometimes it¡¯s free shoes and clothes, sometimes it¡¯s travel vouchers. And recently I heard the gossip that the association is investigating something, in collaboration with the community collective. So - ¡±


    ¡°So they have the authority to do investigations, and since they are also responsible for dealing with paranormality related issues - ¡±


    ¡°They snuffed the cases, using their investigative power.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°It - it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°So - what now? Do you want to check out those cases? I don¡¯t know about the Northern District, but I think we can still pull some strings to get case information from those in the South Eastern District¡­¡±


    Before Kevin could finish, Captain Ko knocked on the door: ¡°Kevin, Marcus, briefing room, now.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 89. More Blues

    ¡°Alright, team, let¡¯s get started.¡± Captain Ko¡¯s steps were still slow and painful. The ¡°accident¡± he had was indeed quite a bad one. But the detectives in the briefing room knew better than to ask him about it. ¡°Pahaik, Lance, your updates?¡±


    ¡°We sent some requests out to gather information about the Ling family. We are still waiting to hear back but from what we¡¯ve heard so far - the adoption record of the boy seems less and less credible and more like forged. Kudos to Kevin and Marcus for the lead. And - the thing we¡¯re concerned about is why - why does that woman¡¯s spirit want revenge?¡±


    ¡°What are your theories?¡± Captain Ko asked.


    ¡°We have two theories: one is that she was the boy¡¯s birth mother or his close relative of sorts.¡± Detective Shrevas Pahaik answered: ¡°The other one is, it¡¯s probably not family related, the poor boy just got caught up in some kind of feud. Right now we are leaning towards this theory because we learned that the Lings were not exactly welcomed people in their circles. Many families avoided them, and it seemed that they did something unsavory back in the days to earn them this reputation.¡±


    ¡°What is this ¡®unsavory¡¯ thing?¡± Kevin asked: ¡°Could it be the fact that they bought the kid?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re back to the first theory.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°It¡¯s not an easy one to find - we¡¯ll look into it more. But in that kind of circle - it¡¯s not that easy to break into.¡±


    ¡°South Western socialite circles? I think I know someone.¡± Marcus pointed his nose at the window, outside of which was Mick, who was doing paper work on his desk but peeking at the briefing room from time to time.


    ¡°Good catch, only, we can¡¯t tell him about our investigation. Not yet.¡± Captain Ko raised an eyebrow then turned to Shrevas and Keryn: ¡°Pahaik, Lance, lean on Mick for help but be mindful about the details. Marcus, you help them handle this - Mick¡¯s a good kid, but we need time to make sure.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Everyone in the room responded.


    ¡°Cai, Loo, what about you? You have more open cases than closed ones. You¡¯d better have some news.¡± Captain Ko turned to Marcus and Kevin.


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    ¡°Oh, sorry Captain.¡± Marcus scratched his head: ¡°But - I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have any solves yet. We¡¯re still in the dark about how that woman killed herself. And we¡¯re still unclear about what happens at the docks and who those guys are. The community collective AND the chef are stonewalling us. They seem to be having some trouble of their own. And - ¡±


    ¡°What says your contact there? Mr. Bulu Wang?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to get to it. ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°He¡¯s been reassigned out of his original post. He¡¯s now the head of a local peacekeeping squad, still under the community watch and patrol team, but with less power and less responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s been demoted to hell. What the hell happened?¡± Captain Ko frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some kind of internal politics. Things are changing in the South Eastern District. ¡± Marcus sighed.


    Captain Ko went into his thoughts for a brief moment, then looked up at Marcus: ¡°I think this is a good time to talk about your proposal then? About you wanting to bring in a consultant? What¡¯s her name again? Gloria Lee?¡±


    Shrevas and Keryn immediately fixed their eyes on Marcus.


    ¡°Wait, Gloria Lee? The same one that stole our case files?¡± Shrevas asked: ¡°How did you find her? Did she find you?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, she DID find me.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°I - I probably should have told everyone this sooner. But I got into some trouble the other day taking Sitch, I mean Simon Tu from custody for some investigation. As you know, I got injured while we lost an important informant. But I was kinda lucky, for she was there and dragged me out of that mess.¡±


    ¡°So - she saved you, and you owe her one. Is that how it is?¡± Captain Ko narrowed his eyes and stared at Marcus.


    ¡°Yes, kinda. But also because I felt she was not entirely hostile to us. And she was also looking into the case of missing children - and - and the cruise ship 15 years ago.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°She contacted me, she wanted to get information about some of the cases we¡¯re looking into. Lydia Mu¡¯s, the emergency reparations team¡¯s and the Ling¡¯s, I¡¯m assuming.¡±


    ¡°Did she have anything she could tell us?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°From what I can tell, she does. She¡¯s also involved with some local business relating to the paranormal and traditional rituals. There¡¯s - there¡¯s apparently rumor about her being much more involved. I just don¡¯t have anything definitive yet.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°But - we don¡¯t have to bring her in right away, we can just trade information first, and then we can decide if we can trust her or work with her. But if you ask me, I can trust her. ¡±


    The room went silent for a moment. Captain Ko tapped his fingers on the podium as he drowned himself in his thoughts. Marcus tried to read something off the captain¡¯s face, but there were barely any tells he could decipher. He then exchanged looks with Kevin, who only shrugged as he had no answer either.


    ¡°Alright, you can contact her and set up an intelligence trade. Let¡¯s see what she can offer us. If she knows about the paranormal, then we could use her knowledge and experience.¡± Captain Ko finally nodded at Marcus and Kevin after a long pause: ¡°Shrevas, Keryn, you two continue with what you¡¯re doing. Sai, what do you have?¡±


    Detective Brian Sai, sitting silently on the side, raised his hand and said: ¡°I - I actually found something interesting. It seemed that the Ling family had some kind of run-in with Yixiang Zhuge.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 90. Trade (Part 1)

    ¡°Captain agreed to set up a quick intel trade. Guan¡¯s Tea Shop. Tomorrow, same time as our meeting in that internet cafe. How about that?¡± Right after the meeting with the captain and other detectives, Marcu sent a message to Gloria.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria responded without much delay.


    Keryn and Shrevas rushed out of the briefing room because they got an alert on their phones. Kevin and Brian Sai chatted a little, then went into Kevin¡¯s office. Marcus went in and joined them right after the message. The reason for this was simple: something Brian Sai mentioned during the debriefing: the name, Yixiang Zhuge.


    ¡°Hi, you called me?¡± Just this moment, Mick knocked on the door.


    ¡°Yes, please, come in.¡± Kevin nodded.


    Marcus looked Kevin in the eyes, who then gave him a ¡°trust me¡± look.


    ¡°Okay, Brian, can you tell us a bit more on what you found on the Ling family connection? ¡± Kevin asked: ¡°And - I think we can organize this information a little, so we can maybe help Keryn and Shrevas with their case.¡±


    ¡°The Ling family case?¡± Mick nodded: ¡°I - I heard about it. And what¡¯s new?¡±


    ¡°Have any of you heard of the name Yixiang Zhuge? Or maybe Zhuge Yixiang?¡± Brian Sai asked, looking at everyone in the room: ¡°I mean - I haven¡¯t got a chance to dig into it yet, but it sounded very familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I heard of the name. Which is why I called you guys here, because, for one I want to confirm, and for two I don¡¯t want to say this in front of the captain unless we have something concrete.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°Wait - I think I¡¯ve heard of this name as well - ¡± Mick frowned: ¡°Is it - is it the real name of Big Sister Zhu, or Madam Yi? The - the trafficker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, exactly!¡± Kevin snapped his finger: ¡°I mean - I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one who remembers. But - we just need to have a plan to actually research this - ¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, what¡¯s the deal with this trafficker?¡± Brian Sai scratched his head, confused.


    ¡°Well, uh - she used to be kind of a legend - however horrible it might be.¡± Mick cleared his throat then shrugged: ¡°... in the trafficking crime sense - I meant. She used to be one of the biggest fish. Until - until her brutal death.¡±


    A jolt of electricity went through Marcus¡¯ entire boy: ¡°She¡¯s the one who got captured and lynched?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevin and Mick answered at the same time.


    ¡°Okay - okay, so this is a good connection.¡± Brian Sai almost jumped at the confirmation: ¡°So I guess the theory is - they ¡®adopt¡¯ their son through her. But - how do we confirm it? Where do we start? If it is more than a decade ago, all the records would be kinda - kinda murky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where Mick comes in.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°Out of all of us, you are the one with the most connections in the district. Am I right Mick? ¡±


    Mick looked at Kevin, then Marcus, then Brian Sai, then shook his head and sighed: ¡°Well, yeah, I guess - I guess I MAY know more people.¡±


    ¡°Good - good. And I will presume you know more about these people - I mean, South Western District upper middle class types, kinda rich, one or both parents work for a big company - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I got it.¡± Mick waved his hands, then took out his phone and got ready to take notes: ¡°What do you want me to learn about?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need you to lead me on this one.¡± Brian Sai nodded and patted Mick on the shoulder: ¡°If you could find something out about the Lings, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t say I¡¯ll have anything for you very soon. Because - because I¡¯ll need to get in touch with some of my past contacts.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°Marcus, I think I¡¯ll need your help with this as well - you know some people in some temples right? Can you bring me some - some hard to get blessed items or talismans? It doesn¡¯t have to actually work, just needs to look and feel good.¡±


    ¡°No problem. But it''ll take a bit. It¡¯s not that easy to find.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Things are getting harder to find, and more expensive too.¡±


    ¡°Also - this reminds me.¡± Brian Sai raised his hand: ¡°Do you - do you happen to know where she was buried? Or was she cremated? Yixiang Zhuge, I mean.¡±


    ¡°She was neither.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°She was tortured almost beyond recognition. The city recognized her through some DNA samples from her fingernails. A lot of main parts of her body was said to have been tossed into the lake and were not found. It wasn¡¯t for the lack of trying - the city lost two divers that week.¡±


    ¡ª-----------


    Guan¡¯s Tea Shop was a small but old establishment near the border between the South Western and South Eastern districts. It was a two storey house made of only bamboo and red wood, with a small but old peach tree standing in by the front door. On it there were around two dozen knots made of red threads each with a small pendant dangling below. The billboard of the tea shop was made of one single whole piece wooden board, the name was carved into it, each stroke fused with the art of Shufa.


    Marcus and Kevin were seated around ten minutes before the designated time. Outside of the tea shop, Mick and Brian Sai were waiting in an undercover car, watching the outside and the surrounding area.


    Five minutes before the designated meeting time, a tall, slim but slightly muscular woman in a black jacket, a pair of black jeans went into the tea shop, her hands in her jacket pockets. Another young woman stayed outside and sat on a decorative stone by the side of the road, acting rather innocuous but was quite clearly someone to cover for the young woman that just went in.


    ¡°She went in.¡± Brian Sai notified Marcus and Kevin through her coms.


    ¡°Thanks, noted. But like I said, no need to worry.¡± Marcus responded.

 Book 2 Chapter 91. Trade (Part 2)

    ¡°Hi there.¡± Marcus waved his hand at Gloria, who came in apparently on some level of alert: ¡°You brought a friend. What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°This is Kevin, he¡¯s our forensic technician, and our intel analyzer off payroll because we can¡¯t afford to pay extra.¡± Marcus patted Kevin¡¯s shoulder: ¡°You can trust him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe not right now. I¡¯m still deciding if I can trust you.¡± Gloria shook her head before she sat down on the opposite side of the table.


    ¡°Ouch.¡± Mick and Brian Sai said at the same time.


    ¡°I can understand.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Which is why I come here bearing some offers of goodwill. First - is this.¡± He pulled out a thick folder, put it on the table and pushed it towards Gloria: ¡°The case files you wanted to steal - I mean see. I added some of our internal notes, not the most secret stuff, but should be enough generalized information and enough details. If you want to look into it more, you¡¯d be welcome to. Just - you¡¯d need to convince our captain.¡±


    ¡°I see. ¡± Gloria flipped open the folder and raised her brows: ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Like I told you, it¡¯s just what I can offer you right now. I¡¯m not claiming or demanding anything else.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And - perhaps you¡¯d like to know this, but we confirmed that the remaining member of this unfortunate team was, at least very likely a transplant - not the usual kind, but one that used to live in the Northern District and moved to South Western and falsified an identity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - curious, and - you¡¯re sure there¡¯s only one remaining?¡± Gloria looked up from the files.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re pretty sure. We contacted the company and got their on-call schedule.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°The details check out. We think he¡¯s probably still alive, and in hiding. There are no suspicious exit records at the city¡¯s customs, but there¡¯s no guarantee he wouldn¡¯t try soon. With the 15 year cycle¡­¡± Before he could go on, Marcus tapped his elbow and interrupted him.


    ¡°15 year cycle¡­¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes narrowed and fixed on Kevin¡¯s face: ¡°Why¡¯d you mention that? Wait - how did you know about this? What do you know?¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some urban legends. I¡¯d not pay it any mind if I were you.¡± Marcus shook his head and pointed at his ears, indicating to Gloria that someone¡¯s listening: ¡°The important thing is, we want to focus on the case of the reparations team. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Okay - so¡­¡± Gloria frowned, and her attitude immediately became slightly distant: ¡°I guess  I would need to make my contribution as well then? Well - if you¡¯ll have to know, I was at the scene, before any police presence was there.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Marcus and Kevin opened their eyes with surprise at the same time.


    ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡± Marcus asked with visible eagerness, ¡°If you feel comfortable in sharing this, of course.¡± Kevin became nervous with anticipation. Even outside, Brian Sai and Mick leaned in close to the speaker to which they were listening.


    ¡°Nothing I would mind telling you, since you¡¯ve been through - well.¡± Gloria shook her head with a coy smile: ¡°The thing is - I don¡¯t know much about what was going on either. As police officers, have you heard about Blood Rainbows?¡±


    Marcus almost cracked his tea cup if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Kevin was by his side and he was still on the coms with the other two officers, one of whom was still mostly in the dark about their attempts at cracking the paranormality-related cases.


    ¡°So - you know?¡± Gloria chuckled and sipped her tea: ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s just an urban legend right? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s not much to worry about. Just like the woman I saw under it, who almost scratched my face off.¡±


    ¡°What woman?¡± Marcus forced himself to be calm, and asked.


    ¡°A woman with messy hair and kinda messed up face, I could barely see what she looks like.¡± Gloria picked up her cup and watched Marcus and Kevin from over it: ¡°She ambushed me when I went to check out the rainbow that came out of nowhere, because I was curious and kind of a dumbass. She reeked of water, and was clearly delusional or - or on drugs. She kept pestering me to go with her.¡±


    ¡°Then - then what happened?¡± Kevin immediately asked: ¡°Did she - did she say something? What did she look like? What was she wearing? Any - anything that stood out?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t recall too much actually - she was just - a mess, and - kinda messed up and - and boney.¡± Gloria could not help but chuckle at how much she had to change her own words or censor herself just so that her story would not draw too much attention to her or the detective sitting on the other side of the table. ¡°But - I felt that something was not quite right with the scene, I saw that car. I tried to take a closer look but couldn¡¯t. And - thank you for the document, I think I can finally start on the right path to some questions.¡±


    ¡°... okay, maybe another quick question.¡± Marcus weighed his words, then looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°Do you happen to know some family members of the reparation team members¡¯ ?¡±


    Gloria sighed. She was just reminded that it was time she went and checked on the widow and child of Ling li, who entrusted his things to her. After a while, she nodded: ¡°Yeah - kinda.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus nodded, waved his hand at the waiter of the tea house and looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°Do you have some time later? I think it would be beneficial for us and you that we take a quick sweep at the scene. It¡¯s not thoroughly cleaned up yet, because the workers at the companies are refusing to work there. So there could still be something to find.¡±


    Gloria looked Marcus in the eye, then nodded: ¡°Okay, I can spare some time. What do you say? Later today? Evening?¡±


    ¡°At your convenience. But evening¡¯s better.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 90. Trade (Part 1)

    ¡°Captain agreed to set up a quick intel trade. Guan¡¯s Tea Shop. Tomorrow, same time as our meeting in that internet cafe. How about that?¡± Right after the meeting with the captain and other detectives, Marcus sent a message to Gloria.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria responded without much delay.


    Keryn and Shrevas rushed out of the briefing room because they got an alert on their phones. Kevin and Brian Sai chatted a little, then went into Kevin¡¯s office. Marcus went in and joined them right after the message. The reason for this was simple: something Brian Sai mentioned during the debriefing: the name, Yixiang Zhuge.


    ¡°Hi, you called me?¡± Just this moment, Mick knocked on the door.


    ¡°Yes, please, come in.¡± Kevin nodded.


    Marcus looked Kevin in the eyes, who then gave him a ¡°trust me¡± look.


    ¡°Okay, Brian, can you tell us a bit more on what you found on the Ling family connection? ¡± Kevin asked: ¡°And - I think we can organize this information a little, so we can maybe help Keryn and Shrevas with their case.¡±


    ¡°The Ling family case?¡± Mick nodded: ¡°I - I heard about it. And what¡¯s new?¡±


    ¡°Have any of you heard of the name Yixiang Zhuge? Or maybe Zhuge Yixiang?¡± Brian Sai asked, looking at everyone in the room: ¡°I mean - I haven¡¯t got a chance to dig into it yet, but it sounded very familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I heard of the name. Which is why I called you guys here, because, for one I want to confirm, and for two I don¡¯t want to say this in front of the captain unless we have something concrete.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°Wait - I think I¡¯ve heard of this name as well - ¡± Mick frowned: ¡°Is it - is it the real name of Big Sister Zhu, or Madam Yi? The - the trafficker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, exactly!¡± Kevin snapped his finger: ¡°I mean - I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one who remembers. But - we just need to have a plan to actually research this - ¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, what¡¯s the deal with this trafficker?¡± Brian Sai scratched his head, confused.


    ¡°Well, uh - she used to be kind of a legend - however horrible it might be.¡± Mick cleared his throat then shrugged: ¡°... in the trafficking crime sense - I meant. She used to be one of the biggest fish. Until - until her brutal death.¡±


    A jolt of electricity went through Marcus¡¯ entire boy: ¡°She¡¯s the one who got captured and lynched?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kevin and Mick answered at the same time.


    ¡°Okay - okay, so this is a good connection.¡± Brian Sai almost jumped at the confirmation: ¡°So I guess the theory is - they ¡®adopt¡¯ their son through her. But - how do we confirm it? Where do we start? If it is more than a decade ago, all the records would be kinda - kinda murky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where Mick comes in.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°Out of all of us, you are the one with the most connections in the district. Am I right Mick? ¡±


    Mick looked at Kevin, then Marcus, then Brian Sai, then shook his head and sighed: ¡°Well, yeah, I guess - I guess I MAY know more people.¡±


    ¡°Good - good. And I will presume you know more about these people - I mean, South Western District upper middle class types, kinda rich, one or both parents work for a big company - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I got it.¡± Mick waved his hands, then took out his phone and got ready to take notes: ¡°What do you want me to learn about?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need you to lead me on this one.¡± Brian Sai nodded and patted Mick on the shoulder: ¡°If you could find something out about the Lings, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t say I¡¯ll have anything for you very soon. Because - because I¡¯ll need to get in touch with some of my past contacts.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°Marcus, I think I¡¯ll need your help with this as well - you know some people in some temples right? Can you bring me some - some hard to get blessed items or talismans? It doesn¡¯t have to actually work, just needs to look and feel good.¡±


    ¡°No problem. But it''ll take a bit. It¡¯s not that easy to find.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Things are getting harder to find, and more expensive too.¡±


    ¡°Also - this reminds me.¡± Brian Sai raised his hand: ¡°Do you - do you happen to know where she was buried? Or was she cremated? Yixiang Zhuge, I mean.¡±


    ¡°She was neither.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°She was tortured almost beyond recognition. The city recognized her through some DNA samples from her fingernails. A lot of main parts of her body was said to have been tossed into the lake and were not found. It wasn¡¯t for the lack of trying - the city lost two divers that week.¡±


    ¡ª-----------


    Guan¡¯s Tea Shop was a small but old establishment near the border between the South Western and South Eastern districts. It was a two storey house made of only bamboo and red wood, with a small but old peach tree standing in by the front door. On it there were around two dozen knots made of red threads each with a small pendant dangling below. The billboard of the tea shop was made of one single whole piece wooden board, the name was carved into it, each stroke fused with the art of Shufa.


    Marcus and Kevin were seated around ten minutes before the designated time. Outside of the tea shop, Mick and Brian Sai were waiting in an undercover car, watching the outside and the surrounding area.


    Five minutes before the designated meeting time, a tall, slim but slightly muscular woman in a black jacket, a pair of black jeans went into the tea shop, her hands in her jacket pockets. Another young woman stayed outside and sat on a decorative stone by the side of the road, acting rather innocuous but was quite clearly someone to cover for the young woman that just went in.


    ¡°She went in.¡± Brian Sai notified Marcus and Kevin through her coms.


    ¡°Thanks, noted. But like I said, no need to worry.¡± Marcus responded.

 Book 2 Chapter 91. Trade (Part 2)

    ¡°Hi there.¡± Marcus waved his hand at Gloria, who came in apparently on some level of alert: ¡°You brought a friend. What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°This is Kevin, he¡¯s our forensic technician, and our intel analyzer off payroll because we can¡¯t afford to pay extra.¡± Marcus patted Kevin¡¯s shoulder: ¡°You can trust him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe not right now. I¡¯m still deciding if I can trust you.¡± Gloria shook her head before she sat down on the opposite side of the table.


    ¡°Ouch.¡± Mick and Brian Sai said at the same time.


    ¡°I can understand.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°Which is why I come here bearing some offers of goodwill. First - is this.¡± He pulled out a thick folder, put it on the table and pushed it towards Gloria: ¡°The case files you wanted to steal - I mean see. I added some of our internal notes, not the most secret stuff, but should be enough generalized information and enough details. If you want to look into it more, you¡¯d be welcome to. Just - you¡¯d need to convince our captain.¡±


    ¡°I see. ¡± Gloria flipped open the folder and raised her brows: ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Like I told you, it¡¯s just what I can offer you right now. I¡¯m not claiming or demanding anything else.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And - perhaps you¡¯d like to know this, but we confirmed that the remaining member of this unfortunate team was, at least very likely a transplant - not the usual kind, but one that used to live in the Northern District and moved to South Western and falsified an identity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - curious, and - you¡¯re sure there¡¯s only one remaining?¡± Gloria looked up from the files.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re pretty sure. We contacted the company and got their on-call schedule.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°The details check out. We think he¡¯s probably still alive, and in hiding. There are no suspicious exit records at the city¡¯s customs, but there¡¯s no guarantee he wouldn¡¯t try soon. With the 15 year cycle¡­¡± Before he could go on, Marcus tapped his elbow and interrupted him.


    ¡°15 year cycle¡­¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes narrowed and fixed on Kevin¡¯s face: ¡°Why¡¯d you mention that? Wait - how did you know about this? What do you know?¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some urban legends. I¡¯d not pay it any mind if I were you.¡± Marcus shook his head and pointed at his ears, indicating to Gloria that someone¡¯s listening: ¡°The important thing is, we want to focus on the case of the reparations team. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Okay - so¡­¡± Gloria frowned, and her attitude immediately became slightly distant: ¡°I guess  I would need to make my contribution as well then? Well - if you¡¯ll have to know, I was at the scene, before any police presence was there.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Marcus and Kevin opened their eyes with surprise at the same time.


    ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡± Marcus asked with visible eagerness, ¡°If you feel comfortable in sharing this, of course.¡± Kevin became nervous with anticipation. Even outside, Brian Sai and Mick leaned in close to the speaker to which they were listening.


    ¡°Nothing I would mind telling you, since you¡¯ve been through - well.¡± Gloria shook her head with a coy smile: ¡°The thing is - I don¡¯t know much about what was going on either. As police officers, have you heard about Blood Rainbows?¡±


    Marcus almost cracked his tea cup if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Kevin was by his side and he was still on the coms with the other two officers, one of whom was still mostly in the dark about their attempts at cracking the paranormality-related cases.


    ¡°So - you know?¡± Gloria chuckled and sipped her tea: ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s just an urban legend right? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s not much to worry about. Just like the woman I saw under it, who almost scratched my face off.¡±


    ¡°What woman?¡± Marcus forced himself to be calm, and asked.


    ¡°A woman with messy hair and kinda messed up face, I could barely see what she looks like.¡± Gloria picked up her cup and watched Marcus and Kevin from over it: ¡°She ambushed me when I went to check out the rainbow that came out of nowhere, because I was curious and kind of a dumbass. She reeked of water, and was clearly delusional or - or on drugs. She kept pestering me to go with her.¡±


    ¡°Then - then what happened?¡± Kevin immediately asked: ¡°Did she - did she say something? What did she look like? What was she wearing? Any - anything that stood out?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t recall too much actually - she was just - a mess, and - kinda messed up and - and boney.¡± Gloria could not help but chuckle at how much she had to change her own words or censor herself just so that her story would not draw too much attention to her or the detective sitting on the other side of the table. ¡°But - I felt that something was not quite right with the scene, I saw that car. I tried to take a closer look but couldn¡¯t. And - thank you for the document, I think I can finally start on the right path to some questions.¡±


    ¡°... okay, maybe another quick question.¡± Marcus weighed his words, then looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°Do you happen to know some family members of the reparation team members¡¯ ?¡±


    Gloria sighed. She was just reminded that it was time she went and checked on the widow and child of Ling li, who entrusted his things to her. After a while, she nodded: ¡°Yeah - kinda.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus nodded, waved his hand at the waiter of the tea house and looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°Do you have some time later? I think it would be beneficial for us and you that we take a quick sweep at the scene. It¡¯s not thoroughly cleaned up yet, because the workers at the companies are refusing to work there. So there could still be something to find.¡±


    Gloria looked Marcus in the eye, then nodded: ¡°Okay, I can spare some time. What do you say? Later today? Evening?¡±


    ¡°At your convenience. But evening¡¯s better.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 92. Trade (Part 3)

    There was drizzling rain in the air when they met at the site of the half-ruined electric substation. Gloria decided to check the area around the site before she would meet with Marcus and Kevin. There were two bronze bowls with ashes and incense sticks placed at the northern positions and a bouquet of flowers at the corner of the road. The substation was still not repaired, with some what looked like discarded tools and temporary materials on the ground. Wild moss and weeds were festering in the cracks on the ground, while the police tapes that lost most of their adhesiveness dangled in the wind.


    Could they be from those who knew the people from the emergency reparations team? Or those who knew the ones that died in the car crash?


    Marcus and Kevin came just when she was done and waited in a corner. They circled the area just as her, after which Marcus sent her a message: ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Gloria walked out of the shadows and greeted Marcus with an lightly insinuating smile on her face.


    ¡°Well, just want to make sure the area is secure.¡± Marcus shrugged and raised a small bag, marked ¡°Shoe Covers & Gloves¡±: ¡°Alright, you¡¯re ready to go in?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gloria put on the slightly dirty shoe covers, and a pair of cheap thin rubber gloves before going through the police tapes with Marcus and Kevin. Kevin brought a camera with him, and seemed to be actively searching for certain angles to take pictures of the site.


    ¡°What do you know about this case? Not the deaths of the emergency reparations team, but the crash that caused this damage.¡± Marcus asked as he led Gloria and Kevin to a corner, where the structures in the substation suffered most of the damage.


    Gloria thought for a moment: ¡°Not much, really. Some rich dude drove into this place in a drunken haze.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a young man named Carl Benson, from THE Benson family. The story we¡¯ve gathered is: he went to several bars and nightclubs that night to pick up women, possibly due to his own reasons he kept striking out until he found one unfortunate girl who fell for his bullshit. He WAS very drunk when they drove away in his car, and spedinto this substation.¡± Marcus pointed at some tire marks on the ground: ¡°The girl died, but not from the crash itself. She was dead before it happened - she suffocated from the vomit in her throat. It was likely she was forced to drink too much alcohol while in the car, as we found a lot of bottles in the car¡¯s trunk and under the seats.¡±


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    ¡°And what about the douchebag? He died too? Did he confess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - one of the things that could make it a Blue Envelope case - he was missing from the scene, at first.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°He was later found stuffed under the hood of the vehicle, in the tiny space of the car engine, scorched beyond recognition. It was ruled - not humanly possible.¡±


    Gloria looked Marcus in the eye, trying to read something out of him. After a while, she narrowed her eyes slightly, as she could not get anything obvious: ¡°So - you DID know something was off. You¡¯ve known for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But not enough, because it raised a lot more questions and barely any answers. Which is why we need someone who probably has more experience and knowledge.¡± Kevin wanted to say something, but Marcus beat him to it: ¡°You¡¯re a watcher. I¡¯d assume you¡¯d know more about how this tied to everything. How it is connected to the Blood Rainbow.¡±


    ¡°Blood Arch.¡± Kevin took a picture of one of the open switch boxes.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Gloria looked at Kevin.


    ¡°Blood Arch. It¡¯s another name we gave to Blood Rainbows. Because we found some old pictures - and it¡¯s more of an arch, like a gate. ¡± Marcus shrugged and looked up at the night sky, seemingly worried it would appear again. ¡°And - can you share with me what happened when you were here? Did you happen to see anyone suspicious? Did you happen to see who might have done it?¡±


    ¡°No, unfortunately. And they¡¯re already dead when I got here.¡± Gloria shook her head, then hesitated: ¡°But - there¡¯s some kind of fog or mist in the air. And - and the woman I fought, she seemed to be slightly out of her mind at first and not aware. But later she might have remembered that she died. THEN she just turned vicious and tried to drag me with her.¡± With mentioning this, there seemed to be a small lump in her throat. She had to push it down, for she still did not know either Marcus or Kevin that well.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, then let out a long exhale: ¡°There¡¯s a couple of times I came into contact with the spirits that are still - still tied to the cruise ship, somehow. And every time, they seemed to trigger some hidden memory in me. I saw what happened on the ship again, and - basically relived parts of it. Visions, you may call it. They were very real. And it got me wondering - ¡±


    Gloria turned to Marcus. He was drowned in his thoughts, with a tired and wry smile on his face. It appeared that the visions were still lingering on his mind, like spikes and splinters buried in his skin and flesh.


    ¡°My theory for it is, what happened on the cruise ship established some kind of link to you, even though you¡¯ve made it out.¡± Kevin said to Marcus from the side, while examining the pictures he took: ¡°There are not many survivors of that incident. And basically none of them had come out to the public after all these years. And - not to bring up past scandals in the city, but - ¡±


    ¡°We know, we know, Kevin.¡± Marcus immediately stopped Kevin: ¡°Let¡¯s - keep things concise for now and we can discuss that later.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay. ¡± Kevin raised his arms and shrugged.


    ¡°Well - I think you¡¯re right, maybe.¡± Gloria pondered upon Kevin¡¯s theory for a brief moment, frowning. It was not that bad or a stretch of an idea, and it can best explain the reason why the strange influence of the aura around this site or the black particles in the air would cause her to have visions of the night on the lake. There were so many bad memories of her that could be tapped into or exploited, but somehow this particular one was ¡°chosen¡±, it could and should mean something. And with Gloria¡¯s knowledge about the 15 year circle - it made even more sense.


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Marcus scratched his jaw, then his eyes opened slightly wider: ¡°Wait, humor me - what do you know about the story of the Burnt Queen and the One Armed Knight?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 93. Trade (Part 4)

    ¡°What? What¡¯s that got to do with - how -  ¡± Gloria was stunned for a brief moment, then almost shot the question: ¡°How did you know about the underground temple.¡± But she was able to push this question down. Eager to find answers as she was, it was grossly unwise to ask this question and basically give away a secret that Gyuu Park devoted so much effort to figure out.


    ¡°It¡¯s - not super important, it¡¯s just - I have found some very arcane and even bizarre connection between what¡¯s happening and this story. I am still trying to make sense of it.¡± Marcus shook his head and waved his hand, as if to throw the thought away for the moment: ¡°Now, can you tell me what else you saw here? Anything would help.¡±


    ¡°Oh - it¡¯s not that unique or bizarre, quite similar to what you just said, actually. ¡± Gloria was disappointed. She could understand Marcus¡¯ hesitation and reservation, it was just if he could tell her a little bit more she could be on to something. Some kind of missing connection in the whole picture. ¡°It¡¯s a piece of memory - the memory I sorta wanted to forget. It was something I heard while on that ship. My mother was telling me to climb onto something so that I could float and not drown. I was - well, I was in one of the premium rooms, because my parents were once well-to-do. My dad complained about there being no one around when the water started coming in, before the entire ship sank.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it must have been rough ¡­ I saw similar things as well - my father took me out of our room. We floated and paddled our way to the nearest shore we could find. ¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°My father was never the same after that. And with Kevin¡¯s theory, I think I can sort of understand him much better now. It never stopped haunting me, but losing my mother was definitely, especially hard for him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. ¡± Gloria shook her head with a wry smile: ¡°I think I can relate - a little. I lost my parents that night. I don¡¯t exactly have nightmares about them, not anymore, but - I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just there, and I can¡¯t shake it off my mind. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. ¡± Marcus sighed, then asked with a carefully weighed tone: ¡°So - did someone in the South-Eastern District raise you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was found by the shore. A group of locals raised me, the main one is my current boss. Who also taught me how to fight¡­¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°I even tried to go back and see if I could find some relatives of mine in the Northern District that could take me in. But - I couldn¡¯t find any of them. Almost all of them just outright disappeared.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    Gloria took a careful look at the left side of Marcus¡¯ face, thinking back on what she had heard from Marcus, she uttered a question: ¡°Wait, did you used to love the story about the Burnt Queen? I was wondering why you asked that earlier - did you happen to bring a pretty expensive copy with you onboard and carry it everywhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes - a collected edition copy. How¡¯d you know?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes opened wide.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t remember this, but - ¡± Gloria chuckled as she scratched the side of her face: ¡°I once wandered into the lounge without my parents watching me. And I saw a boy reading by a coffee table. Sounds like it¡¯s you. I bugged my parents about getting a copy like yours after I was brought back to our cabin. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I remember - ¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t, you barely noticed the pot of hot tea that almost spilled on you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember that - ¡±


    ¡°Hey guys, do you hear something?¡± While both Marcus and Gloria laughed at this interesting turn of fate, Kevin asked while looking around.


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°What¡¯d you hear?¡±


    ¡°People - people chattering, some kind of echoey voices.¡± Kevin scratched his head: ¡°I think I just heard something from - from this corner¡­¡± He answered as he drew a circle around him with his left hand. It was a small corner, with a half crushed empty metal box, some wrenches, screwdrivers and drills scattered on the ground. The metal box looked like it used to be the switch box of this substation, and the tools looked somewhat new.


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Gloria took a deep breath, then activated her Qi and concentrated on her eyes. There they were once again, the same dark particles in the air whenever paranormal entities were near. She wanted to advise the other two to leave for a moment, but the density of them seemed to be way less than what would warrant an evacuation. She turned to trace the flow of the particles, and instantly found that they appeared to be coming from the crushed empty switch box.


    And at the same time, Marcus was looking at the box with a frown. His Qi glowing in his eyes. He saw it as well.


    ¡°What - what¡¯d you see?¡± Kevin asked with a shaking voice, stepping away from the box.


    Marcus made a ¡°shhh¡± gesture, then knelt down on its side. Gloria knelt down by him, turning her right ear at the box.


    There was a lot of inaudible chattering, some sound from the wind blowing through closely placed metal objects, and a faint weeping at the backdrop. Gloria tried her hardest, yet she still could not make out much. The chatters were clearly in the common language, just too muffled to make sense.


    ¡°Please! Think of something! Do something! ¡± One clear sentence burst out. And then came more desperate prayers and pleas.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna die here! We¡¯re gonna die here! Please! Buddha! The graceful Bodhisattva, help us! Please don¡¯t dim! Please shine!¡±


    ¡°John! John Mitchell! He knew! He knew!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 94. Those in the Know

    Gloria stared at Marcus: ¡°John Mitchell? Is that - ?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus nodded.


    It¡¯s the name of the missing member of the emergency reparations team. The one that did not work the shift that night due to some mysterious reasons, and the one that supposedly survived.


    ¡°Help! Help! Please! The graceful Bodhisattva, please help us!¡± The pleas continued, their voices were shaking and dwindling, while the sound of wind and the weeping in the background seemed to be ramping up.


    ¡°What did you hear?¡± Kevin asked with a whisper.


    Marcus made the ¡°shh¡± gesture again, his eyes twitched lightly as he listened. Gloria almost did the same - there was something in the background noise. Some kind of murmur that could make some vague sense if she had just listened closely for long enough.


    ¡°Please ¡­ Bodhisattva ¡­ help us! This is - this is a terrible, terrible thing to fall onto our world. Please¡­ not for us, but for everyone¡­¡± One particular voice caught the attention of Gloria. But just when she tried to pick out more of what the voice said, it was replaced by a loud screech and some almost senseless ramblings.


    ¡°Come with me! Die in my stead! Die!¡± It was another gurgling voice, seemingly from either a child or a female.


    ¡°The light¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°The light¡¯s gone!¡± Two voices, one was terrified, full of despair, and the other was ecstatic with palpable bloodlust.


    The voices of what appeared to be the members of the emergency reparations team disappeared. What followed were the stomach churning screams, moanings and lives being torn and stripped away.


    Gloria covered her mouth, almost out of instinct. She might have lost a few days worth of appetite.


    Marcus, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking about something and was scratching his jaw.


    After a while, the ramblings and the terrifying sounds gradually died down. Eventually, all that there was was silence. Another moment passed, the voices came back. And this time, there was only the voice of those reparations team members, and barely anything in the background.


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    ¡°What is this? Why is it dark all of a sudden!? What¡¯s with the lights!?¡± One voice sounded confused and angry.


    ¡°How is it so cold? What the fuck is this? ¡± Another voice, sounded like the teeth were gritting.


    ¡°The sky! Look up! LOOK UP!¡± Another voice came.


    ¡°Blood Rainbow! It¡¯s the Blood Rainbow! What the fuck!? RUN!¡±


    It did not take long before Gloria and Marcus pieced the clues together. Form some reason, this crushed metal box had become some kind of ¡°replay machine¡± for the sounds in this scene. It ¡°recorded¡± the last moments in this place, and was constantly replaying it.


    ¡°Can we record this?¡± Gloria sighed, then stood up.


    ¡°I was trying - but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s physical sounds, not really.¡± Kevin shook his head and raised his phone with a voice recording - all that came out was Gloria and Marcus talking, with the sound of the wind and some strange static sounds.


    ¡°Let me try.¡± Gloria took out her phone and hovered it over the metal box.


    Marcus stood on the side in his own thoughts while he and Kevin waited for Gloria to finish her experiment. She played the recording after about half a minute - it was only the sound of the wind, the surrounding traffic, and the cracking noises of strange static.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a voice, it¡¯s just - signals.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°Did something happen here? I mean after everything.¡± Gloria thought for a while and put her phone back: ¡°It¡¯s been a while, why isn¡¯t this place fixed? They could just send folks here during the day right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still quite unsettling for the workers to be working here, to say the least. And the subsequent teams in charge of repairing this place did try, at first.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°A lot of them refused to work following their first few days. I suspect something lingered here kept bothering them. The other detectives might know more about this - I mean Detective Pahaik and Detective Lance. The teams that came to fix this also brought their own mini altars in peachwood boxes. They say these are going to protect them from the bad energy here. But I guess it¡¯s just not enough.¡±


    ¡°So - who is this John Mitchel guy?¡± Gloria nodded and let out a long exhale.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a real name, an alias.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°This name has been used for several years, and is very believably forged, which is why we did not detect it at first. And when we found out, it appeared to be already too late. We are trying to track down the person¡¯s original identity, and the city is applying additional pressure on the exit checks. It¡¯s a possibility that the person is no longer in the city. From the looks of his conditions - his place is very clean, newly rented, all cash, a very short term lease; he had several blessed items in this place, and he had practically no savings even though he was relatively well paid and his place is as cheap as it can get. So - that adds to the suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Or, he could just adopt a new name and is hiding in the South-Eastern District as we speak. ¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°This has happened before with some criminals, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s another theory we¡¯re working on. But in order to do that kind of investigation, we need to communicate to the city and have a liaison from the community collective.¡± Marcus sighed and shook his head: ¡°Right now we have a liaison working with us on some of the investigation we¡¯re doing OVER HERE. But we¡¯re some hoops away from doing an actual thorough investigation, much less a manhunt over there.¡±


    ¡°Who is this liaison?¡± Gloria asked with a frown. ¡°And - not that I don¡¯t believe myself, but if you have someone from our district, what on earth do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Tyler Khan. He¡¯s an investigator from the community collective. But just as you¡¯d expect, he¡¯s here in official capacity, and there is information we¡¯d rather not ask of him.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of him. But I can understand.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 95. Chains of Foul (Part 1)

    ¡°This is actually good. I appreciate it. I think the information can be useful - I¡¯ll cross it with my information, and I¡¯ll share some with you if we¡¯re able to find something.¡± When they stepped out of the scene, Gloria gave Marcus an appreciative look: ¡°I know it¡¯s not easy for you to - you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, only a small bit of the debt I owed you.¡± Marcus smiled.


    ¡°And it¡¯s knocking off quite a bit off the interest!¡± Gloria chuckled, then paused for a moment before continuing: ¡°You know, I think it¡¯s safe to share this with you - I just don¡¯t know if you know about this already. You asked me if I knew the family members of the emergency reparations team? I actually knew, well, I met the family of one of them. And I heard from them that the workers were already noticing things that were not right. Especially at their night shifts.¡±


    Marcus and Kevin were both surprised by this, more than Gloria thought and expected: ¡°Well - that is a crucial piece of information we weren¡¯t able to get before this. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°I mean, even protective custody isn¡¯t enough for them to tell us.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°They¡¯re just way - way too scared.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria was also surprised at this information: ¡°You took them on protective custody?¡±


    ¡°Well - not to badmouth the collective behind their backs, but those enforcers they sent did not look like good people. And even though we had to wrestled with the collective for this.¡±


    ¡°But - it¡¯s - it¡¯s unlike the community collective to do so.¡± Gloria weighed the words with a frown on her face: ¡°I don¡¯t remember hearing even a single time they¡¯d let the city take potential witnesses into their custody on high profile cases.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed - tricky and a bit suspicious.¡± Marcus nodded and scratched his jaw: ¡°To give them the benefit of the doubt, I¡¯d say they showed some willingness to cooperate with the city, if I didn¡¯t know about the messy history.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe because they couldn¡¯t get any information out of them, so they had some kind of deal with the city so that they could get the information second hand?¡± Kevin thought for a while before asking.


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    ¡°Likely, at least more likely than their just letting the city have it.¡± Marcus let out a frustrated grunt, then turned to Gloria: ¡°What - what do you think? I think you¡¯d be more familiar with how the collective works.¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°As far as I know, the collective seems to be a bit uptight lately as well, I am not sure on the reason but maybe it¡¯s because of the child disappearances. And - there¡¯s a lot of paranormal things happening in our district, they¡¯re probably very busy with those as well. I mean - how come the other districts don¡¯t see as much supernatural shit?¡±


    ¡°I - I wonder that myself sometimes. The only thing I could deduce is thanks to some historical reasons, which becomes the main reason why the South-Eastern District has such  a rich landscape of churches and temples.¡± Kevin smiled while rubbing his own upper arms seemingly trying to make himself warmer in the night wind.


    ¡°Do you happen to know where they are? The families of those victims, I mean. I was wondering if I can find a chance to talk to some of them.¡± Gloria tried her best to sound natural and not overly curious or concerned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not gonna be easy - because it¡¯s the city that offered the protective custody, not us. So to reach out to them, even we need preapproval and provide some good reasons. And then either you meet at a mutual spot or they vet you heavily before you can find them at their location.¡± Marcus sighed. ¡°Sorry - probably won¡¯t be much help to you there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gloria shook her head lightly.


    ¡°And - since you mentioned there being more paranormal stuff happening lately¡­ ¡± Kevin sounded extra cautious with his every word: ¡°Do they happen to be somewhat related to - to - horrible stuff that happened in the past. Like - like the cruise ship? Or something - something even longer before?¡±


    Both Marcus and Gloria stopped. The air grew palpably thicker with this question.


    ¡°What are you asking this?¡± Gloria¡¯s voice dropped by at least a few degrees, anymore then water could freeze under it. ¡°And - I¡¯ve gotta ask this again - you mentioned the 15 year cycle before, so you clearly know something about what¡¯s happening. What do you know? Out with it!¡±


    ¡°You know as well.¡± Marcus exchanged looks with Kevin, then answered after a long exhale.


    ¡°Yes. And you know much more than you¡¯ve let out. It¡¯s not simply an ¡®urban legend¡¯, is it? Spit it out now, and I can tell you what I know. Or else - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay.¡± Marcus immediately raised his hands with a smile: ¡°We couldn¡¯t tell you because we don¡¯t know you, and we¡¯re not sure we can trust you.¡±


    ¡°And right now you do?¡±


    ¡°Well, I still can¡¯t say for sure. But I¡¯d say I know you better now than before. And I believe  a little bit of knowledge sharing is good enough for me. As long as - you know, you keep this to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that. You have your team and your partners, I have mine. I¡¯ll need to share the intel with them as well. But you can trust me on this - I¡¯ll do with this information with the utmost caution and diligence. After all - I still need to stay as your consultant to gain access to the Blue Envelopes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also why.¡± Marcus chuckled and looked Gloria in the eyes: ¡°What we know is - it¡¯s a circle alright. And the circle of five elements. And not in any circular order - it¡¯s just the folk lore order Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth. And we¡¯re - ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at the Fire circle.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 96. Chains of Foul (Part 2)

    ¡°Yes. Indeed.¡± Marcus and Kevin nodded.


    ¡°So - those people who are dead - who are sacrificed, somehow, are now being burnt. Am I understanding this correctly?¡± Gloria asked with a frown.


    ¡°You¡¯re two for two, unfortunately.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t tell you too much about the cases we¡¯re looking at. And of course, this information stays between us. But, we actually stumbled upon a potential site of this alleged ¡®sacrifice¡¯.¡±


    Gloria felt the muscles on her back and upper arms tense up as she almost jumped at Marcus and held him by his shoulders: ¡°Where is it!? Where did you find it?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, calm down.¡± Marcus waved his hands: ¡°It¡¯s the docks area - didn¡¯t you hear? That platform of the docks area, where they were going to have that food festival. But - you know.¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Kevin asked, also frowning: ¡°That¡¯s really kind of a big news. How come you¡¯ve not heard?¡±


    ¡°Well, I - ¡± Gloria¡¯s face dimmed, she did not want to answer or to recall as to why she had not been paying attention to things for the past few days: ¡°Sorry - I was very occupied so I didn¡¯t really keep track of things¡­ what happened?¡±


    ¡°You may need to speed up a bit.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Because neither the city nor the community collective wants people learning about what happened. To put it simply - a big fight happened there, because under that platform there was some sort of secret chamber. The fire was just in the chamber - a furnace, maybe. And there were sickos that got kids from all over the city and apparently were trying to use them as sacrifices. Most of the kids were saved, but the entire platform sank under the water afterwards, leaving nary a piece of evidence for us. And no diver was smart enough to dive in that water.¡±


    ¡°...who - who are these people? ¡± Gloria had to take a deep breath, before she could ask the question lest her heartbeats and clenched teeth affect her voice and ability to speak calmly. ¡°Are they apprehended by the city? Or the collective?¡±


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    ¡°Neither, actually. ¡± Marcus rubbed his right shoulder as he responded: ¡°The first ones to make it to the scene were the men of Chef Tang, you know, the owner of the noodle shop. He got, I believe, most of the men that were alive. All the city got was a promise from him that he will share the intel with us as long as he finds something.¡±


    ¡°Going against the city? That¡¯s - that¡¯s not smart.¡± Gloria scratched her head, and then rubbed her temples: ¡°Did you hear anything yet? I mean, I¡¯ve heard of Chef Tang before, he always keeps his word.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not gonna convince the city, is it?¡± Kevin chuckled while sped up rubbing his own upper arms for warmth: ¡°Okay, folks, can we find a better place for this conversation? You guys are tough and Qi infused. But Im¡¯m just a regular old civilian here. Anymore of this I¡¯ll get a cold and you¡¯ll be out of a forensic tech.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just going anyway.¡± Gloria checked her phone: ¡°I need to head back. It¡¯s too late. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow - hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Wait - one more question. And I¡¯ll really appreciate it if you could help me with it.¡± Marcus called out to Gloria.


    ¡°Okay. Shoot.¡± Gloria crossed her arms.


    ¡°When you fought that woman - those spirits, especially those connected to Lake Aqiu, did you notice - ¡± Marcus weighed his words with a stern look on his face: ¡°- did you notice a chain on their back? Not like an actual metal chain, but chain that looks like - ¡±


    ¡°Like they are made of aqua weeds and into tight ropes? ¡± Gloria gasped lightly, and narrowed her eyes: ¡°Yes. I did notice from almost all of them I came into contact with. What do you wanna know about it? What do YOU know about it?¡±


    ¡°... okay. That¡¯s really good to know.¡± Marcus let out a long exhale and exchanged looks with Kevin again: ¡°Truly. Thank you. I actually don¡¯t know too much about it. I just noticed it - I think they are - how do I say this, the physical embodiment of their connections to the lake, and the force behind this 15 year cycle.¡±


    ¡°Interesting - I haven¡¯t thought of it that way. But it is definitely possible.¡± Gloria nodded, frowning: ¡°Have you ever cut open or broken one of these chains?¡±


    ¡°No - no I haven¡¯t. I don¡¯t believe it will be easy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s not easy.¡± Gloria nodded, fixing her eyes on Marcus¡¯: ¡°I - I have a friend of mine, he broke one of these chains in a fight. Interestingly also in the docks area. And according to him, the moment he created a wound on the chain, thick and pungent liquid spilled out and almost instantly triggered some kind of reaction from a blessed oil coin he had and the environment. It called some a bolt of lightning, and annihilated the ghost - the creature.¡±


    ¡°Lightning? That¡¯s - ¡± Kevin scratched his jaw.


    Gloria looked Kevin in the eyes: ¡°Weird, bizarre, or - ?¡±


    ¡°Reassuring, I think that¡¯s more the word I am looking for.¡± Kevin shrugged.


    ¡°- because of the lightning?¡± Gloria raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah exactly.¡± Kevin took a deep breath, then kept rubbing his upper arms: ¡°Call me a hopeless optimist, but I like to think of a loud, bright lightning bolt from the sky as some kind of symbol of cosmic justice.¡±


    Gloria paused for a moment, then chuckled, shaking her head: ¡°Yeah, yeah, don¡¯t we all.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 97. Broken Walks (Part. 1)

    ¡°So, uh, what do you think?¡± After the meeting, Marcus did not go home, but brought Kevin to a 24 hour coffee shop - to get Kevin warm and to discuss the things they just learned.


    ¡°I - well, I can understand why you like her - and trust her. But I am not entirely sure I can.¡± Kevin sighed and rubbed his temples: ¡°Not to rain on your parade, man, but she¡¯s way too crafty for me to feel comfortable sharing a lot of information with, especially important information.¡±


    ¡°Crafty? You mean street-smart.¡± Marcus chuckled and shook his head: ¡°And - I am more curious as to what you think of what she told us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s definitely interesting. Especially the fact that the people at the S&S Corp already find their workplaces creepy and troublesome. I don¡¯t suppose they would tell anyone outside of the company that. So we should definitely look into it, and see if we can press them on this information.¡±


    ¡°One thing about that, I remember hearing about the families - the city is providing them with basic living stipends. I also heard that the companies are sending them money, somewhat proportional to the victims¡¯ wages before the incident.¡± Marcus nodded at the waitress as she brought the drinks over: ¡°It¡¯s strange isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s almost like they are trying to threaten these family members with financial cutoff, not simply to avoid the workplace death disputes.¡±


    ¡°So, should we ask to speak with them?¡±


    ¡°No, maybe now¡¯s not the time. I think it¡¯d be better if we¡¯re more prepared with more evidence, instead of inconclusive information with insinuation.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°If it¡¯s possible I¡¯d want to know what the community collective have on them as well - they seem to have a lot of interest in keeping these people¡¯s mouths shut. I wonder why.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Kevin kept rubbing his temples: ¡°Maybe liability? Maybe they have seen other cases like this one but kept them under the rug?¡±


    ¡°Wait - remind me - how many cases of these suspected paranormal deaths have something to do with electricity?¡± Marcus pulled out his phone and started looking for his notes.


    ¡°I think - I can count 5 of them as we know for sure. ¡± Kevin looked at his phone at the same time: ¡°There have been some others ever since we - you know, REALLY started looking. But they are mostly cases in deserted and rundown places, easily attributable to local gangs and meditated murder by enemies.¡±


    ¡°Wait - wait wait wait.¡± Something clicked, then exploded in Marcus¡¯ mind like a bomb. ¡°Deserted places, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, deserted and rundown places. Slums, or those cheap apartment complexes. You know, like the coworkers of Lydia Mu?¡± Kevin shrugged and drank half his cup: ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Electricity.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°If I remember correctly, before what happened to the Ling family, there was a very brief power outage of the local electricity grid, right?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah I remember. According to Shrevas and Keryn, it was not a power outage per se, more like electricity instability that might have led to some local houses losing electrical power for a short period of time.¡± Kevin sniffled and had to wipe his nose with a piece of tissue, but then instantly leaned in, almost bumping his forehead into Marcus¡¯ nose: ¡°You mean - THE LACK OF electricity has something to do with them? ¡±


    ¡°Exactly, and I think it is probably the other way - ¡± Marcus nodded his head: ¡°It¡¯s because of the lack of electricity in the environment that it happened.¡±


    ¡°You base it on the case with Lydia Mu?¡± Kevin seemed much more awake right now.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t discount the possibility that paranormal occurrences CAN cause the power to¡± Marcus squeezed the bridge of his nose: ¡°But - let¡¯s keep this between us for now. It¡¯s just a theory. And I don¡¯t wanna - ¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t wanna lead us on a wrong path. I know, I know.¡± Kevin finished up his entire cup: ¡°I¡¯ll look into it and scrape the crime data with this in mind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kevin. You¡¯re the man.¡± Marcus chuckled and patted his friend on his shoulder.


    When Marcus got back to his apartment, his father was still in the dining room waiting for him, with two plates of still steaming food on the table.


    ¡°What are you doing up so late, Dad?¡± Marcus asked as he put down his keys.


    ¡°That is because - I have some good news for you.¡± Elvin smiled and extended his hands at the plates: ¡°Here, have some snacks with me.¡±


    ¡°Good news? What kind of news?¡± Marcus smiled as he got a bottle of beer for himself and sat down by the table. ¡°Did we win the lottery? I don¡¯t remember buying but it¡¯d be good to know that we won - ¡±


    ¡°Not that - not that. Although that would be terrific.¡± Marcus¡¯ father laughed out loud, shook his head, then took out a folded letter from his pocket.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Marcus took the letter as his father slid it over, opened it and skimmed through the first paragraph out of three: ¡° ¡®... and it is with great pleasure that we would like to invite you to be officially on board as a full-time store clerk.¡¯ So you passed probation? Congratulations, Dad!¡± He chuckled as he raised his bottle of beer, to meet with his father¡¯s cup of warm water.


    ¡°Yes! Just did the official paperwork earlier this afternoon.¡± Elvin laughed again: ¡°It¡¯s good now! I am officially back! And I wouldn¡¯t be a burden - I mean I can make MY contribution to this household now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Dad.¡± Marcus chuckled and sipped his beer.


    ¡°And - here¡¯s some other news. It¡¯s probably not good, but I¡¯d figure it could be useful to you, now that you¡¯re more - interested and experienced with the unusual and ghostly stuff.¡± Elvin leaned in: ¡°The store - Better Shopz, it used to sell those blessed items right? Imported directly from the South-Eastern Districts, some work and some are just junk, good looking garbage. Some guy came into the shop today asking for some, he knows his stuff and complained to us that nothing we have in store works. We suggested he check our other locations, and he basically said things are running out throughout the city - the monks and elders seemed to have stopped making them - for whatever reason.¡±


    ¡°What brought him to the store? Did he say?¡±


    ¡°He did - apparently he had some paranormal encounter earlier - basically saw a spirit somewhere.¡± Elvin shook his head.


    ¡°This is happening a lot these days, huh?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°And - just because you told me, so I kept it in mind: there have been some more abductions of kids, young kids.¡± Elvin lowered his voice: ¡°Apparently, even in the Northern District. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s on the news, and I dared not search for it. But I heard it in the clerks¡¯ lunchroom, it surely sounds rough out there.¡±


    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa.¡± Marcus waved his hands: ¡°You didn¡¯t ask anyone about this, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± His father scoffed: ¡°I¡¯m not dumb! I just hovered around, like I¡¯m not fond of talking about anything but beer. But I DO listen, if they brought it up, I¡¯d keep my ears open.¡±


    ¡°S - Smart.¡± Marcus felt like giving his father a thumb up.


    Just this moment, a horn-like sound blared from the floor above. This caused Marcus to jump almost instantly.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to tell you, they just told me this afternoon, tonight¡¯s the Night of Return for an old man upstairs.¡± Elvin jumped up and shut the door, as well as the curtains on the window facing the open air corridor outside.

 Book 2 Chapter 98. Broken Walks (Part. 2)

    ¡°Night of Return? But - they haven¡¯t notified us at all!?¡± Marcus shot up, almost ready to take out his phone to call the landlord. But Elvin grabbed his hand and stopped him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, son. From what I heard from them, it¡¯s not like they meant it.¡± His father sighed, shaking his head, weary and somewhat helpless: ¡°At least according to that daughter of the old man, he went missing six days ago.¡±


    ¡°And only today or yesterday did they find out that he was dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She told me the coroner told them the estimated time of death was the first day. So either today, or tomorrow will be his day of return.¡± Elvin checked the corners close to the main door: ¡°So, come back earlier tomorrow. If you have to work late, then find a place to crash. For I don¡¯t want you to be put into a place of danger.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Dad. ¡± Marcus rushed into his room to find an incense burner, three incense sticks and some talismans: ¡°But do you know what the cause of death was? And how the body looks?¡±


    ¡°No - not really. They just knocked and told me about it, and gave me a red packet. She said it¡¯s a token of - of their apologies.¡± Elvin shrugged: ¡°I put it on our wooden altar there, I didn¡¯t want to open it till you get back.¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s cautious.¡± Marcus went to the small wooden altar they recently bought, where they would simply place their blessed items, especially a wooden Buddha statue.


    The red packet contains three single bills, totaling only 3 dollars. And with a small paper coin made with yellow talisman paper. It''s a very small amount of money for a late notification of a Night of Return, but given the number of neighbors to give these red packets to, it would have still cost them a fair amount of money, especially for someone living in this part of town.


    The paper coin had red symbols drawn with typical red ink used on talismans to make it look like a real copper coin. With his Qi concentrated on his eyes, he could not see anything wrong with it. It was just that - it was still somewhat strange, and he was wondering if he should just burn it.


    ¡°So - anything wrong?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s uh - not a lot of money. I can understand that everyone¡¯s having a tough time, but - ¡± Marcus sighed and handed the three bills to his father, shaking his head: ¡°Do we know them?¡±


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    ¡°I bumped into them a few times. So you may recognize them. They¡¯re doing - okay, I guess.¡± Elvin ticked his tongue: ¡°Definitely not better off than us. So - I wouldn¡¯t expect any kind of leave-the-city money from them.¡±


    Marcus chuckled, then looked at his father: ¡°Dad, have you thought about leaving? I mean the city.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, EVERYDAY!¡± Elvin responded without even a moment of doubt: ¡°But how can one afford it right now, unless you¡¯re super rich?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, the relocation tax is just getting more and more ridiculous every year.¡± Marcus shook his head again, then put up three newer incense sticks in the burner: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat. The food is getting cold.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Elvin laughed, and headed back to the side of the table.


    ¡°Wait, Dad.¡± Marcus paused, with his chopsticks hovering over a plate of thinly sliced beef marinated with chili oil: ¡°When you work in that shop, you don¡¯t have to work night shifts, right?¡±


    ¡°Well - uh ¡­¡± Elvin seemed hesitant to answer and began to stammer: ¡°I - I - didn¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°You do? What the hell!¡± Marcus retrieved his chopsticks, staring at his father: ¡°You know it¡¯s not safe! Why¡¯d you do that?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m terribly sorry, my son.¡± Elvin sighed and bowed gently to Marcus: ¡°It¡¯s really difficult out there. Not many places are hiring, sounds like they¡¯d rather have less people than hire new hands, especially OLD new hands. This is the only place that I could find, and they promise me they¡¯re not gonna assign night shifts too frequently.¡±


    ¡°... okay.¡± Marcus thought for a while, sighed, then picked up a slice of beef.


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t - I don¡¯t want to force you to do anything. But - you will need to bring talismans to work everyday. Okay? I¡¯ll ask around to see if I can find some good ones. And blessed items as well. ¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay of course - I¡¯ll definitely.¡±


    ¡°And I will go to your store to check on you during night shifts. If I find anything wrong with your workplace, you¡¯ll need to quit, deal?¡±


    ¡°Okay, son - deal.¡±


    Marcus took a deep breath, still worried but less than a few seconds ago: ¡°Thank you Dad, you know I worry about these things.¡±


    ¡°I know - I know.¡±


    ¡°And - I¡¯ll try to get you some pepper sprays, you know, because the dangers at night are not limited to unclean beings. There are terrible people everywhere, at all times - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah yeah, I know, son. I understand. Which is why I already put in my orders for - ¡±


    Just when Elvin was in the middle of his sentence, a chilling sensation struck Marcus, and seemingly Elvin as well. Both of them shivered, and stopped what they were doing to look around. The lights flickered, became dim but did not go completely dark.


    ¡°Stay near the altar, Dad, and have some talismans in your hand. ¡± Marcus said to his father, as he approached the window, hesitating whether he should look through the edge of or the gap between the curtains.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look, Marcus, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Elvin cautioned from the side with a lowered voice as he found a small pouch of talismans from a small drawer on the side of the altar.


    ¡°Something isn¡¯t right. We¡¯ve been through this several times, it¡¯s never like this.¡± Marcus hopped to the left side of the door, then to the right, trying to gauge if there¡¯s any difference in the intensity of the aura. There was an easily missed difference after several tries - the right side appeared to be more intense.


    Marcus rushed to the wall on his side, one they shared with their neighbor and put his ear on it.


    It was nothing at first, but all of a sudden, something started scratching the wall. Like claws, like sharp metal objects, like human nails.

 Book 2 Chapter 99. Broken Walks (Part. 3)

    ¡°Something¡¯s going on out there.¡± Marcus paced around where he was for a brief moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What did you hear?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Something abnormal.¡± Marcus rushed over to the altar and took two talismans out of the pouch, leaving all the rest to his father: ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go check it out. There should be a candle under the kitchen sink, light it up.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Before his father could stop him, Marcus already opened up the front door and slid out, locking the door behind him.


    Some kind of dark fog was lingering in the space outside, so much so that Marcus could barely see the sky and the moon. He noticed a familiar, slightly salty smell as well, along with the humid air.


    A human shaped shadow stood in a small distance in front of him. Hunched back, narrow shoulders, right arm missing the entire forearm, and both legs were missing several big chunks of flesh, revealing some of the bones. It was facing the door, appearing to be either unmoving, and banging its head against the door. But, either because it did not commit, or the force of its motion was too light, he did not hear anything from the shadow¡¯s actions.


    Marcus lightened and shortened his steps. The shadow did not notice him, and was still standing in front of the door to his neighbor¡¯s door, bumping his head against the door. With a smaller distance, he could see that the shadow¡¯s actually did not really make contact with the door, but stopped at a very small distance every time. And within this distance, Marcus made out what the shadow looked like - an old man, in ragged clothes, missing a shoe and had a plastic bracelet on his right ankle. Marcus raised his eyebrows while looking at this old man¡¯s ankle, for it was standing but on its toes, even though it had only three and a half toes left.


    No - the shadow was indeed making contact with the door - just not with its ¡°flesh¡±. There was a visible layer of dark fog concentrated around the top of the shadow¡¯s head and its shoulders. And everytime the shadow bumped its head against the door, what made contact was the body of fog on its head, not the humanly looking part of its head.


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    With his Qi concentrated on the tips of his right index and middle fingers, and with one paper talisman tucked between them, Marcus stomped the ground with his left foot and shot at the shadow like a cannonball. His right hand thrusting forward, like a glowing sword.


    The shadow turned to Marcus and roared. Dark smoke came out of its mouth and two eye sockets with yellow and green slime inside. Marcus did not fret, as the tips of his fingers struck right at the back of the shadow.


    Marcus pushed his Qi one more time to protect himself from the dark fog, while keeping his eyes and fingers locked onto the space behind the shadow.


    The fog was cold and wet, Marcus¡¯ clothes became moldy, rotten and even crumbled with each second of prolonged contact. He was worried, but did not hesitate as he kept thrusting his fingers forward.


    Another human-shaped shadow made of dark energy manifested and let out a loud screech. The folded talisman lit up, as the sensation of poking into something solid but slightly spongy substance registered with Marcus. He pushed his Qi harder, blasting it into the body of the shadow in full force.


    The shadow on the old man¡¯s back screamed again. The flames from Marcus¡¯ Qi and the talisman exploded the upper part of its body. As a final attempt at struggling and fighting back, the shadow controlled the old man¡¯s broken right arm and aimed it at Marcus. Another gush of dark fog as thick as mercury shot at Marcus. At the same time, more flames burst out from under his left chest under his shirt. The explosion of energy blasted right back at the dark fog, incinerating the black substance like a thick stream of gunpowder.


    ¡°Boom!¡± The explosion threw Marcus back, but not by any amount of force he could not handle. He adjusted his posture in the air and rolled on the ground. His Qi concentrated around his leg again, ready for another lunge attack - the two talismans had been expended, yet the shadow should be in no position to fight or harm him either.


    The shadow on the old man¡¯s back twitched and screamed, as it tried to reassemble its torn body and quell the flame chewing through its shoulder. Marcus fixed his eyes on the shadow on the old man¡¯s back, as well as the old man. Right now, the old man¡¯s body was in a state of strange stasis - his extremities were still, but his fingers, exposed toes and lips were all shaking at a fast pace, and all at the same rate. He was no longer standing on his toes, but floating in low air. His forehead was against the door.


    After contemplating for but one moment, Marcus breathed in and cursed with almost all of his might: ¡°FUCK YOU! YOU FILTH!¡± While the sound was still echoing in the empty corridor, disrupting the flow of the dark fog for a brief moment, he launched himself at the shadow made of dark fog.


    His right arm swung across the space in front of him, releasing a bright orange claw mark at the dark shadow while his left retreated back and ready to strike.


    The shadow turned into a puff of dark smoke and shot up towards the ceiling, with only a small portion of its tail grazed by the claw mark, turning into ashes in an instant. It tried to turn and fly to the open air, but just in time to be stopped by a flying weapon - a long baton of sorts, covered in strips of paper.


    The dark smoke exploded into a flurry of hundreds of bright fiery sparks. Ashes fell and roamed the air. The chilling aura dissipated. But barely a moment passed before it was replaced by another, as a clunky metal chain shot from the open space behind Marcus and wrapped around the body of the old man.

 Book 2 Chapter 100. Broken Walks (Part. 4)

    ¡°Off to the bridge, you will go¡­¡± An old, tired and raspy voice came from behind Marcus.


    Marcus turned his head and shoulders. His muscles were cold, solid and sore, as if he had been swimming in cold water for the past few hours. After much struggle, he was finally able to catch the source of this voice through the corner of his eyes - it was a man, or should he say, a spirit, in a long, dirty white robe. The man was pale, tall, with slightly messy long black hairs drizzling from his colorless scalp and a long red tongue dangling from his grinning mouth. On top of his head was a ragged tall hat, with a phrase ¡°Richness finds the respectful¡± written on it.


    Wuchang, according to the legends, was a kind of spirits of an ¡°official¡± status - they were technically an usherer or mariner of the underworld, in charge of capturing newly dead or wandering spirits of the world. But the thing that bothered Marcus was that, Wuchangs always acted in pairs. This tall one was the White Wuchang, and the other one would be the short Black Wuchang, in a black robe, with a stern and fierce face, and a tall black hat with ¡°Peace be with all¡±.


    The pale, grinning face came closer and closer, though this Wuchang was not targeting Marcus, he was still suffering the freezing aura. He wanted to move, but the dreading cold seemed to have taken hold of his muscles, his meridians and even his bones. He could only turn his neck slightly and rotate his eyes to a few angles. But there was nothing else he could do.


    ¡°Off to the bridge¡­ you will go.¡± The Wuchang chanted again, his voice was shaking, and he coughed after just one sentence. With a better angle, Marcus was able to see it more clearly - there were some burns, stains and holes on this Wuchang¡¯s robe. He did not remember anything about the Wuchangs¡¯ robes being damaged, nor did he have any energy to think about it right now.


    ¡°Wait! STOP! STOP!¡± The door to Marcus¡¯ apartment burst open, his father rushed out, holding the wooden Buddha statue in his right hand and all the paper talismans in his right at the Wuchang, sweating all over his face and back. ¡°Back off, you Wuchang. Back off! You cannot take my son! You CANNOT! He¡¯s still alive! And he just helped you by fighting whatever that thing is! You CAN¡¯T TAKE HIM!¡±


    The Wuchang took a glance at Elvin, then took one deep, hard look at Marcus. His pupils were glimmering, and seemed to have some kind of power that sucked Marcus¡¯ focus and mind into his gaze. Their eyes met for but a moment, and Wuchang cut off his power before Marcus got any more lost. He pulled on the metal chains once again, dragging the shadow of the old man closer to him.


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    The cold energy locking Marcus in his place gradually faded, and he started to regain control over his body. Elvin watched from the side as Marcus broke free from the frozen state, his limbs trembling almost beyond his control, but still maintaining a standing pose and holding the blessed items that could thwart malicious supernatural entities.


    ¡°Off to the bridge¡­ you will go.¡± The White Wuchang pulled the old man to within an arm¡¯s length to him, then opened up his right sleeve, unleashing an energy vortex within. The old man¡¯s figure turned long and thin as if he was turned into liquid or air, and was sucked into the sleeve within just a few moments.


    ¡°My¡­ thanks.¡± The Wuchang turned to Marcus, uttering two words with a gurgling voice. He then turned away, slowly floated towards the direction from which he came.


    Before he passed Marcus and Elvin by, he extended one single slender finger and tapped Marcus¡¯ forehead.


    A stream of cool but pleasant energy flowed into Marcus¡¯ head. Scattered, incomplete and shaky images flashed through his mind. Memory, of this very Wuchang, it seemed.


    An altar, covered in crimson wax, seemingly from the usage of candles. A dead body, surrounded by strange ashes, twisted, bloodied with nary a piece of intact skin. It was covered in scars and frozen in a state of horror and torment. The Black Wuchang, standing on the side, releasing chains from his sleeve along with the White Wuchang at the floating spirit of a completely bald man. Just when the chains were about to wrap around the spirit, dark tendrils and tentacles burst out from the altar and clenched the shadow by his neck, his wrists and ankles; the metal chains wrestled with the tendrils and tentacles. They rusted, then broke. The vision became blurry, and gray for a moment.


    Everything went dark for a brief moment, then some new image appeared. The Black Wuchang was severely injured, so much so that his body was gradually turning into ash. The stone altar was broken into three pieces. There were pieces of paper on the ground - the Black Wuchang¡¯s baton was broken. The old bald man¡¯s spirit was still in the air, its body, like a doll, fading into nothingness one grain of dust and one single thread at a time. The dark tendrils and tentacles were nowhere to be seen. The Wuchangs failed. The White Wuchang¡¯s vision was blurry, shaky and dim. His movement was slow and difficult. He had to leave. He had to go back to where he could be safe and rest. Dread, guilt and powerlessness filled his soul.


    There was barely indication of where this was. But Marcus knew, from some lingering thoughts left by the White Wuchang, it could not be more than half a month.


    Before the White Wuchang would fully pass Marcus by, he turned around, ripped a small piece of fabric off his right sleeve and handed it to Marcus.


    Marcus hesitated for a brief moment before accepting this ¡°gift¡±. Sturdy, light and somehow possessing a mind clearing coolness, it was distinctively different from anything Marcus had seen or touched. The Wuchang¡¯s figure faded into the shadows and the moonlight.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check on the neighbor.¡± Elvin¡¯s voice pulled Marcus out of his thoughts.

 Book 2 Chapter 101. Dead Debt

    ¡°Are you okay?! Are you okay? We are your neighbors! Please open up!¡± Marcus kept banging on the door of their neighbor, but neither he nor his father could hear anything from them. Marcus tried to peek through the gap of the door. But the gap itself was way too narrow, and he could only see that the room was dark, and there was something gray on the ground.


    ¡°Can you break through? I¡¯m worried they might - ¡± Elvin asked, trying his hardest to peek through the curtains behind their window facing the corridor. It was to no avail, this neighbor of theirs seemed to be much more concerned for their privacy and they chose extra thick curtains with nary a gap in them.


    ¡°Alright. Whoever¡¯s inside, listen up!¡± Marcus coughed and made his voice stern: ¡°This is Detective Marcus Cai, of the Poison City Police Department. I am suspecting there are people who might be in danger behind this door. If you¡¯re not in danger, please respond right away. Or I¡¯ll be kicking through the door, because this just made up of exigent circumstances.¡±


    He waited a few seconds, before concentrating his Qi on his right leg. His leg thrust at the door like the pole from a pile driver. He measured his force with consideration - it was enough to knock the door down, yet not too much that he could injure whoever might be behind it.


    The metal door whined and swung open, hitting the wall on the other side. Behind the door and on the floor was a middle aged man lying face down, his arms grabbing his chest and his neck.


    ¡°Sir! Sir! Wake up!¡± Marcus did not recognize this man, so all he could do was call to him with a generic name as he turned the middle aged man over. The man was still breathing, but was doing so rather rapidly while clenching his teeth and shaking as if he was suffering from low temperature. His face was covered in sweat, and it appeared that his heart rate was greatly elevated. Marcus tried to separate this man¡¯s fingers from his neck so that he would not choke himself. This man¡¯s fingers were cold and stiff, as were all the muscles in his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call an ambulance. ¡± Elvin immediately rushed out of the apartment and toward theirs to find his phone.


    Marcus pushed a little bit of his Qi into this middle aged man¡¯s back as well as his right wrist, so as to loosen his grip on his one neck. It worked - this man¡¯s body relaxed a little, his breathing soothed, and his heart rate dropped slightly closer to the normal range.


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    ¡°Hello, I¡¯ll need an ambulance. My neighbor passed out on the floor. His muscles were stiff and he¡¯s breathing very quickly. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to him¡­¡± Elvin¡¯s voice came into the apartment from the corridor.


    The emergency medical personnel''s rough diagnosis was that this middle aged man was having a panic attack and it exacerbated his heart condition. The man might not be in any immediate, urgent condition but would still need to go to a hospital to be treated.


    The blaring alarms of the ambulance and the voice of the medical personnel provided enough assurance of safety to their other neighbors. They all opened their doors, windows and even came out of their apartment to watch this middle aged man being carried away. Their neighbor family, whose father passed away seven days ago, were among them, only appearing more concerned and scared than others.


    ¡°That¡¯s them.¡± Elvin raised his jaw at the window to a nervous family when he and Marcus passed them by.


    Marcus nodded. He could already tell - it was quite obvious, for they had white ribbons hanging on inside of their windows, food offerings on a table inside the living room along with an incense burner and ritual lanterns dangling from the ceiling - clear signs that they were holding the ritual for the Night of Return.


    The family flinched and moved back when their sights met with Marcus¡¯, closing their windows.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to them when we come back.¡± Marcus whispered to his father.


    The middle aged man opened his eyes before he was just about to board the ambulance. He mumbled something and tried to move, but was immediately calmed down by those carrying him into the ambulance. The final moment before the backdoors of the ambulance closed down, he stared at Marcus and Elvin, trying to gesture, pointing somewhere upstairs.


    Marcus and Elvin did not pay this much mind, for they rushed upstairs first thing after the unfortunate middle aged man was put soundly into the ambulance. They took a minute to make them seem in less of a haste, then knocked on the door of the family.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re in mourning - ¡± The one who opened the door was a young woman, and was not able to hold the door before Marcus pushed his way in. Another young woman in the room gasped and called out for help. Before Elvin could say anything to calm things down, a man seemingly in his early 30s rushed out from inside.


    Judging from their facial expressions, the two women and the man recognized Marcus. There was a brief moment of silence, before the man stood between Marcus, Elvin and the two young women: ¡°What do you want? Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re still in mourning? GET OUT!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to interrupt. And I meant no disrespect - but that man you just saw? He almost died.¡± Marcus pointed at the corridor.


    ¡°What the FUCK ARE YOU SAYING?!¡± The man almost lunged at Marcus, but was thwarted by the sharp look Marcus threw his way. He stood still, blocking the way between the younger women and Marcus: ¡°GET OUT NOW! Or we¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the police.¡± Marcus pulled out his badge: ¡°No need to call. And - please don¡¯t be alarmed. I¡¯m not accusing you of anything, I just need to ask you a few questions.¡±


    ¡°But - why are you questioning us, AT ALL?¡± The young woman who opened the door raised her voice: ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡±


    ¡°Maybe. ¡± Marcus nodded his eyes: ¡°But - if it really is the case that you found out only very recently, then I¡¯m afraid you might be in danger as well.¡±


    The man and the two young women went silent. After a while, the two women started whispering to each other, while the man tried his hardest to stay straight, his eyes were shaking and switching.

 Book 2 Chapter 102. Misfortune

    ¡°How - how are you able to help then?¡± The man cleared his throat and asked, pointing at all the protective measures they placed in the room - the buddha statues on tables and mini altars, the talismans on the walls, and even windchimes on traditional knots made of red threads.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna tell you if what you¡¯re doing here is safe enough, because to be honest, I don¡¯t know.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°All I am saying is - I think you know this as well - that something is quite abnormal with what happened to your father. And though I really appreciate your trying to make things right at the last minute, it was not enough. Because - ¡±


    ¡°Because we just saw something - something supernatural and very dangerous.¡± Elvin came out from behind Marcus and said to the man and the two younger women: ¡°That neighbor of ours. If it weren¡¯t for my son here, he could have died. I know it is not entirely on you, or on your father. But he¡¯s got dragged into this somehow. And we¡¯re here to figure out why.¡±


    ¡°Dad - ¡± Marcus shook his head lightly - it was just too harsh.


    ¡°No - son,they need to hear it.¡± Elvin shook his head and looked at the man straight in his eyes: ¡°And I understand your loss, believe me. But I think you know as well as I do, that what you want more right now, is to protect your family in all of this. So - please, we¡¯re trying to figure out how this happened. And with everything clear we¡¯d have a better idea on how to help you.¡±


    The man looked Marcus in the eyes, then Elvin, then switched back to Marcus again, before telling the two younger women behind to make some tea.


    ¡°Please - please have a seat.¡± The man of the house pointed at an old sofa near the door, while he pulled out a foldable wooden chair from the corner of the living room. ¡°May I know what you saw and - what you did?¡±


    ¡°I saw some kind of paranormal disturbance - ¡± Marcus weighed his words: ¡° - that resembled your father. Not entirely, but it resembled him. Don¡¯t worry, I believe your father¡¯s spirit is at peace now. Do you know if there¡¯s anything between your father and that neighbor of ours?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t really know.¡± The man shrugged: ¡°My father, he¡¯s not really open about his life to us, even though we live together. He had been living here for quite a while, and we only came back to stay with him recently. So - I really don¡¯t - ¡±


    The two younger women brought tea and placed them on the table beside the sofa, then stood behind the man, nervously listening to this conversation.


    ¡°How - how did you know that my father is not - you know - ¡± The man squirmed as he put out this question.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I saw him walking into the next step in the cycle of life.¡± Marcus sighed, but did not touch the tea in front of him at all: ¡°And I know that your father seemed to have suffered some physical trauma before he passed - something bad happened, right?¡±


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    The two women behind the man immediately started weeping, and the man¡¯s eyes grew red and tear-filled.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, and - I¡¯m sorry - ¡± the man wiped the corner of his eyes as he answered: ¡° - we don¡¯t know who did this. But we¡¯ll be trying to find out. It - it could be dangerous, since you¡¯re a cop - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to report to the nearest police station - we can¡¯t look into potentially criminal offenses off the books.¡± Marcus gave the playbook answer: ¡°But this - I happen to know a little. And there¡¯s no limitation of jurisdiction, so - ¡±


    ¡°He hadn¡¯t come home for a few days, so we just went out looking for him. We even had some flyers printed.¡± One of the young women behind the man broke her silence and spoke with a shaking voice: ¡°But - just when we went out, they told us that someone found him on the side of the road and he¡¯s already passed. Near - ¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you call the police?¡± Marcus frowned, for he had not heard about this, if they had reported it to police, this case would have been put into his precinct.


    ¡°No - no, we couldn¡¯t.¡± The young woman shook his head: ¡°He¡¯s found over the border, and the community collective took over. They said since it¡¯s their area, they¡¯d handle it and forward to the city - it¡¯s only been two days - ¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s physical trauma. But - ¡± The man hesitated: ¡°But there¡¯s a terrified look on his face. Unnatural and disturbing. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s - that¡¯s - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the doing of humans?¡± Marcus asked with a frown.


    The three children of the old man almost recoiled at the same time. They stammered for a moment before they could answer: ¡°Yes - yes, but - we don¡¯t know. I know that the city don¡¯t really like to handle things like this - and so since you¡¯re a cop - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking into this because I¡¯m a cop.¡± Marcus shook his head. Then after thinking for a while, he whispered to his father: ¡°Dad, can you go back and get me a talisman from under that Budda statue?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Elvin was slightly surprised..


    ¡°Yeah, I could ask for one more later.¡±


    Elvin came back after about five minutes, bringing a folded talisman in a small yellow cloth pouch with him - one made with thick, darker brown paper and dark red ink. One that was much harder to make, not to mention obtain. Marcus examined this talisman, before handing it to the family.


    The man hesitated before accepting the pouch with both hands. He did not ask much, though the two young women behind him seemed confused.


    ¡°Thank you very much - this is - I don¡¯t know how we can repay you.¡± The man asked the two young women to place it under the altar of their house.


    ¡°Well - as of now, you need it more than us. And - I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna ask you to go to a temple for help if you could.¡± Marcus sighed and stood up: ¡°Now - if there¡¯s anything you could remember - ¡±


    The man stood up and extended his hands at the door, signaling them to head outside.


    They found a relatively distant and discrete corner along the corridor, before the man spoke up: ¡°I think there¡¯s some other details you should know - but I do hope this stays between us. If you¡¯re really gonna look into this.¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t really promise you that.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°I CAN promise you though, that whatever you tell me will be treated with utmost discretion.¡±


    The man raised his eyebrows, then nodded after a short pause: ¡°Well, I appreciate the honesty. But - I guess it¡¯s the same anyway. ¡± He looked around, then took a deep breath before continuing: ¡°My father, like many old men of his age, likes to collect all kinds of resellable stuff from trash - empty bottles, cardboard boxes, scrap metal - things like that. And If you know about this - this habit, you¡¯ll know that the border between ours and the South-Eastern District is a good place to collect them. Besides that, he likes to go to the docks area in the morning, both for food and for some quiet time.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why - ¡±


    ¡°He went missing during the night.¡± The man continued, the corners of his eyes twitching uncontrollably: ¡°I was here. My younger sisters weren¡¯t. And that night, I was working late. I came back not seeing him anywhere, so I assumed he was out for a drink. He used to do that. But - he did not comeback after - ¡±


    Marcus sighed, as the man collapsed on the metal handrails on the corridor, finally having lost his composure and wept but still with a lowered voice.

 Book 2 Chapter 103. Councilman and the city (Part 1)

    ¡°What are you thinking about, son?¡± When Elvin closed the door to their apartment, he asked Marcus: ¡°You seem - tense about something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah no - it¡¯s just a lot.¡± Marcus shook his head, then sat down on the sofa, rubbing his temples: ¡°That Wuchang - what did you see when you faced him like that, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What did you see when you stood in front of him? Or did you hear anything? Feel anything?¡± Marcus took out the piece of torn white fabric from his pocket - it still retained that ethereal, smooth and out of this world quality that tingled his senses. The visions he saw still had him pondering. There was definitely some meaning behind it.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t really remember. All I remember is this sense of chilling danger and - and this weird feeling of death.¡± Elvin scratched his jaw: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it - it¡¯s different from what I expect from a Wuchang. It¡¯s - a death I know that I¡¯ll never see a way back from and will be something completely new. It¡¯s kinda - ¡±


    ¡° - kinda of grandeur and holiness.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Yeah - I guess. That is what I felt as well.¡± Marcus leaned back on the sofa, reminiscing the visions shared with him by the Wuchang, which seemed exclusive to him. As he continued to recall the images from the vision - the sense of something vast, powerful, pure but broken grew in his mind. And in direct and disturbing contrast to this presence of order and harmonious cycle, was the altar and the dark tendrils that killed the Black Wuchang and injured the White. It radiated something utterly corrupt, distortion of the natural and a little human emotion of devotion and regret.


    ¡°What - what are you thinking? Can I help?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Probably not now - I¡¯ll need to think about it a little. And maybe ask for some guidance on what information to look for.¡± Marcus sighed and stood up: ¡°Alright dad, I¡¯ll need to take a shower. I have an early day tomorrow.¡±


    The next morning, Marcus got to the precinct even earlier than his usual time. The reason was simple: Captain Ko had arranged a meeting between him, the Captain himself, Detective Shrevas Pahaik and a city councilman, Councilman Ding.


    In all these years of being a detective for the city, Marcus rarely had the chance to actually officially meet anyone who was close to higher-ups of the city, not to mention actual councilmen and councilwomen.


    The captain himself was in somewhat of a more formal looking attire, and Detective Shrevas Pahaik also appeared to have cleaned himself up quite a bit, which made Marcus seem quite underdressed.


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    ¡°We¡¯re meeting a councilman, if you¡¯re looking to advance your career in the city, being at least superficially formal is a must.¡± Captain Ko shrugged at Marcus when he looked at them in uncomfortable curiosity: ¡°But - it¡¯s not mandatory, so you don¡¯t need to change. And I expect this meeting to be short.¡±


    ¡°Shorter than our train ride there?¡± Marcus finished up his coffee.


    ¡°Yeah, perhaps.¡± Captain Ko sighed.


    Some man was complaining that his wallet was stolen to the train station security guard when Marcus got on the train along with the Captain and Shrevas.


    ¡°One of these days we need to do something about these train station pick pockets.¡± Marcus shook his head as he adjusted his borrowed tie.


    ¡°If it was easy, then it¡¯d be solved. ¡± Shrevas shrugged: ¡°I still remember when I was a beat cop, and I walk a nearby area almost everyday - I could catch one or two a week if I¡¯m lucky. Most of the time they just retreat into the other district and I can¡¯t do anything even if they¡¯re taunting me right in my face. I almost got permanently suspended once, just because some local punk ran into a tea store and I got him there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember. ¡®Disrupting the harmony between districts¡¯, the reason was.¡± Captain Ko chuckled: ¡°Sadly it¡¯s still the case now. And it¡¯s why people are gradually moving away from these areas, even with the easy access to the train.¡±


    ¡°Hello there, my friends, you want some - something exciting? ¡± A young man with messy hair and in a multi-pocketed dirty cloak came into the car and asked around: ¡°I¡¯ve got fragrances. I¡¯ve got sticks, and I¡¯ve got fragrant sticks if you¡¯ll believe me. Nice and cheap! You can¡¯t get them anywhere else! Buy some! I¡¯ve got them real deals!¡±


    Shrevas and Marcus turned their eyes on Captain Ko at the same time. Soliciting on the city train is a minor offense most of the time. And in most cases they wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye. But this young man just mentioned ¡°sticks¡±, a code word for weapons. If it was true, it would instantly escalate to a major felony.


    Captain Ko sighed and stepped slightly towards the direction from which the young man came. And when the young man reached his side, he asked: ¡°What kind of sticks do you have?¡±


    The young man¡¯s face lit up, as he pulled open the right side of his cloak and revealed a few slightly rusty canisters with tarnished labels: ¡°This is - you¡¯re not gonna believe it - concentrated pepper spray, made with blessed water from the temples. Good for your daily need against punks AND unclean filths.¡±


    ¡°Pepper spray? That¡¯s all?¡± Captain Ko sounded like he was actually both somewhat disappointed and relieved: ¡°That¡¯s the ¡®fragrant stick¡¯ you¡¯re referring to?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes!¡± The young man nodded, nervous about what Captain Ko might say: ¡°It¡¯s the best in the market! And besides, what¡¯s some regular sticks gonna do when you¡¯re being chased by a spirit, or haunted by a poltergeist, huh? With this in hand, you¡¯ll be just fine!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Captain Ko waved his hand shaking his head: ¡°I don¡¯t need this. Find someone else.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, sir?¡± The young man inched closer: ¡°These are some really good stuff! I can personally guarantee you - ¡±


    Captain Ko flashed the badge hanging from inside of his jacket to cut the young man off. The young man was stunned mid sentence, then immediately scurried away.


    ¡°Well. That¡¯s - creative. I guess.¡± Shrevas chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯d give them that.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t think it will work.¡±


    ¡°Hmm - you¡¯re sure?¡± Shrevas took a look at Marcus: ¡°I thought it just may - ¡±


    ¡°Adding other solutions or ingredients into blessed water is a mostly untested territory.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°I know they can only be mixed with rice wine made of sticky rice, or just raw sticky rice. So - ¡±


    A chime resounded in the car - they reached a stop in the middle of the South-Western District.

 Book 2 Chapter 104. Councilman and the city (Part 2)

    A small group of women who were on the older side in terms of age came into the train, looking around, whispering to each other and shaking their empty brand name shopping bags.


    ¡°This time we need to get to the temple faster.¡± One of the women said to one of her peers: ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be late. Last time we were just a few minutes late, and everything¡¯s sold out.¡±


    ¡°But - do we know if they really have it? I haven¡¯t heard anything from her.¡± The other woman asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know - it¡¯s best we just go there and wait. If not we¡¯ll think of something else. I mean - I am getting worried for my son. He¡¯s in the city college alone, and I really need to buy more of these so that I can finally feel safe - ¡±


    ¡°Oh - oh -  so do I, so do I!¡± Another woman whined, almost making the entire car notice her: ¡°I¡¯m always so worried - normal people wouldn¡¯t even know how much, absolutely stressed out of my mind. They¡¯re still living in dorms. The college is not letting them commute, and only allows them to come home on weekends. What a bunch of stuck up asses!¡±


    Before Marcus could eavesdrop some more, the train stopped and another small group of people came into the car - this time, it was four young people, in very formal looking suits and carrying briefcases that made them look slightly more mature than their faces suggest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s gonna be okay.¡± One young man whispered, both to himself and to his peers.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big a deal, trust me.¡± Another young man patted his friend on the shoulder: ¡°It¡¯s okay - it¡¯s gonna be fine. The worst they¡¯re gonna say is no.¡±


    ¡°What if they laughed at us?¡± One young woman asked, braiding some loose locks of her hair back into her bun.


    ¡°Then fuck ¡®em.¡± The final young man ticked his tongue: ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to prove to them. Our ideas are solid, if not for the fact that we just need a little bit more cash, I wouldn¡¯t even be talking to these old farts.¡±


    The train stopped again. As the door opened a gust of fresh air flowed into the car. It was the first stop into the area of Northern District, and the walls outside already looked cleaner than the stops before. Lights were brighter too, and Marcus could see more armed security walking around.


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    ¡°Alright. One more stop before we head off. Check your bags.¡± Captain Ko told Shrevas and Marcus.


    ¡°Okay. ¡± Shrevas came out of his thoughts and nodded.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Marcus stopped eavesdropping, because some more passengers got into the train and the car became loud and crowded.


    ¡°And - don¡¯t forget what this meeting is for, huh? We¡¯re here to ask for help AS WELL AS information. And we¡¯ll be talking to a politician. Okay? So stay smart and follow my lead. Don¡¯t say anything that will give out our investigation or draw too much unnecessary attention to us, remember?¡±


    Their meeting place was in a building across the street from the city hall, where the councilmen and councilwomen¡¯s offices were. Councilman Ding, as the speaker of the council and member of the security committee, was definitely one of the more esteemed ones, judging from the fact that his office was on the tallest level and was one of the biggest ones in the entire building. He also definitely played his role pretty intently - his secretary kept the three waiting outside for 15 minutes before seeing them, though they arrived absolutely on time. Captain Ko had to ping the secretary, a sharp looking woman named Bri Fung, a few times before they were finally called into the office.


    ¡°Sorry about that gentlemen.¡± Councilman Ding was a middle aged, slightly chubby man with a young looking face for his supposed age. He only greeted Captain Ko and the two detectives from behind his working desk without standing up for he seemed to be busy with some paperwork: ¡°As you can probably tell, it is a very busy time for me. With the election going on, and all those cases that needed my mediation as the speaker of the council. Things are just - you know, very delicate and need a lot of attention from everyone. So - what can I do for you gentlemen?¡±


    ¡°Well, esteemed Councilman - it¡¯s like I¡¯ve told you in the call.¡± Captain Ko sat down on the biggest chair in front of the desk, while Marcus and Shrevas could only two smaller chairs from the side: ¡°We are asking for some unfettered access into some of the Blue Envelopes. And hope the city would grant us that, without it being too big of an issue.¡±


    A concerned look flashed through the face of Councilman Ding but disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Marcus caught it, and noted it down in his mind. He had some questions, but decided to ask only when the time was right.


    ¡°Oh? Why are you - why are you asking for this?¡± Councilman Ding put on a confused and innocent face: ¡°The city should have already provided ALL law enforcement agencies and personnel with open access to all Blue Envelope cases. So I am not entirely sure what you¡¯re asking¡­¡±


    ¡°The issue is with the frequency checks, and some restrictions on how we can act on the information, share intel with related parties and access to other related evidence and documents.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°Our precinct has been investigating certain cases that might be linked to some of the old Blue Envelope cases. We¡¯re assuming these might be some kind of copycat murders going on.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? ¡± Councilman Ding leaned in and narrowed his eyes at Captain Ko: ¡°What kind of cases are we talking about here? Can you let me in on some of the details? I¡¯m happy to help, but it¡¯d be easier if I can have something concrete to present to the committee. And - who are you planning to share this intel with?¡±


    ¡°Regarding the cases, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t present you with anything solid, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Captain Ko sighed and shook his head: ¡°All I can share with you right now is they¡¯re murders, with some deliberate scene setting to mimic old occult style crimes¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Councilman.¡± The secretary opened the door: ¡°There¡¯s an urgent document that needs your attention. It should be just a minute - ¡±


    The councilman grunted, then stood up and headed toward the door: ¡°Sorry gentlemen, let me handle this real quick.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 105. Councilman and the city (Part 3)

    Councilman Ding spent about three minutes outside, speaking in a low voice with his secretary, before coming back in with a slightly annoyed look.


    ¡°Everything okay? Councilman?¡± Captain Ko scratched his jaw.


    ¡°Nothing really, just some tiny annoyance.¡± Councilman Ding sighed, sat back on his expensive looking chair with an uncomfortable grunt: ¡°You know, come to think of it, it has something to do with your precinct. That mass burial site your detectives discovered? A LOT OF unpleasant stuff. I am not going into a bunch of details, but let me tell you what I could: it¡¯s not good. It¡¯s not clean and it¡¯s a whole mess.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Captain Ko leaned in a little.


    ¡°Well, for starters - they¡¯ve found some fresh bodies, aside from those age-old ones that almost crumble with the wind.¡± The councilman shook his head, but his eyes were sharp and keep even under his smile: ¡°Looks like some other people have been using that burial site for some other unsavory deeds. And then there¡¯s also this thing - the original owner of that piece of land was nowhere to be found. Even when we have some of our best investigators looking into it, we still can¡¯t be sure where to find them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very curious. So it was actively maintained?¡± Captain Ko sounded surprised: ¡°What else could you share with us. Or, maybe we can help with the investigation in some way?¡±


    ¡°Nonono, it¡¯s fine. This is a greatly concerning case, and it needs a ton of experience and discretion, which I¡¯m not sure is the right workload for your precinct.¡± Councilman Ding chuckled, his eyes still fixed on Marcus and Shrevas: ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking who you wanna share intel with, should you get more loosely checked or even unchecked access and liberty to share the information?¡±


    ¡°The community collective, or I should say, their liaison.¡± Captain Ko nodded. And the councilman nodded, as if he was already expecting this answer.


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    ¡°That¡¯s not unheard of. With everything going on, the city has put a tremendous amount of effort into trying to build a better relationship with our less fortunate districts and area.¡± Councilman Ding leaned back slightly: ¡°Which means, intelligence sharing and cooperation between our law enforcement agencies would be on the top of the list. I believe you are already working with a liaison from the community collective, am I correct? And he¡¯ll be the one you share intelligence with right?¡±


    ¡°So - so you agree? ¡± Shrevas couldn¡¯t help himself but ask.


    ¡°Agree in general and in theory to your sentiment? Yes. But - in terms of setting up the kind of pipeline and protocol you¡¯re looking for I do need a little bit more details regarding - regarding what kind of cases you¡¯re looking into. Maybe if you have a case number you have in mind, or some kind of details about the case - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very prudent. Of course.¡± Captain Ko gave both Shrevas and Marcus a ¡°let me talk¡± look and proceeded to explain: ¡°There¡¯s this one case - I¡¯m sure you have heard of it. A relatively wealthy family, good social circles, and unfortunately murdered with quite extreme measures in their home.¡± This earned brief strange looks at him from Shrevas and Marcus, but neither of them said anything.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I think I¡¯ve heard of this case - the Lings, right?¡± Councilman Ding nodded, turned his head and started gazing at a painting in a light orange wooden frame: ¡°Yeah, believe it or not, I am actually acquainted with them. But never had any deep connections or relationships. It¡¯s really sad, what happened to them. Nice family, I heard. I wish I could spend more time with them¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what we found. Some of us are looking into whether they have any potential enemies who would want to hurt them like this. And some of us are looking in some other angles, one of the most plausible theories is there being a group of unhinged copycats trying to reenact some urban legends.¡±


    ¡°... I can see that.¡± Councilman Ding sighed while playing with his tie and cufflinks: ¡°And it is definitely a case that¡¯s worth setting up this protocol for¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what do you say, esteemed councilman?¡± Captain Ko leaned in with an earnest look on his face: ¡°To be honest, this route is probably the best angle we have so far. Because -  because whoever did this was really professional, or lucky. I¡¯m not one to whine about how unfortunate and out of resource we are, but the perps did not leave useful leads behind. It was as if they got there, committed the horrendous act and then vanished out of thin air. ¡±


    Councilman Ding appeared to be slightly uncomfortable with this description. After about a few seconds, he turned to Captain Ko with a slightly concerned look on his face: ¡°Okay, I think I understand what you need. Tell you what - I¡¯ll chat with other committee members about giving you more access and more room for sharing intel with the community collective. And right now, I think it¡¯d be best if you can share with me at least a few potential case numbers, so I can alert the committee and let them know you¡¯re looking into it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. The first one I¡¯ll be looking at is number 1148  - or 1149.¡± Captain Ko nodded, with a relieved smile on his face.

 Book 2 Chapter 106. Councilman and the city (Part 4)

    ¡°1148 and 1149?¡± The corner of Councilman Ding¡¯s right eye twitched, but he collected himself without a moment of hesitation: ¡°What - uh, what do you need to take a look at those cases for?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re also looking into a similar case, because they had this - this whole cultish group murder thing. Our current assumption is they are copycats. We¡¯ve collected some stories and local legends circulating in the wild. But - we know that there are some forgotten details in the case because it was so many years ago and its handling and investigation faced quite a lot of challenges.¡±


    Councilman Ding ticked his tongue, then shrugged: ¡°I think what you meant is 1149 then? 1148 is not a murder case - it¡¯s uh - it¡¯s a case about some items being stolen from our most secure archives. I - I don¡¯t think we have any of that, do we?¡±


    ¡°I surely hope not.¡± Captain Ko left out a fake hearty laugh: ¡°Because if that¡¯s true, we¡¯ll have a full city lockdown.¡±


    Councilman Ding laughed along with Captain Ko, the two men laughed for quite a while, at the confusion of the two detectives.


    ¡°Alright, Captain. I really appreciate your willingness to look at things from a different angle. Though I am not quite sure what you¡¯d find on there, or IF you could find anything useful. I¡¯d bring it up with the committee. And - also, if I remember correctly, there are still those related to the victims of 1149 living in the city. Some are still in this district, some moved to the South-Western. I don¡¯t imagine any of them living in the South-Eastern District, but hey - it¡¯s still possible. If you want, I can give you a list of their addresses and contact information. That is - if they are granting you this access and permission to share intel with the community collective. They - I meant the rest of the committee. I¡¯m pretty sure they would agree, because you made a convincing case, and you found the right guy - ¡±


    Captain Ko laughed again, then stood up and extended his hand to the councilman: ¡°I¡¯m so glad I went to the right advocate for my case. Thank you very much, Councilman Ding.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Councilman Ding stood up and shook the captain¡¯s hand: ¡°Now, I hope you gentlemen have a good day. And good luck. I¡¯ll try to get back to you within a week. If you don¡¯t hear from me, feel free to reach out, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Of course. And hope you¡¯ll have a relaxed day soon. You definitely need it, my esteemed councilman.¡± Captain Ko smiled as he led the two detectives out of the councilman¡¯s office.


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    ¡°Okay. Pop quiz: what do you think of this meeting?¡± In the train station with the smell of expensive coffee in the air, Captain Ko asked Shrevas and Marcus.


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus asked, slightly confused.


    ¡°Yeah, what?¡± Shrevas also appeared confused.


    ¡°What do you think of this meeting? What did you get out of it?¡± Captain Ko shrugged, then took a sip of his expensive coffee from a well-designed paper cup, grimacing: ¡°Ugh - this is not worth the fucking five dollars. What¡¯d they put in here, tar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a specialized coffee, apparently from a very distant city with those special ingredients.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°I think Kevin shared some with me once. There is actually dark brown broth underneath. So - ¡±


    ¡°Eh, enough, enough.¡± Captain Ko took another sip, grimaced another time, then asked once again: ¡°What do you think? Tell me! Be honest, don¡¯t worry - it won¡¯t impact your future promotion.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not getting any promotion?¡± Marcus chuckled.


    ¡°You won¡¯t if you keep that attitude and dodge the question.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, maybe I should go first.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°He¡¯s basically dodged all of our requests and just given us an empty promise. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re gonna get the access from him. And - with all due respect, captain, I am a little flabbergasted by your bringing up the Ling family case. I mean, I guess it did give us more justification to ask for more access to the more sensitive Blue Envelopes. But I don''t feel very comfortable not being honest about how we¡¯re dealing with cases like this..¡±


    ¡°Duly noted. But understand that I didn¡¯t really have much of a choice. If I don¡¯t give him a number, the meeting¡¯s off.¡± Captain Ko nodded, then turned to Marcus: ¡°What about you, Marcus? You have any other input or readings?¡±


    ¡°I think - he seemed to be asking for too much information.¡± Marcus responded after thinking for a while: ¡°I mean, I understand that his being the speaker and a member of the security committee would require more information before he could make a decision. It¡¯s still - ¡±


    ¡°Way too much?¡± Shrevas asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a little too much. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s not looking for information to approve or deny our request - ¡±


    ¡°Keep that thought in mind.¡± The train arrived, and the doors slid open: ¡°And - let¡¯s make this clear: I don¡¯t think we should make the mistake of thinking the city or the city council is on our side. In fact, it would be much more beneficial to us to assume that they are siding against us by default.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re not gonna give us access and authority in sharing intel then? I guess we¡¯ll have to prepare the explanations for accessing the files repeatedly?¡± Shrevas shook his head: ¡°Oh, man, paperwork time, I guess? ¡±


    Captain Ko did not answer, he took a look at Marcus, then took a look at Shrevas, smiling and shaking his head: ¡°No. I think they might just give us almost everything we asked for.¡±


    ¡°Because he and the committee can monitor our usage of the information and secretly follow up with our investigation?¡± Marcus scratched his jaw, then asked with a soft gasp.


    ¡°Yep. I may be wrong on that, but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Hey! This - ¡± Shrevas frowned, almost yelled but immediately lowered his voice: ¡°But that means the city - ¡±


    ¡°Yep. So keep your mouths shut. Share only with those who need to know.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 107. Revisit and Development (Part 1)

    ¡°Oh? Getting off work so soon?¡± Seeing that Marcus was about to leave just around 15 minutes after his official shift ended, Captain Ko asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, I have a - a guided meditation session.¡± Marcus hesitated for a while, then shrugged.


    ¡°Okay, then enjoy your time and rest well.¡± Captain Ko smiled and yawned: ¡°I have to get back early too, my wife¡¯s not very happy with me today because I left too early this morning and disturbed her sleep. So I¡¯d better bring some snacks back with me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, have a good night then captain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and before I forget - ¡± Captain Ko doubled back as he was about to exit the main gate: ¡°If you want, you can try to access those blue envelope files now. Just don¡¯t share anything with Ms. Lee yet. I can find some excuse for you - some breakthrough in our investigation, a sudden inspiration, blah blah blah, just let me know when you do, then we can work on what to say to the security committee and the councilman.¡±


    ¡°That would be very helpful, thank you very much, Captain.¡± Marcus nodded. He still had reservations about this. Possibly something he needed to find a good time to do.


    Marcus¡¯ guided meditation session was in fact his normal training session with Master Liaoran, only slightly earlier than his usual time. For he simply had more questions and favors to ask. It was beginning to become a bit embarrassing as to how much he had gained from the Temple of Forgetfulness yet did not get a chance to pay the master back. He could possibly return the favor by helping Bai Gu, or Wuzui, with certain things, possibly in the future.


    ¡°Greetings, detective.¡± As usual, it was Wuzui who opened the gate for Marcus: ¡°Thank you for coming, Master will be with you shortly. He¡¯s still in a meeting with some other donors.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine.¡± Marcus shrugged and walked towards the inner sanctum with Wuzui: ¡°How are you doing? Are things¡­ going well?¡±


    ¡°Namo Amitabha. Things are as they are and should be. My gratitude for your thoughts and concern.¡± Wuzui responded lightly with his right hand in a praying pose in front of his chest: ¡°Considering how things are in the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Hopefully things will blow over soon, well ¡­¡± Marcus did not even finish his own sentence before shaking his head at his words: ¡°What can I say - it¡¯d be nice if things CAN go back to normal. I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s more of a daydream now.¡±


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    ¡°This monk definitely understands. ¡± Wuzui sighed along with Marcus: ¡°Yet, it is important to have faith.¡±


    Marcus chuckled and did not respond directly. His usual mat was on the ground where it usually was, and he sat down on it like he usually did.


    ¡°Detective ¡­¡± Wuzui stood on the side, somewhat hesitant in what he was about to say: ¡°Did you recently encounter something - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is why I came here early, earlier than we agreed.¡± Marcus nodded and looked Wuzui in his eyes: ¡°What? What do you see? Something unusual?¡±


    ¡°I - this monk cannot say for sure, for my cultivation has all but just begun. Something strange and arcane looms over you, detective. Both like dark, grim clouds. Yet a ray of light pierces through. A light steadfast and unwavering. ¡± Wuzui thought for a brief moment before giving Marcus his carefully worded answer: ¡°This monk thinks, as I know you would, you have taken upon yourself to walk a strange and arduous path. This makes your light, your fire and your shadows unclear. And it is probably best for the master - ¡±


    ¡°Wuzui, what did I teach you about reading the aura of others?¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice interjected.


    ¡°It is unbecoming of a practitioner and a cultivator. I know, master.¡± Wuzui immediately bowed and lowered his head: ¡°I am fully aware of my wrong doing. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°Please, master, I asked him to - ¡±


    ¡°Considering that Detective Cai is your acquaintance, this is an understandable offense. ¡± Master Liaoran came in: ¡°Your punishment is one incense stick.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be right on it.¡± Wuzui bowed to Master Liaoran, then paced away.


    ¡°Master, you shouldn¡¯t - ¡± Marcus tried to explain: ¡°I really did ask him.¡±


    ¡°And it is very natural of you to do so, for I can see why.¡± Master Liaoran looked Marcus up and down: ¡°Wise and cautious decision on your part. But it¡¯s precisely because of this, Wuzui should have been wise to not overtell and decline your request. He is far from there yet. Deciphering auras and omens without the right ability is a serious taboo. A practitioner, a monk and a cultivator should not be confused or blinded by social conditions, relations and interactions. Enlightenment cannot be achieved, if one is obsessed with what lies in front, what¡¯s behind and what¡¯s under the feet.¡± He sat down on his mat, gesturing to Marcus to sit in front of him.


    Marcus sighed, then sat down as instructed: ¡°Understood, master.¡± Then he could not help but ask: ¡°What - uh, what¡¯s that punishment? One incense stick?¡±


    ¡°Meditation in the pool, for the length of time enough for one incense stick to burn completely off.¡± Master Liaoran smiled, pulling a small incense burner from his sleeve, and sticking one incense stick in it.  He then used his finger to light the incense stick, while looking Marcus in his eyes: ¡°You brought something with you. Something very arcane, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Indeed.¡± Marcus nodded and pulled a small cloth pouch from his jacket. Inside this cloth pouch was an envelope made of talisman paper, inside of which was the piece of fabric from that White Wuchang¡¯s robe. He proceeded to tell the master everything that happened in his apartment complex during the night of return of the old man, including the conversation he and his father had with the old man¡¯s family.


    ¡°Wuchang Robe. You¡¯ve got a small piece of highly sought after treasure.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°It is a token of gratitude. Legend says that with a full robe, you will be able to transcend the boundaries of life and death. And even with this small piece, it should grant you enough protection to not be confused or bewitched by malicious beings.¡±


    ¡°But - what of the visions I saw? I made sure with my father, he did not have any visions.¡±


    ¡°That is something this monk cannot answer you right away.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°Warnings and cautions of atrocities and malice seem worthless and cliche these days. So - I should have something to tell you next time. But before that, here¡¯s a question for you: what do you know about the concept of Qiyun?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 108. Revisit and Development (Part 2)

    ¡°Qiyun?¡± Marcus thought for a minute, recalling from the depths of his memory about the word. He may have heard of it, for the word did sound familiar. But eventually, he decided to stop trying and just ask the master: ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve heard of it, master.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, because this is still a relatively taboo notion. And I would say, it¡¯s not a simple idea to explain. ¡± Master Liaoran picked up some ashes from the incense burner and drew in the air with this very finger. The ashes lingered in the fingertrail for a short moment before they fell, but the pattern of flowing river and waterfall still registered with Marcus. ¡°It¡¯s the inverse of the word Yunqi, or luck. And it shared a lot of similarities, when you think about it.


    ¡°It is like airflow in the wind, like water in a lake, like sunshine. It goes through each and every one of us, living and dead, human and non-humans. It is the way things are, things were and what they will be.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°I think the best way for you to look at it, as you just saw, is a river. We, as the puny fish and shrimps living downstream. We take in what the good the water brings us, and endure the bad that comes with it.¡±


    ¡°And - there are also certain ways for us to live better if we know the water? Or at least know how to detect bad things from coming right at us? ¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Master Liaoran scooped up another small batch of ash from the burner, rubbed it on the ground and drew two circles, one small and one big, the big one enclosing the small one: ¡°The main reason for that is this - look at these two circles, the realm and space we live in is the smaller one. We see what we can see, hear what we can hear, learn what we can comprehend. Yet there are still a lot more that are beyond our reach, not just our ability to affect, but also our ability to comprehend.


    ¡°And Qiyun, it is something that spans across all realms, the small circle, AND the big.¡± Master Liaoran continued, and drew several lines running through both circles: ¡°It is itself a medium of knowledge, of information and power. Thus, if you try to take a look - ¡±


    ¡°It will be filled with information that cannot be understood, and could even misguide you?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°So - what Wuzui did - ¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get it.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°But don¡¯t be alarmed - it¡¯s not easy to peek through the veil separating us from the stream. In fact, almost no one can do it even if they try. All we can do is see waves, patterns and ripples. But, to dip your toe into the stream, means you¡¯re about to face the coldness and perils of the water. This is another reason, that those who are capable of divination rarely use their skill, even if they do, it¡¯s going to cost much more than money to convince them to do so.¡±


    ¡°And - since this is the case, I¡¯d imagine a greater cost will surely incur if one wants to alter the course of Qiyun, or more ridiculously ambitiously, change their fate?¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s impossible right?¡±


    ¡°All I can tell you is that it¡¯s not impossible. Some people tried. And at great cost to themselves and people around them.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°It is beyond difficult, with measures beyond any normal human¡¯s imagination. The cost is great. It¡¯s ruthless. Cruel, even.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Marcus went into his thoughts, he had some idea on what place this theory was going to lead to. What Master Liaoran just told him about Qiyun was vague but still easily comprehensible - it was the law of nature, or a fundamental part of it. And thus - the piece of pale white fabric was much more powerful and precious than he previously imagined.


    ¡°... that means. Wuchangs, like Deliverers but to a greater degree, are the carriers of order, or the ¡®Will¡¯ of the order, if you¡¯d like.¡± Master Liaoran waited a few moments before continuing: ¡°And deliverers - you encountered them before right? The thing that actually delivered the kill of your perp in custody?¡±


    ¡°That means - ¡± Marcus immediately looked the master in the eyes: ¡°Either someone is attempting something really horrible, or the flow of Qiyun is seriously broken in certain areas. That Wuchang was trying to tell me about something. Should I - should I try to find that place with the altar and the dead body?¡±


    ¡°No. ¡± Master Liaoran immediately shook his head with a stern look on his face: ¡°I think he was trying to give you a warning, maybe he wished that you, being someone who obviously had the ability and experience, could help this situation. Or maybe he was just giving you a warning. This monk cannot tell. But if that place could pose danger to Wuchangs, it would surely be way too dangerous for normal humans.¡±


    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Marcus groaned: ¡°What can I do then, master?¡±


    ¡°To start, preparations.¡± Master Liaoran stood up: ¡°You came just at the right time. I have another crimson talisman ready for you - you did good by giving it to that family. But they might still need your help. So, help when you can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    ¡°And, I¡¯ll try to find some material to make better talismans - purple talismans, if possible. I must admit I have underestimated how bad things have gotten and how fast the situation deteriorated.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°I¡¯ll give you a list of things, if you get the chance to get any, please be sure to obtain it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Master Liaoran took out a small manual with thick oiled paper covers: ¡°This would be your new training material from now on.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 109. Revisit and Development (Part 3)

    ¡°This is a - what is this?¡± Marcus asked Master Liaoran while flipping through the pages of the small manual, confused by all the vivid paintings and drawings.


    ¡°It¡¯s a visualization manual. Something to help with your meditation, or should I say, an alternate means of meditation.¡± Master Liaoran answered: ¡°The usage is very simple: find a quiet place. Drink enough water, don¡¯t be too full or too hungry. Clear your mind. Fix your eyes on them and try to have the image imprinted on your mind.¡±


    ¡°But - there are many of them.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you need to find the right one for you. You¡¯ll feel it after around 30 seconds to one minute. Don¡¯t push yourself too hard. ¡± Master Liaoran smiled as he pulled a long cloth hanging on the wall of the inner sanctum, revealing a drawing of a humanoid creature: green skin, one extra eye on the forehead, two ears on each side, long eyebrows and sharp fangs. ¡°This is for Wuzui, when he¡¯s hardened his basics and foundations enough. It¡¯s the Fanged Baboon, a legendary beast of high intellect and agility. It will be helpful when he reaches that level.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s fairly detailed.¡± Marcus tried to focus slightly on the drawing, and it only took less than five seconds before he started getting dizzy and a light headache. As he averted his eyes, the master flipped the cloth back into its place to cover the painting up again.


    ¡°When you¡¯ve accomplished enough through basic visualization, you¡¯re going to have one of your own. In more detail.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°Can¡¯t learn to run yet. ¡±


    ¡°What - what will happen if I accomplish what it¡¯s intended for?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°For one, it¡¯ll help you with the one defect you realized with your Kung Fu, or any martial arts, really - up until now you are only able to sense them, see them by suppressing the Yang properties of your Qi and tuning it towards a more Yin-leaning direction. It works, and it''s good practice and technique. But it has its limitations, this would help you with that.


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    ¡°And apart from this, there¡¯s something else it would definitely help you with - it will harden your mind and will, which will make you less easy to manipulate. I trust now that, since you¡¯ve seen your fair share of illusions, you¡¯d know how dangerous they could be. In fact, for the weaker malicious spirits, illusion is the main means with which they harm and even kill their victims.¡±


    ¡°I see - this is - super helpful. Thank you very much, master.¡± Marcus nodded and put the manual into his inner pocket: ¡°So - how do we start today?¡±


    ¡°One question.¡± Master Liaoran led Marcus outside of the inner sanctum and into the yard in which they used to spar: ¡°Did you figure out what that stench on your captain is? Where it comes from?¡±


    ¡°No, unfortunately. And I don¡¯t really know how I can look into it.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°All I can tell is - it¡¯s weird. It¡¯s a different kind of smell. It¡¯s - yeah I still can¡¯t think of anything similar. Maybe with this manual I can describe how it looks. Or I can try to get closer to the captain with my Qi suppressed.¡±


    ¡°No need to try too hard. Things should be revealed in due time.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°If it is of this much importance to you, then why don¡¯t we start with some basic visualization practices?¡±


    Meditation was more about keeping one¡¯s mind clear yet astute, control one¡¯s breathing patterns and focusing on reflecting one¡¯s own life in an attempt to gain more retrospection and wisdom; Visualization, on the other hand, was about keeping one¡¯s mind in a state of tension and strength, for one needed to concentrate on the drawing and try their hardest to resist the natural disturbance emanating from it and avoid being distracted by the illusions.


    The drawing that ended up most suitable for Marcus, to no one¡¯s surprise, was one that took the rough shape of a large cat, or one may even say it looked like a tiger. There was still a bit of ambiguity because it was mostly only an outline, with blocks of different colors and patterns inside.


    How he found this drawing was also a strange experience - when he fixed his eyes on other drawings, he had similar experiences as when he looked at the Fanged Baboon drawing: his head hurt, his sight became blurry and dizzy. All in all, he felt all sorts of discomfort. For the drawing he ended up with, on the other hand, it seemed to have a strange property to draw him in, without him causing him any discomfort, at least not at first. Only after spending time looking at it, did he realize that his energy was being expended at an accelerated rate, with the power of his mind being exercised and tempered in the process.


    When Marcus woke from the visualization state, he actually needed to lie on the ground for a while. His ears were ringing, his visions were spinning, his entire body felt like swinging on a boat. Master Liaoran nodded at him in approval, before leaving him on the ground. He wanted to ask where the master was going, only his jaws and tongue were so sore that he could barely utter a word.


    Master Liaoran came back after about three minutes, with another manual in his hands: ¡°Detective, this is for you as well - something I¡¯ve been recently practicing. Basic tricks to aide your Qi cultivation, most of it, but it was surprisingly helpful. So I¡¯d suggest you see how it is with you.¡±


    ¡°Than - thank you very much, master.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and responded with a weak voice.


    ¡°You¡¯d still need a few minutes. I¡¯ll ask Wuzui to prepare some tea and some food for you.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 110. Payback (Part 1)

    When Marcus left the Temple of Forgetfulness, he brought several things with him. All courtesy of the Master and Wuzui.


    Aside from the visualization instruction manual, and the other manual on meditation and cultivating Qi, he also got two additional talismans. One in high quality red paper, an authentic crimson evil repellant talisman, power wise possibly only second to only purple talismans made with more precious materials and with more demanding technique; the other was one made with a kind of brown paper that had some extra thickness. From the brush strokes of the patterns, he could tell that it was not the work of the master, but of Wuzui. It was also an evil repellant talisman, but with the bonus ability of glowing when unclean entities were close.


    The final thing he got from the temple was a simple jade pendant, with the rough shape of a sitting and laughing buddha. According to the master, it was not anything special or especially blessed. It was just something that had been in this temple for quite a while, and in theory could help Marcus in thwarting any adverse influence from the fabric of the Wuchang robe. It was not that the master, or Wuzui for that matter, knew what kind of effect it would have on Marcus. It was just that, something belonging to powerful otherworldly beings would in no doubt have unexpected effects on any human.


    The time was already late when he reached the bus stop. And to his surprise, there was a bus coming his way. He double checked everything before getting on, and took a good look at the bus driver before sitting down. This was not a ghost bus, at least as far as he could tell.


    While sitting on the seat close to the front door, he checked out the interior of the bus two more times. He could not be too careful. Last time, he did not really recognize that the kind and warm driver was not human, and the actual sickly child he thought to be a ghost was actually a human young boy just looking for help from the temple.


    ¡°What - what are you looking at?¡± The driver, a man that looked a couple of years younger than Marcus asked, his eyes shifting and his nose flaring - he was nervous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just - just trying to make sure that you are safe and are adhering to the safety regulations.¡± Marcus pulled out his badge: ¡°And I am confident that you are fine. No need to worry.¡±


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    ¡°Well - I - I just took this job because of the pay! And the health insurance!¡± The driver shook his head, his fingers clutched onto the steering wheel as if his life depended on it: ¡°I - I have all the paperwork, I promise you - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Watch the road, okay, my life depends on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god. Please don¡¯t fine me.¡± The driver¡¯s voice cracked: ¡°I really need this money! And driving these scary, creepy ass night shifts is all I can do! If you fine me again I wouldn¡¯t even be able to afford food next week!¡±


    ¡°Fine you? What are you talking about?¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°Fines of bus drivers are not under the PCPD¡¯s jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± The man was stunned for a short moment: ¡°I - I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell your company? What did they say?¡±


    ¡°No - I - I¡¯m afraid that if I did, they¡¯d fire me!¡±


    ¡°Nonono, believe me, they probably won¡¯t.¡± Marcus shook his head, then continued after a short moment of thought: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard, but the city really needs night shift drivers. Do you - do you have any protection with you?¡±


    ¡°Protection? Like - like buddha statues? Or Bagua Mirrors?¡± The driver shrugged.


    ¡°Well - yeah, possibly. Or things like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought you were a cop? What kind of cop says things like that?¡± The driver chuckled.


    ¡°An open minded one. Watch the road.¡± Marcus sighed and leaned back: ¡°Also, look into this information, okay? I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re not cops. Cops can¡¯t fine you like that. Unless you violated traffic laws. Did you violate traffic laws?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t think so?¡± The driver appeared confused. He squinted his eyes: ¡°I - I really don¡¯t remember what happened. They just yelled at me, screamed at me, and then stopped the passengers from coming in. Then gave me a hefty fine. I don¡¯t really know - ¡±


    ¡°You should go to a police precinct and submit a report.¡± Marcus pushed the ¡°stop¡± button as the bus was getting close to the stop where he should get off: ¡°And - uh, if your route passes through the South-Eastern District, you can go to the community collective for help. I don¡¯t know their process, but they SHOULD offer you some guidance.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you, officer.¡± The man sighed and nodded: ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll think about that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you as well.¡± Marcus waved at the driver: ¡°And be safe.¡±


    Marcus hesitated when he reached the floor below the one where his apartment was - this was where the family was. Maybe he needed to pay the family another visit and chat with them. But he was not entirely sure whether that would be a wise choice for now. How he approached things last time already gave him regret.


    ¡°Of - officer?¡± A familiar voice greeted him.


    Marcus looked up, and saw the son of the family, weary with bags under his eyes, holding a small plastic bag of old clothes.

 Book 2 Chapter 111. Payback (Part 2)

    ¡°How - how are you, officer?¡± The man asked Marcus with a wry smile: ¡°You had a long day? You look tired.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not that bad, just held up by some - some extra stuff.¡± Marcus nodded at the man, who actually appeared way more tired than he was. ¡°You seem - not that good. What happened? ¡±


    ¡°Oh - oh - it¡¯s okay. I just - did not get much sleep recently.¡± The man sighed and put the plastic bag down: ¡°I - I wanted to say thank you. For me and for my sisters - after what happened, we¡¯ve been having nightmares almost every night. No matter how many talismans and blessed items we place in our apartment, none of them could help. At least - not until we got that crimson - got that talisman from you.¡± The man lowered his voice, as if he was worried that the neighbors would hear him.


    ¡°Oh? You did not really mention nightmares the other day.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really something I¡¯d want to bring up. Without knowing¡­¡± The man shook his head, then raised his plastic bag: ¡°Can I - can I catch up with you after I get rid of these? I¡¯m going to burn it, as the master suggested.¡±


    ¡°Burn it? These are your father¡¯s?¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Okay - let me walk down with you. You have something to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually.¡± The man sighed and walked down the stairs along with Marcus: ¡°And I want to say thank you, again. Because of you my sisters could finally get some sleep. ¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I mean - ever since what happened, all of us were scared shitless.¡± The man yawned and then sighed again: ¡°So - I stayed up all night. But looks like things are getting better soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad I could help. And - excuse me for asking, which master did you go to?¡± Marcus asked.


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    ¡°Well, Master Shi - the famous fortune teller.¡± The man rubbed his temples: ¡°He told me that it¡¯s a good sign the nightmares have stopped. He even took a look at the talisman - ¡±


    ¡°Wait - you showed this Master Shi the talisman I gave you?¡± Marcus had to cut the man off.


    ¡°Yeah - kinda - because I was not sure if it was going to last - and you and your father are not home .¡± The man shook his head again: ¡°I had to go ask someone. And I checked, the Temple of Forgetfulness was quite far away, I can¡¯t leave my sisters home for too long, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, don¡¯t do that next time. I guess I don¡¯t have to remind you how precious that talisman is.¡± Marcus nodded, frowning: ¡°If that ¡®Master Shi¡¯ does not have your best interest at heart - ¡±


    ¡°I understand, officer, really. I just need to find someone with experience and expertise.¡± The man opened up the plastic bag as they reached the bottom of the building and headed toward an extra large metal trash can with ashes and other unburned items inside. ¡°And - I asked around, Master Shi has a decent reputation in the streets. He did not try to take this talisman for himself, and his charge is reasonable. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - good.¡±


    ¡°He just told me it should be placed firmly at the South-East corner of the apartment. And we should place an incense burner beside our door to help cleanse whatever foul energy that might seep into our place.¡±


    Marcus shrugged, per his knowledge and experience, the instruction on the placement of the talisman is correct, he just did not know what the incense burner by the door was about.


    ¡°And - I guess thanks to the little insurance policy my father got some time back, my sisters and I can finally gather enough money to leave.¡± The man put the clothes into the trash can then took out a small piece of solid alcohol wrapped in paper tissues from the plastic bag and threw it in as well. He lit the liquid alcohol up with a small match, then waited by the side: ¡°It¡¯s not easy. We will miss this place. But there¡¯s basically nothing for us here.¡±


    ¡°Well, congratulations.¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°It¡¯s not an easy choice to make. Must have taken you a lot of consideration and effort.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, hehehe. It¡¯s not that hard a choice, after everything. ¡± The man chuckled and stretched: ¡°Our home is the only thing keeping us here. And right now our father¡¯s gone, and none of us has any deep attachment to the city. So - we can just sell our apartment to pay for the tax and set up for a good life elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°I wish you a bright future away from here. And be safe.¡± Marcus nodded as old man¡¯s clothes were gradually swallowed by the flames.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I needed to tell you, officer. And I hope it could help. Now that we have a clear way forward, I hope to offer at least a little help to someone here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, shoot.¡±


    ¡°My father was found by THE dumpster. Well - not really by it, but he was found near it.¡± The man took a deep breath and said. The flames in the trash can went low and jumped up at the mention of ¡°THE dumpster¡±, as if it was something utterly taboo.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°THE dumpster.¡± The man leaned in with his voice lowered: ¡°The cursed dumpster ? The one where they found pieces of a woman that many years ago?¡±


    Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°Wait, which cursed dumpster? I - I don¡¯t actually remember - ¡±


    ¡°The Dumpster of Big Sister Yi. Yixiang Zhuge.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 112. Sketch and Notes

    ¡°The cursed dumpster? That¡¯s an old one.¡± Kevin shrugged as he slurped his noodles while sitting on top of his desk: ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard about it. It¡¯s a super old urban legend. I don¡¯t remember the details - but it¡¯s not good if it turned out to be real.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember that. What¡¯s it about?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Well - if I remember correctly, it¡¯s about a dumpster that just wouldn¡¯t go.¡± Kevin typed on his laptop and started reading from something he found: ¡°Okay - I found some very old posts from some even older and ugly-ass forums: it says that the cursed dumpster is one particular metal dumpster with spray paint on it, originally located somewhere between the South-Eastern and South-Western Districts. It became cursed due to some unfortunate guy getting chopped in pieces and thrown into it. The police and people never figured out why.¡±


    ¡°And by ¡®just wouldn¡¯t go¡¯, what do you mean? ¡± Marcus raised his coffee mug. He wanted to take a look at Kevin¡¯s screen, but decided against it because his lingering headache was a major annoyance - it was not serious enough to make him stop functioning, but not light enough for him to ignore and sail through the day.


    ¡°It means - the locals and the local authority tried removing them a couple of times, but it always ends up back in its original place.¡± Kevin squinted his eyes: ¡°And - some people tried to burn it down, even hired exorcists to handle it. But none helped. What¡¯s worse is that it seems like it would even lash out against those who tried to act against it, civilians, exorcists, taoists and their families alike. It was later sealed locally at the hands of a few monks and practitioners from the South-Eastern District.¡±


    ¡°And - how is it now?¡± Marcus¡¯ frown grew deeper: ¡°This family - the father died and was found in that very dumpster - it¡¯s not good, right? Does it mean that it¡¯s acting up again?¡±


    ¡°Not - not necessarily.¡± Kevin scrolled through a few pages: ¡°Here, at least from what I can tell, those deaths linked to this dumpster all seemed rather random. Horrible and unfortunate deaths, but no pattern as far as I can tell from these posts, and no direct links. If you want I can take a look at a few more.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at it later.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Looks like it¡¯s - it¡¯s Blue Envelope Material? Would it be there?¡±


    ¡°I would say so.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Let¡¯s talk this out with Captain - shall we? I mean we need to ask him about those anyway.¡±


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    ¡°Hey guys.¡± At this moment, Mick Cramer, the new detective-in-training, knocked on the frame of the door: ¡°Captain¡¯s calling everyone to the briefing room. Mr. Khan brought something.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you Mick.¡± Marcus nodded, squeezing his nose bridge: ¡°We¡¯ll be right over.¡±


    ¡°You okay? Marcus?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just need to tough it out.¡± Marcus stood up, then took a quick look at Mick: ¡°How about you? How¡¯s your arm? Still hurting? Any discomfort or pain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better now.¡± Mick nodded, stretching both his arms and shoulders just to prove to Marcus that he was alright: ¡°No pain, just a little bit sore, it should go away after some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t forget, you need to rest.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll give you a quick check when we wrap up today.¡±


    Tyler Khan, the investigator from the South-Eastern District community collective and liaison from them, appeared to be in a good mood with his pile of files in his hand. Kevin grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, as did Marcus. Detective Keryn Lance and Shrevas Pahaik came in slightly later than most, as they seemed to be coming back from a scene. Detective Brian Sai brought a small folder with him, appearing concerned by something.


    ¡°Good morning, Captain Ko, officers.¡± In the briefing room, Tyler Khan found the podium and had already put something on the projector: ¡°I trust that you already know about this poor fellow named Putnam Von?¡±


    ¡°Who? ¡± Detective Brian Sai asked.


    ¡°The guy in the community collective, who signed the rental paperworks for that anonymous group who got that platform.¡± Marcus answered: ¡°He¡¯s missing. The theory is that he is dead but the body is still not found.¡±


    ¡°For that - we actually - actually found him.¡± Tyler Khan scratched his head: ¡°We¡¯re preparing to start an autopsy in collaboration with the city¡¯s forensics team. We also delivered an official invitation to Doctor Ayer Flemmings. We¡¯re just not sure if she¡¯s available yet.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the city¡­¡± Captain Ko frowned: ¡°... be more involved?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t determine if it¡¯s murder yet.¡± Tyler Khan sighed: ¡°The scenario all seem pretty strange and suspicious. And it is the community collective¡¯s position that we try to conduct this investigation in a collaborative fashion. For this is a very delicate time, and considering recent events, it is obvious that more information and intelligence sharing would be vastly mutually beneficial.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°Okay. Fine. But we¡¯ll need to follow up on further details later.¡±


    ¡°Of course, captain. Intelligence sharing is one of our top priorities.¡± Tyler Khan nodded, as he put a picture onto the projector, it was the sketch of a man, with some notes on the side: ¡°Behold, a strange name and a rough sketch of one potentially critical person: Luo Zhuge.¡±


    Marcus sensed Shrevas and Keryn, who were sitting behind him, squirm lightly, either at the name of the sketch.


    ¡°Who is this man?¡± Kevin asked, scratching his jaw.


    ¡°Someone who did not exist.¡± Tyler Khan shrugged and looked around the room: ¡°He¡¯s someone mentioned in a hidden notebook of Putnam Von, which belonged to Putnam Von. He was quite a sketch artist, what do you know? He noted that he should be careful of this man. The other investigators of the community collective are looking into who this man is, but so far all we could find was that his main area of operation is in the South-Western District. This is where I would need your help.¡±


    ¡°You think this man¡¯s tied to Putnam Von¡¯s death?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best lead we have so far. At least - ¡± Tyler Khan showed a picture of an open notebook, with some sketchy handwriting on both pages.


    ¡°He¡¯s dangerous. He¡¯s not to be trusted. DO NOT BE FOOLED!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 113. Old Names

    ¡°Okay - what else? This is pretty stretched.¡± Captain Ko asked.


    ¡°I agree. The information we gathered and the leads we¡¯re pursuing were not definitive by any measure. ¡± Tyler Khan raised the folder in his hand: ¡°But - if you asked any of us investigators, this does not sound right at all. For one, we still don¡¯t know who paid him off, and the other thing, his position is a pretty comfortable one. As long as he doesn¡¯t screw up - by screw up I mean commit gross negligence or take too big a bribe, he would not have too much to worry about in his life. He¡¯s single, he has a collective-assigned apartment. And he did not have any expensive hobbies or habits.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying whoever paid him off, is either very wealthy or very powerful?¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Or both. We believe it to be indeed both. The reason is simple - they hid their tracks very well. That company they rented the platform under, it¡¯s a shell company with ties to some out the city conglomerate. So - ¡±


    ¡°So - what makes you think that this Luo Zhuge guy is still in the city?¡± Captain Ko sighed and asked: ¡°How do you know if this is only one person? And not a group of people operating under that name? And why is it that this ¡®Luo Zhuge¡¯ operates only in the South-Western District, if it is to be some powerful, rich, malicious guy?¡±


    ¡°All very insightful, keen questions.¡± Tyler Khan did not show any signs of anger or frustration when questioned, and instead he still kept his smile and his calm demeanor: ¡°To be fair. We don¡¯t have a good idea on whether he is a singular person or a group. But we can absolutely be sure that they are still in the city. Because we looked at some of our records and we went through the exit records from the last two years. There was no one that had ties to said conglomerate.¡±


    ¡°... ha, so you basically don¡¯t have anything and are counting on us.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know, Mr. Khan. We will need to get more information from the community collective before we can reasonably make any good progress.¡±


    ¡°That is understandable. Please let me know what other information you need. I¡¯ll draw note everything down and let the collective know, then I¡¯ll retrieve as much information as possible and share with everyone here.¡± Tyler Khan smiled while glancing around the room, fixing his eyes on Marcus for a short moment: ¡°Any - any questions?¡±


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    ¡°Do you know any other aliases this Luo Zhuge might be using?¡± Shrevas narrowed his eyes with his right hand half raised:¡° I mean. Zhuge is not exactly a very common surname, so the person or the group could be switching to different aliases. ¡±


    ¡°We are looking into that direction as well. I can check with my colleagues. But as far as I know this is the only definitive alias. ¡± Tyler Khan shrugged: ¡°And if we work together to look into his traces in the South-Western District and even the Northern District, we could definitely find out more.¡±


    The briefing finished earlier than usual, and Captain Ko called Tyler Khan into his office. And just when Marcus was ready to get back to his desk, Shrevas and Keryn came to him and Kevin: ¡°Hey, can we have a quick chat?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s happening?¡± Mick snuck to Marcus¡¯ side.


    ¡°I - we have something we¡¯d like to tell you.¡± Keryn and Pahaik exchanged looks, then answered in a low voice.


    ¡°My lab, then?¡± Kevin pointed at his lab with the doors shut.


    Three detectives and Mick followed Kevin into the lab. The space became a bit crowded with five people in it and there was practically no place to sit.


    ¡°Okay, since we¡¯re so secretive and all, should I kick off my bug scanners first?¡± Kevin chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah you might as well.¡± Keryn chuckled.


    Kevin shrugged, then reached his hand into a small compartment in one of his drawers and pushed a tiny button hidden in the corner. After some light buzzing sounds, he nodded at everyone: ¡°Okay, we¡¯re good now. The room¡¯s clean. Or at least, as clean as it can be.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If anyone¡¯s able to listen even against the general scanners, then they¡¯ll learn about what we¡¯ll do next anyway.¡± Marcus shrugged and sighed.


    ¡°Okay, then here goes.¡± Shrevas leaned his behind on the edge of a table: ¡°You guys, be discreet. Don¡¯t blabber just yet.¡±


    Almost everyone in the room, aside from Mick, subconsciously turned their eyes on Mick. Mick sensed this as well, then he immediately shook his head and hands: ¡°I - I can get outta here if you¡¯d like, I mean - I understand, I¡¯m new here and I¡¯ve barely earned - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll need your help on this, more than you know.¡± Keryn nodded and pulled him back: ¡°Where¡¯s Sai?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s - gone to the city now. I¡¯m actually waiting for him. I can relay to him.¡± Mick let out a long exhale.


    ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Shrevas nodded.


    ¡°What is it? What is it?¡± Kevin drummed the surface of his desk: ¡°The suspense is killing us over here.¡±


    ¡°We may know who Luo Zhuge is.¡± Keryn¡¯s voice was cold and low, but it exploded like a bomb in this tiny lab.


    ¡°What the fuck? How¡¯d you know?¡± Kevin¡¯s voice almost broke.


    ¡°Because we found the name, almost purely by chance when we were looking at the reparations team case files and following up on record checks. We didn¡¯t think too much of it, because it was obviously an alias.¡± Shrevas cleared his throat: ¡°It¡¯s not frequently used, at least according to our records. Just some credit cards, and all paid off on time regularly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely, though we could still be wrong, but - ¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°But, it might be an alias of John Mitchell.¡±


    The lab went quiet, just like a small town suffering from nuclear fallout.

 Book 2 Chapter 114. Room, Land and Realm (Part 1)

    ¡°John Mitchell? THE John Mitchell missing from the reparations team?¡± Kevin narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, THAT John Mitchell.¡± Keryn nodded, then shrugged: ¡°But - as you can imagine, none of us really thought he¡¯d be a guy linked to a heinous crime like that. The assumption¡¯s always been that he¡¯s someone who might know something about - ¡± She looked at Mick with a side eye: ¡°- about things that are not natural.¡±


    ¡°How does he know?¡± Mick rubbed his nose bridge: ¡°And - to be honest, this is one strange link to make, no? How the hell did the two names connect, even? The guy did not appear to have this much money to rent that platform?¡±


    ¡°Which means I am a bit skeptical of the leap Khan is making.¡± Shrevas frowned and scratched his jaw: ¡°I think it¡¯s possible that there¡¯s either something missing, or that intel is mixed up, or plain wrong.¡±


    ¡°How new is this information?¡± Marcus thought for a short moment before asking.


    ¡°Quite new, we got it yesterday.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°Almost thought it was a dead end. Finally got some response from the city citizen record department.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good. We still have time to look into it before Khan suspects anything.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°Do you know where this guy lives?¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. ¡± Mick raised his hand: ¡°I am not quite sure we¡¯re giving Mr. Khan enough credit and trust here. Why are we suspecting him?¡±


    ¡°Many reasons. One of them being that the investigators and our departments rarely got along in the past.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Not to be biased, but - their existence and their interference in our investigation has long been a major pain. And some may even tell you ¡­¡±


    ¡°Some may even tell you their existence has contributed a lot to our low solve rate of some of our major crimes, including murder.¡± Keryn scoffed: ¡°Well, to be fair, that¡¯s more about the community collective and not - ¡±


    ¡°Issue is, we typically have different means and interests regarding our investigations.¡± Marcus interjected: ¡°And to answer your question more directly - we need to do some verification of their intel on our part as well. We can¡¯t just take it without due diligence. Caution is the word when dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°O - okay, I guess.¡± Mick sighed and nodded. Just this moment, someone knocked on the lab door. It was Detective Brian Sai.


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    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s get on with it then.¡± Shrevas nodded at Marcus and Kevin: ¡°I say we go to check out where this Luo Zhuge guy lives. You wanna come? Might need some backup.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. I was just about to ask.¡± Marcus stretched as Mick opened the door: ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Mick, let¡¯s have a quick meeting when you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Thank you Detective.¡± Mick nodded and was ready to go with Brian Sai. Marcus stopped him midway, and handed him a small envelope.


    ¡°Talismans. Better quality than what you¡¯d find on the market if you don¡¯t know anyone.¡± Marcus explained.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mick nodded and hid the envelope in his inner jacket pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. I¡¯m not - not martial, so if a fight breaks out I¡¯ll be less than useless.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Also, I have some reports to run - let me know if you need me on scene and I¡¯ll head right over.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Keryn took a deep look at Kevin, who averted his eyes the moment their sights touched: ¡°I¡¯ll text you the address.¡±


    ¡°Dude, what¡¯s the deal with Kevin?¡± Shrevas chuckled as he sat in the driver¡¯s seat in his usual squad car.


    ¡°What do you mean? He¡¯s always shy and adverse to action.¡± Marcus buckled his seatbelt at the back.


    ¡°No, I mean, extra so today.¡± Shrevas chuckled and peeked Keryn with a side eye.


    ¡°I mean - I don¡¯t really know.¡± Marcus decided to play dumb.


    The residence of Luo Zhuge was somewhere close to the central area of the South-Western District. Not very far from the border to be expensive, yet not too close to be unsafe. It was a small area with several rows of townhouses that looked quite identical, with tight driveways through them and narrow parking spaces on the first floors.


    The place Luo Zhuge rented was located at a deeper corner of the whole community, only two roads away from the wooden fences.


    ¡°Hey, look.¡± Keryn pointed at the row of flowers at the side of the building.


    Marcus fixed his eyes on them - they were chrysanthemums. On each of the flower stems, tied a ribbon. Some of the ribbons were red, some of them purple, some of them white.


    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Shrevas asked, turning his head to Marcus. A reasonable reaction, for among all of the detectives in the precinct, if anyone could have known more about it, it would be him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, to be honest. Could be just decorations.¡± Marcus shrugged, still gazing at the flowers. Something about them did not appear normal to him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t chrysanthemums considered a kind of medium flower?¡± Keryn frowned: ¡°I guess if you consider Fengshui, it¡¯s not a good decor to have like this?¡±


    ¡°In certain aspects, yes - it¡¯s considered half in half out, therefore could be used as a medium when communicating with spirits. But as for Fengshui - ¡± Marcus scratched his head: ¡°I don¡¯t really know about that.¡±


    ¡°Hello, officers.¡± Just this moment, a middle aged woman came out of the townhouse: ¡°Are you Detective Pahaik and Lance?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And this is Detective Cai, he¡¯s from our precinct and is assisting us on the case.¡± Keryn went over and greeted the middle aged woman, the landlady.


    ¡°Of course. Of course.¡± The landlady looked Marcus up and down before opening the door: ¡°Please, come in. I was just about to have the cleaners come by to give me an estimate. There¡¯s still time before I can throw his stuff away and rent it out, but - ¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything before notifying us.¡± Shrevas cut the landlady off: ¡°The investigation is still ongoing, and we just heard - we still need some more time before we could conclude things here.¡±


    ¡°But what about out rent - ¡±


    ¡°Please understand that this is a very important investigation. And it might even be a crime scene if we find anything that could connect the person of interest to the crime.¡± Shrevas shrugged as he put the shoe covers on.

 Book 2 Chapter 115. Room, Land and Realm (Part 2)

    ¡°Well - if that happens, will I be compensated for the missing rent?¡± The middle aged woman followed the detectives into the townhouse.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know. It will be up to the city at that point.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°But since you¡¯re the landlady, your insurance should cover most of it, if not all of it. ¡±


    The landlady just shook her head with a wry smile, and did not answer.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have insurance?¡± Marcus frowned.


    ¡°I - I - well - ¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, we¡¯re here to look into the man, not push anything or anyone.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°Times are tough for everyone, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes - yes. ¡± The landlady started nodding profusely: ¡°Thank you! Thank you very much officer. Yes indeed, time¡¯s tough right now, and everything¡¯s getting expensive - ¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us a bit about this Luo Zhuge guy? What¡¯s he like as a tenant? What¡¯s his daily routine? ¡± Marcus waved his hand and asked.


    ¡°And - can you show us anything with his handwriting?¡± Keryn followed up: ¡°Like your lease contracts, or an envelope. Do you have a picture of him as well?¡±


    ¡°I - I just have a very simple lease contract. Let me see¡­¡± The landlady pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the pictures on it: ¡°... sorry, sorry, I may need some time to find it. It was a couple of months ago¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time.¡± Shrevas looked around the first floor - there was a small storage room under the stairs, and a door leading to the garage. There was a simple bicycle in the storage room, a vacuum cleaner and a small empty cardboard box. ¡°Check the car.¡± Shrevas nodded at Keryn.


    Keryn opened the door to the garage. There was no car inside. A breath of slightly moist and pungent smell poured out. Marcus could see some dirty shoes, some more cardboard boxes and a small thick plastic bag with some brown grains inside - fertilizers, it appeared.


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    ¡°We can check later.¡± Marcus started walking upstairs towards the living room of this place, and where the bedroom could be. The living room upstairs was also empty. The carpet was clean, but worn. So was everything else - the sofa, the dining tables and chairs, the kitchen ware and the TV.


    ¡°How many people are living here?¡± Shrevas asked the landlady as he walked up the stairs.


    ¡°Only one. I was thinking of renting out both the bedrooms on the third floor and the one on the second floor separately. But this man rented the entire townhome. So I gave him a discount.¡± The landlady sighed: ¡°To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for you contacting me, I wouldn¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why?¡± Keryn asked: ¡°Did he prepay the rent in advance? How many months?¡±


    The landlady stammered for a bit, then answered: ¡°Actually - six months¡­¡±


    ¡°But - if I remember correctly, he started renting four months ago?¡± Keryn chuckled: ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Normally I rent only on yearly basis, I just had to make an exception at this time.¡± The landlady put on another ¡°I¡¯m having a hard time¡± face: ¡°Because, you know, times are tough.¡±


    ¡°Do all of these come with the place? Any of these things belong to him?¡± Marcus asked as he knelt down on some exposed hardwood floor and started knocking on the floorboards. The carpet was not glued to the floor, so he could lift them up and check the floorboards underneath as well.


    ¡°Yes - yes, looks like it.¡± The landlady looked around and nodded, sounding relieved that she was not pressured about the terms of the rent: ¡°I advertised on the fact that they could just bring their luggage in and start living right away.¡±


    ¡°What about the chrysanthemums? Did you grow them?¡±


    ¡°No - no, I used to grow vegetables there.¡± The landlady shook her head: ¡°He¡¯s actually the first renter that¡¯s ever paid attention to that. Normally I¡¯d have to hire weeding people to get rid of the weeds after the rent is up.¡±


    ¡°Which bedroom did he live in?¡± Shrevas was about to go onto the stairs upward to the top floor.


    ¡°I - I actually don¡¯t know. I¡¯d assume the main bedroom with the biggest window. It¡¯s facing Northeast and has pretty good sunlight.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Marcus, Keryn, I¡¯ll go up and take a look. You keep on checking here.¡± Shrevas nodded then went up to the top floor.


    Just when Shrevas was about to enter the top floor, a piece of floorboard made a hollow sound and moved a little when Marcus¡¯ knuckles tapped on it. Keryn, who was checking under the coffee table, turned her head back, waiting to see what he had unearthed.


    Marcus pulled out his keychain and jammed the thinnest key into the gap on the floorboard¡¯s side, then pried the board up bit by bit.


    It was indeed a hollow space under the floorboard. It was something long, roughly with the width of Marcus¡¯ palm, wrapped in a piece of slightly dirty yellow cloth.


    Marcus took a deep breath, then concentrated his Qi on his eyes. At the same time, he started utilizing some of the meditation and visualization tricks along with this.


    What appeared before his eyes almost made him jump. There were dark particles surrounding the object - not too dense that he¡¯d feel uneasy to touch. But on the yellow cloth, a dark red handprint appeared out of nowhere, as if someone grabbed it while their hand was drenched in blood.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Keryn walked over with lightened steps.


    ¡°Something bad. ¡± Marcus looked around: ¡°I¡¯ll need something long - not wood or metal. preferably plastic or rubber.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 116. Room, Land and Realm (Part 3)

    ¡°Okay, here.¡± Keryn looked around in the kitchen for a minute, then handed Marcus a pair of plastic chopsticks, and with a pair of slightly worn rubber gloves.


    Marcus put on the gloves, then picked the yellow cloth apart using the chopsticks. It was a doll made of straws, red threads, with a dark metal nail running through the heart position. He tried to move the doll, but it seemed that it was nailed to the floor itself.


    ¡°Can¡¯t move it?¡± Kery asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus sighed and shook his head: ¡°We¡¯ve gotta ask the landlady to either lock this house down, or find an exorcist.¡±


    ¡°Why? What is it - ¡± Keryn looked over, and hesitated: ¡°Is that a scapegoat doll?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. And - not the normal kind, I would think.¡± Marcus pointed at the dark metal nail running through the doll¡¯s body: ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is called. But this kind of nail usually means locking something up or suppressing something crucial or evil. So even if we could remove it, we shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s just bad things all around.¡±


    ¡°What could happen if we did?¡±


    ¡°It could alter the Fengshui of this place, unleash the unclean presence or negative energy locked by this nail, or absorb whatever curse this thing is taking on behalf of another person. Presumably John Mitchell or Luo Zhuge.¡±


    ¡°Well, then. ¡± Keryn immediately moved away from the spot, ¡°I guess the prudent thing to do is to call an exorcist? Or lock the place down?¡±


    ¡°What? NO!¡± This was just in time for the landlady to come down and overhear Keryn: ¡°You can¡¯t do that! What is wrong!?¡±


    ¡°This.¡± Marcus stood up, still holding the plastic chopsticks and pointing at the straw doll in the empty space below the floorboards: ¡°You know what this is, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god. That cursed little rat!¡± The landlady¡¯s face turned bitter the moment her eyes fixed on the doll: ¡°What the fuck!? Who does that in other people¡¯s houses?¡±


    ¡°Now, regardless of whether you believe this thing or not, we need to find a way to deal with this place and possibly lock your house down for at least some time.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Maybe, you may want to contact an exorcist?¡±


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    ¡°I - I do, and I know one - but - ¡± The landlady scratched her head, then asked all the detectives present with a frustrated tone: ¡°This is ridiculous! This is bullshit! You guys must find him! I¡¯ll need to sue the shit out of that guy! How can anyone sully my property like this!?¡±


    ¡°Anything upstairs?¡± Keryn ignored the landlady, who was on the verge of an outburst, and asked Shrevas directly.


    ¡°Nothing stands out. Whoever lived there definitely cleaned the place pretty thoroughly. We may need to send in a forensics team to pick up DNA if we want to look any deeper.¡± Shrevas sighed: ¡°The man knows what he¡¯s doing. What¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°A scapegoat doll.¡± Marcus nodded as he put the plastic chopsticks and his gloves into a small paper bag, then turned to the landlady: ¡°Any place I can burn this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, around the street corner, there¡¯s a patch of empty ground where the locals go there to burn incense and paper money to commemorate their loved ones.¡± The landlady was on her phone already, texting someone with angry fingers.


    ¡°Alright.¡± After collecting some paper towels, some salt and a small bottle of cooking oil, Marcus turned to but and double backed just to confirm with Keryn and Shrevas: ¡°Don¡¯t touch that thing. Don¡¯t touch it with anything wooden or metal either.¡±


    Burn marks, ashes and unburned pieces of paper coins, letters and even paper houses, cars and servants were scattered around that patch of empty ground. A small brick furnace was on its side. It was crude, and its base was stuck to the ground with unevenly poured cement. Something the locals have put up, it seems.


    Marcus took a bit of time to clean up the brick furnace and collected some dried leaves. He then used the paper towels soaked in cooking oil as a catalyst, sprinkled salt onto the plastic bag, then used a small piece of dried tree branch to light up everything.


    There was no indication whether this would work. And now he just hoped that no one would be stupid enough to touch that doll.


    ¡°What the hell!? Again!?¡± The landlady¡¯s shriek could be heard even from another end of the street.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Marcus rushed back.


    It was a hole on the kitchen splash wall, hidden by a loose wooden panel. Behind it was a small empty space, inside which hid another item wrapped in yellow cloth and a small metal tool.


    ¡°This guy really has something going.¡± Shrevas frowned as he reached over with another pair of plastic chopsticks, with his hands wrapped in thin plastic bags: ¡°We have more reason to scan this place now, we just need more men¡­¡±


    This time, the object wrapped in yellow cloth was not pinned to the wall and with Shrevas¡¯ careful maneuver, it was moved slightly over the edge, the cloth was lifted and its true face was revealed.


    It was a wood carving. And in Marcus¡¯ sight, there was nothing wrong or special about it. Just a simple small carving, slightly longer and thicker than an adult male¡¯s thumb. When Marcus got close, and saw that the metal tool beside this wood carving was a mini chisel.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Shrevas looked to Keryn and Marcus: ¡°Anything I should be stressed about?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem so. But - ¡± Marcus scratched his head and looked around, then finally grabbed an old looking cloth kitchen towel, sprinkled some salt on it, placed it on the counter, then signaled to Shrevas: ¡°Put them on here.¡±


    Shrevas did as Marcus asked. And Marcus wrapped the wood carving and the chisel with the towel. This was not enough, and he decided to put a paper talisman on top just to have additional insurance.


    The landlady could not move her eyes away the moment she saw that talisman. After Marcus wrapped everything up once again with paper towels, she asked: ¡°Dear officer, where did you get this talisman? Can I buy it off you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, not for sale. It¡¯s a gift from a good friend.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°Officers, can I ask a question?¡± Before they left, the landlady called out to them from the doorstep.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    ¡°Can you let me know at once when you find him? I need to hold him accountable for the damages.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you know. In the meantime you can actually keep an eye out for public notifications from the PCPD.¡± Shrevas nodded.

 Book 2 Chapter 117. Parental Connections (Part 1)

    ¡°So - you go to the central South-Western District often?¡± Sitting on the passenger seat, Mick asked Detective Brian Sai, the youngest and possibly the quietest one of the detectives.


    ¡°Not since I made detective.¡± Brian Sai smiled and shook his head: ¡°I used to walk a beat on the border of the South-Eastern and South-Western Districts, and it was only a few streets away from the Northern District. It was quite an experience. Safe, but kinda boring and - there¡¯s so much politics. I hated it. After I transferred, things changed. I do miss an occasional craft coffee though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, man. I agree.¡± Mick chuckled as he leaned back on his seat: ¡°When I was still in my old precinct, there¡¯s this one where the owner has his own special bean roaster. He has connections to some out of city supplier who provided him with a kind of especially fragrant beans. And he only sold those to known customers or family and friends. My captain knew him and got those for us once a month, and man that was some good coffee.¡±


    ¡°I should really get back there some time, you got my caffeine withdrawal acting up.¡± Brian Sai laughed out loud: ¡°I had this usual spot I used to frequent. But just a few months before my transfer they shut down out of nowhere. And the boss is nowhere to be found. I got some bags of beans on clearance, and too bad, I¡¯ve never been able to find them again.¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡± Just when they drove past a crossroad, two young men in hoodies broke out of an electronic store and rushed into an alleyway on the side. In each one¡¯s arms tucked two expensive looking thin and flatscreen monitors.


    The pedestrians close by just stepped away from their path and the store itself, then went on with their day.


    ¡°Things have changed quite a bit, huh?¡± Brian Sai looked around and did not see law enforcement anywhere. ¡°Should we - should we go after them?¡±


    ¡°This is not a good area.¡± Mick seemed embarrassed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, someone will check on them. ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? There¡¯s no patrol cars or police stands around.¡± Brian Sai sighed and shook his head, if not for their being already a bit late and his not being familiar with the road he would have gotten off the car and pursued those two hooligans.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll get used to it. People here are much more relaxed about things like this.¡± Mick shrugged, then pointed at a turn in front of them: ¡°Here, turn right, then turn left at the first corner and you can see a parking lot.¡±


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    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡± Brian Sai shrugged. He was never a good pursuer anyway. He was always more of a desk-bound, evidence gathering and analysis focused detective.


    The parking lot was only half full. One side of it was occupied by street food vendors, food trucks and people lining up in front of them. They pulled into one that was just outside of the entrance to a tall building.


    ¡°This is the building of their precinct? It looks too - too commercial.¡± Detective Brian Sai asked.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s a newly built shopping center.¡± Mick chuckled: ¡°The precinct building is behind it. Somehow the previous captain chose a good spot.¡±


    ¡°And this - this Sergeant Fu will be meeting us here?¡± Brian Sai looked up at the metallic building Signia, sighed and shook his head: ¡°I mean, I guess I am regretting my transfer now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve got some cheap vouchers and discount codes.¡± Mick chuckled and pulled out a small pile of shiny cards, some were of official print, some were just printed out using their normal printing machine.


    ¡°That¡¯s - so great.¡± Brian Sai chuckled.


    The arranged meeting place was a clean and neat looking coffee house. The prices were not as ridiculous as the exterior and interior decorations would suggest. Even without the vouchers and discount codes, Brian Sai could still afford it.


    ¡°Hey, hey. ¡± Before going in, Mick came to the barista: ¡°Can you do me a favor? I¡¯d really appreciate it if you do.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what¡¯s up?¡± The barista was one wearing a nose ring with a full left arm of tattoos.


    ¡°Can I store these coupons and vouchers at your place? So whatever we order later, you can just apply them?¡± Mick slid over a small bill of ten dollars: ¡°I want to meet with a friend of - select taste. And we don¡¯t want to embarrass ourselves. If you could help us, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The barista covered up her laughs and she accepted the bills: ¡°You don¡¯t know how many people have this kind of requests. So, I got you sir.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Fu!¡± Mick¡¯s earnest and plain face immediately put a facade of elaborate friendliness and excitement: ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Little Mick! ¡± Sergeant Fu was a slightly chubby man in a pair of frameless glasses with light brown lenses, he greeted Mick with open arms and a similar smile on his face. ¡°Oh boy, you sure have grown quite a bit. How¡¯s your new precinct treating you?¡±


    ¡°Good! Good, I¡¯ve been learning a lot, and seen quite a bit of action.¡± Mick showed a wry smile: ¡°How have you been? How are things with you? Still living that peaceful life?¡±


    ¡°Meh, you know, that same old, same old.¡± Sergeant Fu shrugged and led Mick and Brian to their seats. He then turned to Brian: ¡°You must be Detective Sai! I¡¯ve heard quite a bit about you. You¡¯re quite the expert in solving some obscure cases, huh? Pleased to meet you!¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you as well.¡± Brian Sai shook hands with the sergeant: ¡°And thank you for making time for us.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Any friend of Mick is a friend of mine.¡± Sergeant Fu shook his head and waved to a waiter: ¡°Hey, can we get some matcha latte here? And not the usual kind, your craft kind, with a little butter and icecream on top?¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± The waitress nodded.


    Mick let out a sigh of relief. Sergeant Fu was indeed a man of expensive taste. The first thing he ordered was from the secret menu with three times the average price.

 Book 2 Chapter 118. Parental Connections (Part 2)

    ¡°So, what have you been up to these days?¡± Sergeant Fu asked, while stirring his matcha latte in the cup, ¡°I¡¯ve heard all kinds of rumors, it seemed that things are quite busy at the 17th Precinct. No doubt you¡¯re skipping on a bunch of things coming to meet with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, because this is also technically an investigative visit, so we¡¯re not missing anything.¡± Brian Sai scratched his head. ¡°We¡¯re actually here - ¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Nonsense!¡± Mick immediately cut Brian Sai off: ¡°It¡¯s always fun to come visit you and check on you, Uncle Fu! You know I¡¯m still quite hung up on your cop stories from when I was a little. And I¡¯m sure as I progress with my career there¡¯s some more wisdom and experience I could gain from you!¡±


    ¡°Of course, anytime, Little Mick.¡± Sergeant Fu laughed out loud, though, at least to Brian Sai there was very little actual joy in this laugh.


    ¡°So - how - uh, how''s aunty? And how are the kids?¡± Mick asked while taking a sip of the matcha latte: ¡°Ooh! Wow, this is some good tea. Very bitter - and - this strange fragrant and sweet aftertaste - is that rose honey?¡±


    ¡°You still know your stuff! I¡¯m impressed.¡± Sergeant Fu opened his eyes a bit wider and smiled: ¡°I always knew you¡¯ve got good taste. You know, I still maintain that if you get tired of the life on the force, you can open a shop. Even if, you know, not here, you can find some place else. Or maybe expand the territory and export the good stuff to the South-Eastern District, huh? If you can survive there you can even get some investment from those big fat golden handbags.¡±


    ¡°Eh, well, I¡¯d love to, but I love action more.¡± Mick shrugged and gently nudged Brian Sai: ¡°You know, following people like Detective Cai and Detective Sai here kinda ruined my taste for action movies. All I watch are rom-coms now.¡±


    Sergeant Fu laughed out loud again, this time with slightly more genuinity.


    ¡°Oh, and speaking of which, I came here actually to seek advice on something and to pick your brains on the puzzle of a case we are looking into.¡± Mick finished half his cup of matcha latte: ¡°So, can you help us? Uncle Fu?¡±


    ¡°Um, sure, what do you need?¡± Sergeant Fu finished his drink, then asked.


    ¡°Can we have one more round of matcha latte please?¡± Brian Sai waved at a waitress on the side.


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    ¡°Thank you! You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Sergeant Fu appeared pleased, but showed no signs of refusal: ¡°So, Mick, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s more of an old tale. We¡¯re looking into a strange case, that seemed to have certain connections to some very old records. You¡¯re one of the most experienced and knowledgeable detectives I know, so I think I¡¯ll have to ask you instead of bumping my head around randomly.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Shoot.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll try to explain if you want more details. But I¡¯ve gotta tell you, our Captain forbids us from telling anyone else. So - maybe I can¡¯t share too much with you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Just go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about the death of Yixiang Zhuge, or Big Sister Zhu, the infamous trafficker?¡± Mick weighed her words carefully and asked.


    Sergeant Fu paused, then narrowed his eyes at Mick and Brian Sai.


    After a long while, this matcha loving sergeant put down his freshly brewed new cup, his facial expression no longer cheery as before, and his tone no longer light: ¡°How did this even come up? What kind of case are you looking into?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t divulge too much.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d understand.¡±


    Sergeant Fu did not answer. Instead, he looked down at his cup, did not respond at all. Mick looked at Brian Sai with an inquiring look on his face. As someone who did not know that the 17th Precinct is actually taking their investigations into paranormal angles, Mick was actually quite confused about the reason as to why they were not allowed to share much information about ongoing investigations with other officers or anyone outside of the precinct, even for asking help from other agencies.


    ¡°But here¡¯s a little thing we CAN share.¡± Brian Sai spoke up all of a sudden: ¡°Since you brought up Detective Cai earlier. We¡¯re actually helping him on the case. I am not sure if you¡¯ve heard, but previously we had arrested a suspected kidnapper. After following some trails, we suspect that they might be using some remaining pipelines and connections left by her. So - we would like to know if such a thing is possible. Because - because - ¡± he stammered, for he did not really have a good excuse for now and Sergeant Fu was clearly showing some signs of disbelief.


    ¡°And we¡¯re facing some pressure from the community collective. Because - ¡± Mick scratched his jaw and interjected: ¡°Because - the area of the crime might spill over the South-Eastern District. And they¡¯ve been kinda hounding us to hand over the case if we cannot find out anything¡­¡± While speaking, Mick ¡°accidentally¡± dropped his small envelope with the talisman given to him by Marcus on the table while pulling up his phone: ¡°Oh shoot. Sorry! Sorry - I didn¡¯t mean to ruin it for you - ¡±


    ¡°Ruin it for me? What do you mean?¡± Sergeant Fu¡¯s eyes opened slightly at the talisman, yet he still maintained his calm.


    ¡°Nothing - just - ¡± Mick smiled, then pushed the envelope over: ¡°I was trying to give this to you as your anniversary present for aunty. I know you don¡¯t really believe this, but I know aunty does - ¡±


    ¡°Hrm, you know this wouldn¡¯t work? And it may count as bribery?¡± Sergeant Fu¡¯s voice did not sound as stern and steadfast as he appeared.


    ¡°But - this thing can¡¯t really sell, can it?¡± Mick shrugged: ¡°I got it from a friend, also a detective, he told me it was good quality stuff gifted to him as well. He has a few spares, so he gave me one, thinking I might like it.¡±


    ¡°Okay - okay.¡± Sergeant Fu hesitated t for a few more seconds before taking the envelope and putting it into his back pants pocket: ¡°Okay - okay - I think - I think the captain wouldn¡¯t mind if I told you this, but - okay, let me ask you this: how do you think she died?¡±


    ¡°Lynched by a group of angry South-Eastern mob, I heard.¡± Mick weighed his words.


    Sergeant Fu nodded with a mysterious smile. ¡°But that¡¯s not all, is it? For one, how could someone who had evaded both the city and the community collective for more than a decade, be caught so casually by a bunch of know-nothing ignorant mob?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 119. Parental Connections (Part 3)

    ¡°What - what do you mean? ¡± Mick scratched his jaw, ¡°I thought the group of people tracked her down and kidnap her from her secret apartment in our district? Is there - is there something not disclosed to the general public?¡±


    ¡°Well, I may have heard something. I MAY.¡± Sergeant Fu shook his head: ¡°When the special investigators from the city were looking into the matter, they caught some not very well encrypted communication and deciphered pieces of them. It seems that someone in our district - and according to the origin location of the signal, someone from a pretty well-off area, notified the mob and told them the hidden apartment of poor Big Sister Zhu.¡±


    Mick gasped, and Brian Sai immediately went into his thoughts with a heavy frown on his face.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying - someone leaked the location of Yixiang Zhuge to the mob from the South-Eastern District?¡± Mick cleared his throat, then lowered his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything. You asked me what I knew about the death of this infamous trafficker.This is just the information I happen to know.¡± Sergeant Fu shrugged and chugged down his cup of matcha latte: ¡°And - I trust that you¡¯ve probably found her autopsy report?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not - uh - it¡¯s not that much of a report.¡± Brian Sai squeezed his nose bridge: ¡°I gotta say, I¡¯ve seen a fair share of reports, this is gotta be one of the most ridiculous. I get it, at that age, DNA technology was not yet fully proven useful. But - there¡¯s no face, no dental records, only some fingerprints lifted off the pants and the presence of some identifying personal items.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because the only parts of her body is her lower body with her legs.¡± Sergeant Fu nodded while grimacing: ¡°But - just to be clear, that one IS the only report the city has. Due to the sensitivity of the case, and the fact that SHE was such a hated criminal, no one really cared about looking into the cause of her death. Everyone just cared that she WAS dead. And they were happy with the answer.¡±


    ¡°So - anyway to track down who tipped the mobs off?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m pretty sure the city has tried. But there¡¯s no definite answer whether they found the one who did.¡± Sergeant Fu sighed and waved at the waitress: ¡°The message could only be partially decrypted due to certain technical reasons. So, what I told you is all I know.¡±


    ¡°And - and, there¡¯s something else I would like to ask. But before that - ¡± Mick thought for a moment, then turned to the waitress, pointed at the poster of a special item on the wall: ¡°Hi, excuse me. Can we have one order of each?¡±


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    Brian Sai sighed internally, none of the things ordered today were cheap. He expected coming here today would cost him, it was just that he did not actually know how much he would be spending here today.


    ¡°Thank you, little Mick.¡± Sergeant Fu grinned and nodded at Mick: ¡°You are too kind.¡±


    The waitress delivered the special item: a light purple cheese case, their specialty, named ¡°Ube My Heart¡±. It was the third most expensive single item in the entire shop, and the most popular one. Sergeant Fu apparently liked it very much. His eyes almost glowed when the slightly bouncy cake was served.


    Before neither Mick nor Brian Sai could say anything, the sergeant already finished his share of the cake. Mick chuckled, and pushed his cake forward: ¡°Uncle Fu, here¡¯s mine, don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not a big fan of Ube flavor anyway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sergeant Fu nodded and started eating the cake slice by slice.


    Brian Sai tasted the cake. Smooth, light, moist and not too sweet. The taste of Ube, or sweet taro, was indeed a nice touch. He could understand why people liked it so much. It was definitely a different kind of flavor from everyone¡¯s usual food.


    ¡°Okay. Thanks for the treat.¡± Sergeant Fu let out a light burp: ¡°To be honest, if it weren¡¯t for the occasion, you don¡¯t know how much effort I¡¯ll have to put in to convince my wife to let me have this.¡±


    ¡°Good. Just make sure you run some extra lanes so that aunty would not come to me with grief.¡± Mick chuckled.


    ¡°So, what do you wanna know? ¡± Sergeant Fu wiped his mouth, laid back on his chair and asked with a satisfied smile: ¡°You know the drill, I can¡¯t tell you too much. And I can¡¯t divulge any critical information. But other than that, ask away!¡±


    ¡°Okay. This is purely because we¡¯re looking into the cases.¡± Mick raised his hands and offered a disclaimer: ¡°But - we¡¯ve found that there were several families that were under investigation from the city after the death of Big Sister Zhu. A few families were kept on the list for a particularly long time. And one of the families is the Lings. An unfortunate family whose murder fell into our jurisdiction.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Sergeant Fu sighed then went silent, seemingly contemplating his thoughts. Brian Sai and Mick fixed their eyes on him for a while, long enough to make him appear uncomfortable. ¡°I remember the Lings. Small world. I know someone who used to be in the circle.¡±


    ¡°And? What do you know about them?¡± Mick leaned forward: ¡°You know, I figured I asked you first before actually talking to their neighbors¡­¡±


    ¡°FORMER neighbors, I¡¯d assume?¡± Sergeant Fu raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we thought. Yes.¡± Mick snapped his fingers and exchanged looks with Brian Sai. ¡°Their house was bought just a few years back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Had to change an environment, when your old circle despised you.¡± Sergeant Fu shrugged.


    ¡°What - what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Now, with no insinuation whatsoever, but the crux of the rumor is that - they¡¯ve been put on the adoption waitlist for a while. And from what I heard, they were nowhere close to the top before they got their son.¡±


    ¡°Holy - you¡¯re saying - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything. ¡± Sergeant Fu waved his hands and leaned back: ¡°And you did not hear this from me. Remember that?!¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what do you think - ¡± Brian Sai tried to follow up.


    ¡°Alright - I¡¯ve had enough carbs for today.¡± Sergeant Fu stood up and grabbed his jacket: ¡°Remember, you didn¡¯t hear any of that from me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. Just words on the street.¡± Mick stood up and nodded at the sergeant: ¡°Thank you, so much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It''s good seeing you.¡± Sergeant Fu put on his jacket, after thinking for a few seconds, he leaned in and said to Mick with a lowered voice: ¡°Little Mick, I know you¡¯re motivated and determined. But - I¡¯ve gotta say, you need to be really careful with this case. Sometimes a hole is just a hole. Sometimes a hole can drag you into the abyss.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 120. Gap and Links

    ¡°They did it. I think, they fucking did it.¡± While driving back to the precinct, Brian Sai couldn¡¯t help but slam the steering wheel, almost making the car honk: ¡°The Lings, they got the kid through Big Sister Zhu, and then turned around and got her killed to cover it up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s surely a possibility.¡± Mick frowned while scratching his head: ¡°It could also be the case that someone else tipped the mobs off, right? It could just be someone who¡¯s not - not comfortable with what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Then they could¡¯ve gone to the authorities.¡± Brian Sai shook his head: ¡°If the tipper really came from the South-Western District, then they have a million ways to inform the city. Hell, at the time there was a fucking hotline set up just for Big Sister Zhu.¡±


    ¡°But - if the tipper knew that someone in the city was corrupt and had to contact someone from the South-Eastern District - ¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not that much difference in the level of corruption in the city and community collective.¡± Brian Sai shook his head: ¡°Also, there¡¯s a reason for not tipping off any authority. Many would have the same motivation. But I¡¯d imagine the Lings would have it as well.¡±


    ¡°You mean, her trade records?¡± Mick rubbed his nose bridge: ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s - that¡¯s even wider a net, right? As you know, her trade records would make MANY people want to see her dead.¡±


    ¡°True, true.¡± Brian Sai let out a long exhale: ¡°I know that, I know that. But don¡¯t you think, it was a bit too sloppy if it was any other people? If we don¡¯t put too much thought into making it a deep conspiracy. Big Sister Zhu¡¯s clients used to be relatively powerful people, at least wealthy ones. I¡¯d imagine if it was them, they¡¯d take her out in a much cleaner manner. Easily breakable encryption? Easily located origin of the message? It reeks of amateurism.¡±


    ¡°... and it would explain the fact that they were under investigation and being forced to move.¡± Mick looked out the window and sighed: ¡°Who the hell would want to hang out with people like that?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s it.¡± Brian Sai let out a long and frustrated sigh: ¡°Looks like we¡¯re gonna have to inquire more information from the city. And this would inevitably draw attention to our investigation.¡±


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    ¡°Can I ask a question?¡± Mick asked after thinking for a short moment.


    ¡°Sure, why? ¡± Brian Sai nodded while keeping his mind on the traffic.


    ¡°Is there something I should know? Something regarding these ongoing investigations?¡± Mick weighted his words before putting them out: ¡°I feel like - there¡¯s been a shift in the vibe of the entire precinct. The direction where some of the investigations are going, and the detectives hiding their discussion of certain case details away from the uniformed officers. Is there something going on? Are we - are we suspecting that there¡¯s a leak in our precinct?¡±


    ¡°What? NO!¡± Bria Sai was nervous at first, but then immediately proclaimed: ¡°No - it¡¯s just - recently we have uncovered certain sensitive details. And we¡¯re following the captain¡¯s orders on keeping unnecessary disclosure of this information in secret.¡±


    ¡°And what about all the detectives sharing cases somehow?¡± Mick asked: ¡°Looks like the detectives are not really handling their own cases - I mean the case with the Lings is assigned to Detective Lance and Pahaik, and Marcus - I mean Detective Cai seem to be jumping from case to case all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s because, these cases they seem to all share some - some common factors among them. And Marcus is most knowledgeable about para - I mean these common factors, so we are ALL looking at him for help.¡± Brian Sai tried his best to mask his words while driving: ¡°I think you should talk to the captain about this. The information you just helped me, helped us get is really valuable. It helped us tie a lot of details together.¡±


    ¡°What? About the death of the Lings?¡± Mick scratched his head: ¡°What - what kind of help would this be? Big Sister Zhu is dead already, and her past subordinates would - I assume, they would not be seeking vengeance on her behalf.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - yeah - but we¡¯re thinking about other angles. There are certain - certain groups or entities that would also bring harm to them.¡± Brian Sai shook his head: ¡°But - there¡¯s still one thing that we may need to figure out.¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel there¡¯s something missing with the way the events unfold? I mean to Yixiang Zhuge.¡± Brian Sai thought for a moment before speaking out: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start from the beginning, assuming we¡¯re correct.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°The Lings want a kid, they couldn¡¯t. So, they contacted Big Sister Zhu, who fetched them a kid.¡± Brian Sai recounted the flow of hypothetical events in his head: ¡°But then, for some reason, perhaps for fear of their trade being exposed, they tipped off the mobs to have Big Sister Zhu killed.¡±


    ¡°The kid¡¯s original parents! The PARENTS!¡± Mick raised his voice, almost making Brian Sai jump out of his seat.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Brian Sai nodded with his eyes narrowed slightly: ¡°I wonder - I wonder who the parents were, and where they are, if they are still alive.¡±


    ¡°And if they¡¯re still alive. That means they would have the intent to hurt the parents. But - but not the child himself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true.¡± Brian Sai shook his head, and stopped talking. This was only a random thought of his, he brought it up with the intention of distracting Mick. But Mick was too perceptive for this to work for long.


    ¡°So - whoever did this could be another motivated party¡­¡± Mick rubbed his temples as he looked outside the window.


    ¡°Yes. And VERY, VERY motivated.¡± Brian Sai sighed again.

 Book 2 Chapter 121. Tails (Part 1.)

    It was the second day since their initial visit to the residence of Luo Zhuge, or John Mitchell. Keryn and Shrevas decided to go for the tougher task: going to the city archives and related record agencies to track down the paper trails for the rental place and possibly Luo Zhuge. Marcus, on the other hand, volunteered to go to the neighborhood once again to see if he could ask the neighbors some questions regarding what Luo Zhuge looked like, what his daily routine was and if possible, where he went off to, and exactly when he left.


    ¡°Okay I¡¯ve got everything, you ready?¡± Kevin came out of his office with a duffel bag holding his test kit and devices. Since the other detectives established that the place was most likely safe, he decided to volunteer to go with Marcus.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Marcus chuckled at Kevin¡¯s heavy duty and larger than normal duffel bag: ¡°You came prepared!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking - I could dig up a bit around the place.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Or even the place itself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. With that scapegoat doll right there I¡¯ll not allow you to go in. Hell, I took two baths just last night, one time with some sage, wine and some incense burner ash, and one time with clean water. ¡±


    ¡°You told the landlady to hire an exorcist right?¡±


    ¡°I did. But who knows if that exorcist is legit. And even if he¡¯s legit, there¡¯s no guarantee he would come handle it right away.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°So, all we¡¯re gonna do is check out the surrounding area and interview the neighbors, if any of them would even talk to us.¡±


    It turned out that Marcus¡¯ worry was not warranted. Aside from Luo Zhuge, the nearby town houses were mostly occupied by older people, who were either retired or close to retirement. Most of them were still home.


    ¡°No - no, I don¡¯t really remember him.¡± The first neighbor they interviewed was a kind looking old woman living across the road from Luo Zhuge, who smelled of fragrant dough and chocolate. ¡°I rarely see him. He always goes in the early morning and comes back late at night, sometimes he does not come back at all. He - god, I don¡¯t even know what he looks like - he always had that hat and his thick sunglasses on.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯d assume so - what do you remember about him? He wouldn¡¯t just cover his entire face up, that¡¯d be way too suspicious. So you must have noticed something, right?¡± Marcus nodded as he prepared to write down whatever the old woman was about to say.


    ¡°I - I just remember - he had a nose, a mouth, and a - a full head of black hair.¡± The old woman thought for a moment, then answered: ¡°He¡¯s quite strong, but he walks funny. Sorry I cannot be more help. Do you want cookies? I just cooked some chocolate green tea cookies. The young people really love them. Do you want some?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You mean that young man?¡± The second neighbor living beside the previous old woman¡¯s place: ¡°I can vaguely recall - he¡¯s a really interesting guy. Kind of a loner. But he appears to be a good guy.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s always willing to help some of us fix stuff for a low price.¡± The old man scratched his head: ¡°But - whenever he comes he¡¯s always covering his face up with goggles and a facemask. He said it¡¯s for cleanliness and protection. I think he¡¯s just compulsive.¡±


    ¡°But - what does he look like? How tall? Any special characteristics you can tell us?¡± Kevin asked as he was ready to do a sketch. He was no good with it, but compared to Marcus, he was the better choice here.


    ¡°Umm - he¡¯s kinda tall, but a bit thinner than you.¡± The old man nodded at Marcus: ¡°Face shape wise - he¡¯s got a normal shaped face, a bit of muscle but not too much. ¡±


    ¡°What about hair? Any scars, tattoos?¡±


    ¡°Black hair. No scars or tattoos.¡± The old man thought for a bit: ¡°Oh - and he walks a little strange. It¡¯s like he¡¯s got some old injuries on his legs or his waist. We asked, he just doesn¡¯t like talking about it.¡±


    ¡°What else? Does he have any noticeable habits?¡± Marcus rubbed his temples.


    ¡°Oh, yeah! ¡± The old man nodded and opened his eyes wide: ¡°He likes to go on long walks during weekends, I think especially Saturday mornings.¡±


    ¡°Long walks? How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, my son once met him during a hike!¡± The old man chuckled: ¡°And he was walking along the lakes of the lake, alone. I mean - I wouldn¡¯t advise anyone to go do that. But I guess it makes sense for him?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Why does it work for him?¡±


    ¡°Well - he¡¯s - he¡¯s always kinda sad. And he works harder than anyone I know.¡± The old man shook his head: ¡°I just thought he lost someone in that - you know, incident. I didn¡¯t dare ask. But it feels like so - ¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus nodded.


    The neighbors were kind, if not slightly nosy. But none of them was of any real help beyond providing them with a rough outline of Luo Zhuge, a description that he seemed to have injuries on his legs or waist, and the observation that he left for work early and came home late.


    Another thing that caught Marcus¡¯ attention was that, even though the place looked nice, the rent was still quite cheap. And a lot of the residents here had some sort of artifact hanging in their places, either it was talismans on the frames of the door or simple buddha statues. Apparently, they came from a temple just a few minutes of driving away - the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple.

 Book 2 Chapter 122. Tails (Part 2.)

    ¡°The rent is very cheap, actually. I think - well, the only explanation I have is because the Fengshui here is considered not good.¡± After knocking on ten doors and interviewing six households, Kevin summarized from the notes he took: ¡°I just searched for the real estate nearby - houses and townhouses of similar sizes, their rents are at least twenty to twenty five percent more. Some are even twice or three times the price.¡±


    ¡°So - what¡¯s it say regarding the Fengshui?¡± Marcus checked his phone while waiting by the side of the road - Keryn and Pahaik told them that they would be meeting them here.


    ¡°I think - I think it¡¯s because this place is a ¡®imbalanced?¡¯¡± Kevin looked around some more: ¡°I mean, I¡¯m no expert, but that looks like it. There¡¯s some kind of rapid alternating energy flow here, and if you stay here for too long, it won¡¯t be good for your life, since it¡¯s unstable.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where the chrysanthemum flowers are for then?¡± Marcus turned around and took a peek at the row of flowers around the rental townhouse of Luo Zhuge. The flowers were well kept and clearly taken care of. If it weren''t for the fact that a person of interest lived there, they would have thought the renter to be a pleasant old couple, or someone neat, kind and considerate.


    ¡°Yeah - they¡¯re the universal flower of auspiciousness, and they bring peace, balance and tenderness to your life.¡± Kevin frowned as he tried to read the words off his phone under the bright sun: ¡°I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure, man, but if you asked me I¡¯d say the guy¡¯s smart to pick this place.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s more than meets the - I mean, rumor.¡± Marcus sighed. His phone buzzed, it was a message from Pahaik - they¡¯re about five minutes away. ¡°Pahaik and Keryn are five minutes away.¡±


    ¡°Cool. What¡¯d they find?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t say. Just ask when they¡¯re here.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    It took around 10 minutes before they met up with the other two detectives. Parking was not easy around here, with all the narrow streets and twisty turns. It was the case for Marcus and Kevin, and it seemed to be the case for Keryn and Pahaik.


    ¡°Sorry guys - had to find a parking spot around two blocks away.¡± Keryn scoffed: ¡°I¡¯ve been to this area a few times, each time is just as bad.¡±


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    ¡°What¡¯d you find?¡± Pahaik asked Marcus and Kevin, his sunglasses could not cover up the weariness, nor could the big coffee cup in his hand lighten things up. Keryn, on the other hand, appeared to be more at ease.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a very rough outline of the man.¡± Kevin handed Pahaik a page of his notepad: ¡°Well, we really need to find an actual sketch artist of our own. Maybe next time you don¡¯t have to make your eyes suffer.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s okay.¡± Pahaik showed the sketch to Keryn, who chuckled and nodded long.


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough for now. It¡¯s a start.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°The man¡¯s got a routine, hard worker, likes to go on walks along the lake, and oh - he¡¯s got some injuries on his legs, or waist. The locals mentioned that he walks funny.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°He¡¯s semi-professional in covering his tracks. Never showed his face to the residents here. What have you found? Anything?¡±


    ¡°Same thing - the guy¡¯s good. He paid cash, paid off some local identity forger for the necessary papers to get garbage disposal, electricity and water. He did not get internet though, probably didn¡¯t want his search history profiled.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°Everything he paid for he paid in cash and/or cashier checks. He mailed all of his stuff from the company¡¯s common outbox.¡±


    ¡°But - that¡¯s strange, right?¡± Marcus scratched his nose.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Pahaik asked.


    ¡°Why does he live here? If he really is John Mitchell, he¡¯s got another residence with that alias, or his own dorm from the company. He could have just rented the place and not actually live here. This place is not close to where he worked. So I guess my question is - why?¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention he had a scapegoat doll in his place?¡± Pahaik asked: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s his place of shelter?¡±


    Marcus thought for a moment. This was a plausible theory. Scapegoat dolls, contrary to what they were to the non-users, were most effective when they were near the user. So if that doll was to indeed serve a purpose, then THIS would be the actual place where John Mitchell, or Luo Zhuge, lived.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. So IF John Mitchell and Luo Zhuge are indeed the same person, then he¡¯s at least splitting his time living in both places.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Pahaik took a big gulp of his coffee: ¡°Time¡¯s still early. Let¡¯s check some more households.¡±


    They divvied up the surrounding households and went on to further interview the neighbors. Marcus and Kevin took on the eastern side, and Pahaik went on to the western side with Keryn.


    ¡°Hello, there.¡± Marcus waved his hand at two older gentlemen chatting and playing chess under a tree: ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°How can I help you, young men?¡± One of the old gentlemen, one without hair and fanning himself with a rattan fan asked Marcus and Kevin.


    ¡°We just wanna ask you about the young man whose name is Luo Zhuge, who lives across the corner over there.¡± Kevin posed the question, because Marcus appeared to be distracted and was looking around.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, we saw him only a few times. But we don¡¯t really know him that well.¡± The other old gentleman, with a full head of silver hair and playing with two jade balls on his left hand, smiled and shook his head as he moved a pawn across the board: ¡°Check, my friend. And oh, officers, we don¡¯t really know much about his routines either. He helped us fix our sink and our door once, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my apologies.¡± The bald old gentleman sighed and shook his head: ¡°I guess - you can ask OUR neighbor - an old woman living there, she hired the young man¡¯s help for quite a few times.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 123. Tails (Part 3.)

    ¡°Oh yeah, Little Luo? I know him! I know him well!¡± The old woman smiled and poured Marcus and Kevin each a cup of tea: ¡°He¡¯s a good man, always sick but willing to help me.¡±


    ¡°Always sick? What do you mean?¡± Marcus did not pick up the cup right away.


    ¡°He¡¯s always wearing a mask. I asked him and he just told me he¡¯s in poor health ever since he was young. And it got even worse for him ever since his parents passed away. Poor young man.¡± The old woman laid down the pot and gestured to Marcus and Kevin: ¡°Have some tea, a fresh brew with some ginger. I¡¯m old, and I drink it all the time to keep me warm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Kevin nodded, and after checking out Marcus, chose not to pick up the tea cup as well: ¡°But - do you know what he looks like without the mask? Or the color of his eyes - the other neighbors told us that he¡¯s always wearing his sunglasses, there¡¯s no reason for him to keep those on indoors, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he told me it¡¯s because he¡¯s very sensitive to light.¡± The old woman poured herself a cup of tea and took a quick sip: ¡°Poor, poor young man, his childhood must be tough. Growing up with all of these illnesses? Ugh, my heart aches just thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°So, he has issues with his eye as well? Have you looked at it yourself?¡± Marcus frowned.


    ¡°No - not really, he doesn¡¯t let anyone touch his sunglasses.¡± The old woman sighed.


    ¡°Do you know where he might have gone? Did he mention anything about his family, close friends, partners or people he¡¯d go to for help if he needs it?¡±


    ¡°Is he in trouble? Why - ¡± The old woman put down her cup, visibly worried: ¡°Please tell me if he¡¯s in any kind of trouble¡­ I - he¡¯s a very good kid, always very polite. Always ready to help us with our stuff. I don¡¯t want him in trouble of any kind.¡±


    ¡°We just have some questions we need to ask him. Something very big and strange happened at his company, and we¡¯re wondering if he knew anything.¡± Kevin nodded at the old woman: ¡°So - if you know where he might have gone - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean S&S Corp? ¡± The old woman sighed: ¡°Then you should go ask them then! They¡¯re never up to anything good!¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯ll be on them next, but you know how it is dealing with these big companies, it would be very helpful to us if he could tell us what he knows about this - this certain situation.¡± Marcus leaned in a little: ¡°So - can you tell us if you know anything?¡±


    The old woman thought for a minute, then let out a long sigh: ¡°No - not really. I guess - if he¡¯s not happy at his job and he¡¯s been saving money, then he might have just left the city?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely, from what we¡¯ve heard. But we would still like to get in touch with him.¡± Marcus sighed along with the old woman: ¡°Do you know his phone number? One different from the one he registered with his employer?¡±


    ¡°No - I don¡¯t really know. I used to just slip some notes in his mailbox and ask him to come over.¡± The old woman shrugged.


    Marcus sighed internally. This was indeed someone cautious of being tracked. It did not matter who he was, if his name really was Luo Zhuge or John Mitchell, the urgency of them finding this man had only gone higher - if he was indeed saving money to leave the city, then they only had a very limited window of tracking him down, if he was not gone from the city already.


    ¡°Thank you for your time. And - we¡¯ll let you know if we find anything.¡± Marcus stood up and put his notepad back into his jacket pocket.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kevin scratched his head, the urgency was clear to him as well.


    ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you forget.¡± The old woman nodded at them and went on to send them off.


    While on their way out, Marcus took out his phone and sent a message. Almost the next moment, Kevin¡¯s phone buzzed. He took a quick look, it was the message from Marcus, with Pahaik and Keryn in the chain: ¡°Someone might be following us. We¡¯ll need to check it out.¡±


    Before Kevin could put his phone back, Keryn responded: ¡°Us too. I counted three men. ¡±


    ¡°Be careful. I counted one man.¡± Marcus responded, then turned back and waved at the old woman.


    ¡°Okay, where?¡± Kevin asked, but for the sake of avoiding people eavesdropping he did not specify the subject of the question.


    ¡°Corner.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Follow me. Act natural, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    After making sure he could cover Kevin and protect him from whatever attack that might come their way, Marcus headed towards the corner of the road from which they came. He took out his notepad, pretending to be reading the notepad as he walked. Just when he was about to reach the corner, he bumped his feet on a slightly elevated brick on the ground. He did not fall on his face but his notepad dropped. As he knelt down to pick it up, he pointed his fingers at a small alley behind a townhouse.


    Kevin took a deep breath, as he watched Marcus grab half a handful of sand and small pebbles from the ground.


    Before Kevin could say a word, Marcus¡¯ body already shot towards the direction he pointed at earlier. No stomping of the ground, no elaborate preparation, he just left a string of after images behind and made it into the alleyway with the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Shit!¡± A male voice cursed. A silver object flashed, but was instantly pushed away and tossed onto the ground and slid to the side. A short-barrel revolver.


    Marcus thrust his right arm forward and his hands in claw form trying to grab the man¡¯s shoulder, but the man pushed the inner side of his arm while tapping his own feet on the side of the wall, launching himself into the air and passing Marcus from over his head.


    This was a middle aged man, roughly of Captain Ko¡¯s age, in a worn trench coat. He did not waste a single moment before shooting out of the alley, making a run for the open street.


    ¡°STOP! ¡± Kevin would be lying if he claimed he was not afraid. Yet he jumped forward to stand in the man¡¯s way.

 Book 2 Chapter 124. Unworthwhile Business (Part 1.)

    ¡°Outta my way!¡± The man struck his right palm forward from several arms away. A sudden gust of wind shot at Kevin. Even though Kevin was prepared, he was still thrown into the air and tumbled on the ground.


    This brief moment of delay was just enough for Marcus to turn back and lunge at the middle aged man. His left hand fingers pierced through the back of the man¡¯s trench coat and pulled him sideways. The sudden added momentum threw the man onto the ground. Marcus¡¯ claw swung from high to low, aiming at the space right by the middle aged man¡¯s ear.


    Marcus¡¯ fingers dug three holes on the ground, the bursting pebbles from the ground left a few scratch marks on the man¡¯s ears. This was but a warning attack, he did not want to actually hurt the man, just wanted him to stop resisting. Yet the middle aged man did not stop or take the hint. The man thrust his two palms upward, striking Marcus in the chest and collar bones.


    Half the air in Marcus¡¯ lungs was squeezed out by this strike. It was a heavy strike, enough to collapse the hood of a car or dent a metal door. But Marcus only coughed, rode the impact and floated upwards. His two arms thrust at the middle aged man in rapid succession, each time with his middle and index fingers sticking out. Sharp and concentrated streams of Qi shot from his finger attacks, piercing the middle aged man¡¯s trench coat, leaving thin cuts and slices on the man¡¯s body without causing him to lose too much blood.


    The middle aged man did not show any appreciation for yet another show of mercy. Instead, he rushed towards Kevin, with his hands extending forward ready to grab the civilian without much ability to fight back.


    ¡°Disgraceful!¡± Marcus roared. This time, he stopped holding back. His right hand fingers wrapped around the middle aged man¡¯s shoulder and swung him to the side with almost full force. The middle aged man was thrown into a wall, but not before throwing a sharp dart right at Marcus.


    The dart made a metallic clunk and bounced off on Marcus¡¯ shoulder. It did not even pierce through his inner shirt.


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    ¡°Time out. Time - time out.¡± The middle aged man almost coughed his lungs out and raised his hand. He had to do so because Marcus crushed his gun on the ground with a heavy stomp, while ready to point his own police gun at him. ¡°Please. I give up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re - you¡¯re Br - Brooklyn Payne!¡± Kevin stuttered.


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t even know - ¡± The middle aged man shook his head, still trying to deny.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even - ¡± Kevin cut the middle aged man off with a stern voice: ¡°Following an officer on investigative duty, intention to interfere with official investigation. Those are pretty hefty violations. Do you wanna pay fines or do you wanna go to jail for a few weeks?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Bull-fucking-shit!¡± The middle aged man scoffed, but this made him cough harder. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing - and interfering with active police investigation needs official paperwork from your precinct to stick.¡±


    ¡°So you do know the process.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°You¡¯re a former detective, right? You were kicked out of the police for bribery. But I guess you still know the police procedures, since you¡¯ve been a PI ever since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cool story and all, but you¡¯re mistaken.¡± The middle aged man struggled trying to get up, but he seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his shoulders and his waist. ¡°I am just a regular guy. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your investigation - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a user of Qi. Flowing Cloud Style, I assume?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes, and decided to take a good look at this middle aged man. It was not just because of his suspicious behavior, but also because he noticed a strange scent from him - the kind that smelled like paranormal infestation, but also suppressed.


    The sight he gazed upon when he activated his vision stunned him for a brief moment. Wrapped around the middle aged man¡¯s body were thick ribbons and chains of almost completely solid dark energy. As a result his two shoulders were almost completely covered up, and the top of his head was almost half covered.


    ¡°Whatever happened to you, what you did to suppress it is clearly not working.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°You¡¯re cursed, how?¡±


    ¡°None of your fucking business!¡± The middle aged man coughed once again, blood was mixed into his spit and phlegm.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you look for some talismans? Or seek help from an exorcist?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°You think I¡¯d never tried?¡± The middle aged man raised his voice while leaning on the wall he was thrown into earlier.


    ¡°But whatever the situation with you - Mr. Payne. I think it¡¯s high time you tell us the truth.¡±


    ¡°Like I told you - you are mistaken. I¡¯m not whoever you claim I am.¡± The middle aged man coughed again. He tried a few times, but still could not walk away. Apparently, being thrown into the wall was indeed quite devastating for him.


    ¡°How are you doing, Brooklyn?¡± A familiar voice resounded, it was Captain Ko.


    It was Kevin, holding his phone up, camera pointing at the middle aged man.

 Book 2 Chapter 125. Unworthwhile Business (Part 2.)

    Marcus wanted to give Kevin a thumbs up, but only once the man proved that he would not be trying to run away again.


    ¡°Mathis. ¡± The middle aged man responded, his head held low and his voice softened, defeated. The previously obvious cynical and stubborn attitude was but all gone. Just as Kevin suspected, he was Brooklyn Payne, the infamous PI and occasional fixer for rich but unsavory people of the city.


    ¡°You look horrible. What happened?¡± Captain Ko¡¯s voice sounded concerned, Marcus took a quick peek at Kevin¡¯s screen, he looked concerned as well.


    ¡°Just a bad business day. Nothing you should be concerned about.¡± Brooklyn Payne shook his head: ¡°What do you want? Why are you sending your men to this neighborhood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s police business, and you are not on the need-to-know list.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°And why ARE YOU there? Why are you interfering with the investigation of my detectives?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business as well. You are not going to scare me like that - ¡± Brooklyn Payne coughed and wheezed, this time, Marcus could see blood on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°You got into something you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Captain Ko¡¯s voice and face turned stern: ¡°Marcus, Kevin, can you confirm this? He¡¯s caught something.¡±


    Kevin turned his eyes to Marcus, and Marcus responded with a simple answer: ¡°Yes. Foul energy surrounded his entire body, it¡¯s growing and eating him up. I don¡¯t know how long he still has.¡±


    Brooklyn Payne growled and shot at Kevin, his arm swung at the phone. But Marcus¡¯ left arm got in the way and stopped this attack at the midpoint of its trajectory. Marcus¡¯ right hand pushed at Brooklyn Payne¡¯s chest and sent him backwards.


    ¡°You do that again, I¡¯ll go all ¡®resisting arrest¡¯ and ¡®assaulting an officer¡¯ on you.¡± Marcus raised a finger at Brooklyn Payne.


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    ¡°So - what THE FUCK, do you want? Ko?¡± Brooklyn Payne coughed again: ¡°You want to say ¡®I told you so¡¯? You want to gloat about how good of a mission and goal you have?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m simply proposing that you comply with my detectives answer a few questions, then maybe they can let you go. Or else I can okay them on the arrest, and you should handle the paperwork.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°Your choice.¡±


    ¡°What a fucking low demand.¡± Brooklyn Payne responded with a contemptful scoff.


    ¡°And come to my place when you have fulfilled your end of the deal. You KNOW I know someone who can help.¡± Captain Ko sighed, then hung up the video call.


    ¡°So - what do you say?¡± Marcus stood between Brooklyn Payne and Kevin: ¡°You want another round? Or do you wanna answer some questions?¡±


    Brooklyn Payne¡¯s entire face was red, and veins almost popped out of his forehead as he tried his best to raise his voice without alerting the neighborhood: ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are or what you think you know about the situation, or the things happening around the city. But one thing you can be FUCKING SURE, is that your dear captain is no simple captain. He¡¯s not trustworthy. He¡¯s not who you think he is!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. How about you answer our questions first?¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Exactly, like, for starters, the reason you are here.¡± Kevin popped his head out behind Marcus.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s start with that, won¡¯t you?¡± Marcus crossed his arms.


    ¡°I am here to find someone. But it turned out they¡¯re not here.¡± Brookly Payne grunted, then coughed again. His spit dripped onto the ground, leaving red spots everywhere.


    ¡°How can he help you? The captain, I mean.¡± Kevin popped his head out again.


    ¡°Like I said. He knows much more than he lets on. He DOES more than he lets on. And I think you know that, right? Because up until recently, investigation with the paranormal as a factor for consideration had not been a thing for years.¡± Brooklyn Payne let out an ugly grin, with his teeth covered in blood mixed with saliva.


    ¡°And what is the person¡¯s name? This person you¡¯re looking for.¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Luo Zhuge. The same one you¡¯re asking about. I¡¯ve also been tracking him for a while.¡± Brooklyn Payne wiped the corners of his mouth, then his forehead.


    ¡°If that¡¯s even his real name.¡± Kevin scoffed: ¡°What¡¯s his real name? Tell us what you know!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything. The man¡¯s good. He¡¯s got a ton of aliases. ¡± The disgruntled PI groaned.


    ¡°You must know something.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°Tell us more about him. Whatever you have. Give us everything you have on him, then we¡¯ll tell our captain that you¡¯ve been cooperative. And of course, he would gladly see that you¡¯ve been a great help to our investigation.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯d have to pay for it. Let me know, what¡¯s it worth to you?¡± Brooklyn Payne grinned once more, his teeth slightly cleaned up: ¡°Tell your captain, I am willing to give you this information. But I¡¯m gonna need something in return. I want what he knows. I want to know how. I want to know the ins and outs. Tell him I ask this, he¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough.¡± Marcus did not change his tone or his posture.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t have a choice. If you really believe that I don¡¯t have very long, then you know the information¡¯s got an expiration date.¡± Brooklyn Payne laughed out loud: ¡°Tell me, do you really want to drag this one out, with the food festival coming back into the schedule somewhere else?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 126. Unworthwhile Business (Part 3.)

    ¡°I see. ¡± After hearing what Marcus and Kevin relayed to him after the negotiation, Captain Ko went silent for a while on the video call. Before Marcus or Kevin could follow, he stood up and walked to the window of his office step by step with the phone still in his hand. The sunlight reflected on his face as he laid his hand down before him, the camera pointing upwards to the side of his cheek. The sounds of driving cars, pedestrians and wind could be heard coming from the microphone.


    ¡°What - what do you want us to do?¡± Marcus asked finally after staring at the captain¡¯s face for a few seconds.


    ¡°Do you think the identity of this Luo Zhuge is important? How important?¡± The captain asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s clearly someone who knows quite a lot. And - ¡± Marcus snapped his fingers and smacked himself on the head: ¡°Holy shit! I think I just had an idea on where the money went.¡±


    ¡°Money? What do you mean?¡± Captain Ko asked.


    ¡°No disrespect for your, uh, your friend there.¡± Marcus scratched his nose: ¡°But - while we were interviewing the neighbors, and they all kinda mentioned that the man, although he¡¯s always covering his face, he often works for the local people on hire as well. Doing all kinds of small to medium sized handy work as a means to earn extra cash. ¡±


    ¡°And, being an electrical engineer in S&S Corp itself is quite a lucrative occupation, while the rent of this place is not exactly high. Even with all the anti-investigation measures he took, this is a large chunk of money going somewhere.¡±


    ¡°But - that¡¯s not THAT much money, is it?¡± Captain Ko frowned: ¡°Dealing with these old people would still be quite risky for someone in hiding.¡±


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    ¡°But it looks like it¡¯s a pretty good income stream.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°I asked around for the works he did for them, and how often he did them. It¡¯s at least a couple of hundred dollars per month. It¡¯s almost enough to justify the rent.¡±


    ¡°Yet, it¡¯s not enough for his rent, right?¡± Captain Ko asked: ¡°Which means he has some other use of the place. Marcus, what have you found out about the scapegoat doll?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°Should I take a look? I mean - I still need to get in touch with someone before I can - I DARE approach that thing. And I told the landlady to find an exorcist. I am not entirely sure if she would do it. That exorcist she mentioned may not be good.¡±


    ¡°No, maybe not right now. If you know something that¡¯d be great. But if you don¡¯t - let me see if I can find anyone who actually knows. It¡¯s not gonna be easy since most of the experts don¡¯t work with us.¡±


    ¡°What do you think this means, captain?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°I think this means that we might need some expert help. Because I am not familiar with how they work. I just know it¡¯s not something to treat lightly.¡± Captain Ko let out a long sigh before hanging up the call: ¡°Alright, get back as soon as possible when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Just when they hung up the phone Keryn and Pahaik came to them.


    ¡°What¡¯d you do with those who followed you?¡± Kevin asked, with a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Nothing, they¡¯re just some investigators from the community collective.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°We confronted them. And they just told us they are looking for a potential fugitive in this area. They started following us because they thought we were looking for the same guy.¡±


    ¡°And who are they looking for?¡± Kevin scratched his nose and asked again.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t say. They just said a fugitive suspected of some - ritualistic crime.¡± Pahaik showed a photo on his phone to Kevin and Marcus. Two men in typical South-Eastern community collective uniforms and armbands stood in front of the camera, visibly frustrated and angry.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go check with captain, and if possible check with Tyler as well.¡± Kevin sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯d you find with your follower? You got one man following you right? Who is it?¡± Pahaik sent the picture of the two community collective investigators to Marcus and Kevin.


    ¡°It¡¯s Brooklyn Payne. THE Brooklyn Payne.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°And - looks like he needs to set up a deal. So - ¡±


    ¡°This - this is a bit disturbing.¡± Pahaik said with a heavy frown: ¡°So this means, everybody¡¯s chasing the tail of this Luo Zhuge.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back and see what the captain says.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    Kevin took a few pictures of the neighborhood and its surrounding area before following Marcus to their squad car.

 Book 2 Chapter 127. Links and Calls (Part 1.)

    ¡°I¡¯m going to make the deal.¡± When all four of them went into Captain Ko¡¯s office, the captain told them with a straight face: ¡°And - if you have any questions for him, let me know and I¡¯ll ask him on your behalf. No guarantees on getting an answer though.¡±


    ¡°What kind of information does he want from you, captain? ¡± Keryn stared at Captain Ko with a frown: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Captain Ko reacted to this question with a stern look on his face. He did not answer. Keryn did not back down, yet did not press or follow up either.


    ¡°It¡¯s something in the past. Nothing that should concern you.¡± Captain Ko shook his head, since the other detectives in the room as well as Kevin were also looking at him with inquiring looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly very important to Brooklyn Payne. And - it¡¯s clearly very valuable to him. ¡± Marcus decided to share some of the heat. ¡°And if it is important enough for him to follow us on our investigation - ¡±


    ¡°And if Marcus is right about his not having too long, it¡¯s clearly going to help him.¡± Pahaik also asked.


    Captain Ko became more frustrated. Glancing through the face of everyone present, he eventually fixed his eyes on Marcus: ¡°What did you see on him, Marcus?¡±


    ¡°Uh - well - ¡± Marcus stammered for a few seconds, not expecting the captain to turn the question right back on him. ¡°He¡¯s got these - these black ribbons around him, and black markings around his body.¡±


    ¡°Did the black marks reach his shoulders and the top of his head?¡± Captain Ko asked.


    This question did not get an immediate answer from Marcus, but brought a moment of silence to the entire office. It appeared that none of the officers present was expecting the captain to throw such a question.


    ¡°They covered up his shoulders. And almost reached the top of his head.¡± Marcus thought for a moment, then answered, while his eyes continued to stay on the captain¡¯s face, trying to read any tells he could find.


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    The corner of Captain Ko¡¯s left eye twitched, then he sighed: ¡°I see. This is understandable. I guess you also know what this means, huh? Marcus? Kevin?¡±


    Marcus did not answer. He did not want to, as they were trying to keep pushing on the captain for a clear answer instead of diverting it anywhere else.


    ¡°The ¡®lamps¡¯ were distinguished. He¡¯s suffering from some kind of curse, or infection from paranormal energy.¡± Kevin clearly was not one to scheme or power play in this kind of situation.


    And by ¡°lamps¡±, it was just an arcane and traditional way of describing the life force and vitality of a living human. In traditional terms, the three ¡°lamps¡± were three flames burning on top of a person¡¯s shoulders and their head. Extinguishing even one of the three would make the person much more vulnerable to the influence, infection and corruption of paranormal energy.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°And that means if what was going on with him was not controlled, he would not have long. I know Brooklyn Payne. He values his life and what he has. He went to great lengths to make sure that he would not do without. So I¡¯ll trade with him. His bluff is not gonna work on me.¡±


    ¡°But captain - ¡± Keryn tried to raise the question again: ¡°Can we at least know, what kind of information he¡¯s trying get from you - ¡±


    Before Keryn could finish her sentence, someone knocked on the door to the captain¡¯s office. It was Tyler Khan, with a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Captain Ko, detectives.¡± The investigator left no time for anyone to greet him or ask him what he was here for: ¡°Please, I would like to call for a meeting. We have some urgent matters we would like the PCPD¡¯s help on.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on it. Briefing room it is.¡± Captain Ko immediately acknowledged. Then he turned to those who tried to get an answer out of him: ¡°You have my word, you¡¯ll get the information you need, and my answer, in a timely manner.¡±


    This was too good of an excuse. No matter how the detectives wanted to press on the issue, they could only do so later now.


    ¡°Thank you very much for coming.¡± Tyler Khan stood in front of the podium with a folder in his hand: ¡°And I apologize in advance for interrupting your day. But I, and the community collective, really need your help on something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard, but there¡¯s been a couple of cases where highly esteemed spiritual and religious scholars have gone missing. And by scholars, I don¡¯t mean those in academic institutions like schools or colleges. No, I meant those who lived in recluse, reserves from the temples and even deep in the mountains. There are hundreds of them, all scattered in different corners in the city. Most of them are in the South-Eastern District, you can imagine, but there are some in the other two districts as well.


    ¡°And recently, a lot of them are missing. Some of their prior residences showed signs of struggle and fighting, indicating foul play. But we cannot say for sure, as the community collective have not found any of them and brought them back.¡±


    ¡°Since when did it happen?¡± Marcus asked with a frown.


    ¡°Estimated first occurrence was at least a month ago.¡± Tyler Khan waved his folder: ¡°I have the list of every known missing scholar here - some are confirmed, some are only suspected due to precautions. A lot of the scholars are known to be fond of going on sole travels, so - ¡±


    ¡°This is gonna be a high profile case. Why our district?¡± Captain Ko asked, still not fully convinced of the claim.

 Book 2 Chapter 128. Links and Calls (Part 2.)

    ¡°Obviously, because this seems to go beyond the business of our district alone.¡± Tyler Khan sighed: ¡°As we speak, liaisons from our community have met with leaders and law enforcement officials in the city to discuss this. It is a matter of grave importance.¡±


    ¡°I see. And - what do you think we can do to assist you in this? ¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Information and intelligence? Tag along on your investigations?¡±


    ¡°Currently not much, we just ask that you keep an eye out for any signs, rumors and - and maybe reported occurrences that resemble paranormal incidents, of course.¡± Tyler Khan nodded: ¡°And - the more information the more helpful it can get. Even if you don¡¯t believe it to be true, if we can still collect the information it¡¯d still be tremendously helpful.¡±


    ¡°Sounds alright. And - do you happen to have a list of places where these scholars, practitioners and monks reside?¡± Kevin asked: ¡°I mean - we can start from SOMEWHERE if you¡¯d like our help investigating - ¡±


    ¡°That is - sensitive information, I¡¯m afraid. ¡± Tyler Khan shook his head: ¡°But - I think I can provide you with some information with one case we¡¯re looking into. One of our best investigators is already on a case, where some unknown assailants attacked a small, pretty run down temple, and they murdered the temple watcher. His name was Clergyman Gyuu Park, of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple, around 20 minutes drive away from here.¡±


    ¡°Way - I thought I heard of this name and the temple before.¡± Kevin couldn¡¯t help but mumble and turned his eyes Marcus¡¯ way: ¡°So - what is the situation there? How can we get in touch with this investigator of yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give her a ping. Then she¡¯ll know that I made contact with you beforehand.¡± Tyler Khan nodded at Kevin with a smile: ¡°She¡¯d be happy to receive help from you. Things have been - challenging for many of us.¡±


    Marcus frowned. All of this talk brought an image into his mind: the vision the White Wuchang let him see. The corpse of bald men, and the simple clothes they were wearing while standing next to the altar - could they actually be the scholars and monks Tyler Khan was speaking off?


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    ¡°Can I - can we take a look at the pictures of the monks and scholars that are confirmed missing? That¡¯s not sensitive information right?¡± Marcus raised his hand: ¡°Not to put up posters or anything, but it¡¯d be great if we have at least some ideas on who are missing. And if our officers know what they look like, there¡¯d be a way better chance of their being found.¡±


    ¡°Good point, I will have our people forward them right over.¡± Tyler Khan gave Marcus a thumb up: ¡°But do be aware - those pictures tend to be dated and low definition, because we only registered them when they went into reclusion and only take pictures of them once every five years. Some of them don¡¯t even allow us to take pictures at all¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Whatever help they could be, it¡¯s good to have that information nonetheless.¡± Shrevas interrupted: ¡°After all - you¡¯re asking us to at least be on the lookout for these scholars.¡±


    ¡°And - I have a general question as well.¡± Marcus raised his hand again, with his eyes fixed on Tyler Khan¡¯s face: ¡°If I understand correctly - these scholars and practitioners don¡¯t meddle at all with the affairs of normal people. And - if they¡¯ve been away from the secular world for several years, and they¡¯ve only started going missing, I would almost say, that someone was attempting to do some kind of big ritual. And it¡¯s not some simple ritual, it must be vast, it must be grand, it must be very, and I mean very, impactful. Do you happen to have an idea on what that might be?¡±


    Tyler Khan¡¯s entire body shivered once at the mention of a ritual. It was barely noticeable, but it did not escape the attention of Marcus. He knew something, yet due to whatever reason, he did not disclose it.


    ¡°That¡¯s - uh - that¡¯s a theory we¡¯re working on as well. It¡¯s possible, but not very likely.¡± Tyler Khan forced a dry smile: ¡°The reason is simple - though these practitioners tend to keep a low profile, they are also simple minded and stubborn. It would not be easy to make them do anything. More importantly, most of them do not have any family anywhere, so it would be hard to blackmail them as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But if these kidnappers are desperate enough, they would still bring them along. After all, if it was me, I would just hide and imprison them somewhere, and - ¡± Marcus thought for a moment, before he could finish his sentence, the face of Simon Tu, or better known to him as Sitch, flashed through his mind.


    ¡°What is it, Marcus?¡± Keryn asked with a frown.


    ¡°No - it¡¯s just - I thought of something.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°If you know something, maybe you can let us know? ¡± This time, it was Tyler Khan¡¯s turn to fix his eyes on Marcus: ¡°And perhaps - I hope, that this would be mutually beneficial.¡±


    Marcus sighed, then looked at Captain Ko with an inquiring expression on his face. Captain Ko frowned, then shrugged, signaling him that he should be free to say what he wanted to.


    ¡°Sitch.¡± Marcus hesitated before uttering this name. His stomach churned, and his heart ached at this name. ¡°When we first arrested him, he told me that he was working for something grand, something great, and something bigger than himself.¡±


    All the others in the room went silent, including Tyler Khan. Marcus thought for a while, then stared at Tyler Khan, who was also staring at him.

 Book 2 Chapter 129. Links and Calls (Part 3.)

    ¡°I - I think that¡¯s definitely a useful lead. I¡¯ll ask my colleagues to look into it. But - I¡¯ve gotta say though - ¡± Tyler Khan seemed to be weighing his words, trying not to offend or sound too dismissive: ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, this is probably the desperate pleas of a career criminal under the pressure of arrest.¡±


    Marcus narrowed his eyes for but a brief moment, then shrugged: ¡°Yeah - yeah, it¡¯s a possibility. I¡¯ve definitely considered that. It¡¯s just - if I was to make these reclusive pious scholars work for me for some dirty ends, then I would probably not use force. Instead, I¡¯ll try to deceive them. And IF - I mean that¡¯s not really that big of an IF, if all these missing scholars are all parts of an overarching criminal undertaking, then creating a grand narrative like that would be one of my key measures.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s - that¡¯s for sure a good angle.¡± Tyler Khan nodded at Marcus with a slightly insinuating smile: ¡°You - uh, you¡¯ve spent time in the South-Eastern District, Detective Cai?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I spent some time there. Not enough to be an expert or anything, but - ¡± Marcus nodded, but then immediately raised his eyebrows at a specific detail he almost missed: ¡°Wait, here¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. This clergyman who got murdered, he¡¯s - he¡¯s a clergyman right? Not a reclusive scholar like the missing ones?¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re correct, from what I¡¯ve heard, he¡¯s got the talent on that front for it. But he did not want to be a scholar and ended up becoming the clergyman of that temple - one that¡¯s without a clergyman or clergywoman for quite some time.¡± Tyler Khan sighed: ¡°And unlike most of the scholars, he¡¯s a practitioner of mystic martial arts as well. And - as you might expect, there are signs of struggle and fierce fight in the temple.¡±


    ¡°What about the assailants? ¡± Marcus asked.


    Tyler Khan paused for a brief moment: ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to disclose that information.¡±


    Almost everyone working for the precinct in the room groaned. And Tyler Khan, with embarrassment, tried to wave his hands to diffuse the situation and lighten up the mood.


    ¡°I know - I know. My deepest apologies for the confusing and frustrating situation. ¡± Tyler Khan shook his head and bowed gently: ¡°But please be assured, I will have an answer for you very soon. I apologize on behalf of our investitive section. As you know, things are getting really hairy everywhere across the city. I guess I won¡¯t have to tell you that, considering the upcoming election season of the city. Our district is already swamped, and the process of information sharing authorization is a bit slow. And I thank you for your understanding and patience.¡±


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    Kevin scoffed: ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know you¡¯re busy. But you¡¯re asking for help - ¡±


    ¡°Kevin!¡± Captain Ko cut Kevin off, then turned to Tyler Khan: ¡°Mr. Khan, please when you get a chance, get that authorization. You see, we¡¯ve been working on all kinds of intel sharing policies on our end as well. I can only expect the community collective will show a similar level of respect and courtesy for our effort and time.¡±


    ¡°Of course, captain. I will get everything through as fast as possible. ¡± Tyler Khan nodded: ¡°I sincerely appreciate your patience. ¡±


    The entire exchange not only did not give Marcus any clarity on the whole situation. But a risky idea popped into his mind.


    ¡°... oh man.¡± Marcus rubbed his temples and mumbled with a low but still audible voice: ¡°When can we get a fucking break, huh? I was kinda hoping for that food festival. Too bad it got canceled. I could use a break, holy fucking shit.¡±


    Tyler Khan and Captain Ko raised their heads and fixed their eyes on Marcus, surprised and suspicious.


    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m sorry.¡± Marcus acted surprised: ¡°Please - please continue.¡±


    ¡°That was all I wanted to say to you officers. Thank you very much for your time.¡± Tyler Khan chuckled: ¡°And, Detective Cai, since you¡¯re looking forward to the food festival this much, I have good news for you: the community collective will be hosting our own food festival soon, and we¡¯ll be inviting all of the vendors that cannot make it due to the previous plan getting canceled.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Kevin raised his eyebrows, his voice got slightly higher pitched, but he pushed it down and tried to use his normal voice: ¡°Where will that be held?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, the edge of the Lanmian Forest.¡± Tyler Khan shrugged.


    ¡°The Desolate Forest? What the hell?¡± Brian Sai and Shrevas gasped at the same time.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, it seems that the infamy goes way beyond the bounds of our district and gets exaggerated at every term.¡± Tyler Khan sighed: ¡°The desolated area was only a small part of the entire forest, and it¡¯s nowhere near the edge. The community collective has canvassed the area, and we can be sure¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, everyone, we can adjourn this meeting and talk about other things on a separate occasion.¡± Captain Ko nodded at everyone: ¡°Marcus, Kevin, I have a meeting with some city people later. Come to my office in forty minutes.¡±


    ¡°And I have to report to my station to follow up on the clearance issues we just discussed.¡± Tyler Khan waved his hand at everyone: ¡°I¡¯ll come back with some news as soon as I can. And with some news about the Food Festival as well, so detectives - please stay tuned.¡±


    Kevin and Marcus watched as Tyler Khan left, then headed into Kevin¡¯s lab.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡± Kevin scoffed and threw his phone on the table: ¡°That food festival - I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good, Marcus. It¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I actually know a little bit about that forest. ¡± Marcus shook his head and considered for a while: ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out.¡±


    ¡°Need me to come with?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine.¡± Marcus thought for a moment: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I find. That place is not as dangerous as rumors say, yet it is complicated enough - ¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 130. Adventure Plan

    Zishan Cafe, the meeting place designated by Gloria Lee, a place in the South-Eastern District, close to the banks and docks of the Mud River.


    The owner of the cafe was a sharp and somehow familiar looking woman, who examined him like a skilled martial arts practitioner would when he came in. Gloria Lee was sitting by an inner table, with a friend of hers - the same friend that came with her on their other meetings before, Sue Xu.


    ¡°Thank you for meeting with me. And I apologize for this sudden and last minute request.¡± Marcus sat down and said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have an artisan cappuccino, and my friend Sue here will have a signature Ube Latte.¡± Gloria raised her eyebrows at Marcus.


    Marcus was not sure what the young woman meant at first. After around two seconds, he chuckled and went up to the counter and placed the order.


    The owner of the cafe was already quite familiar with the two items for the two young women and finished them in no time. Marcus ordered himself another signature drink - a tea with milk foam. For a relatively fancy looking coffee shop, the prices of drinks were surprisingly reasonable.


    ¡°Okay. Enjoy.¡± Marcus carried the tray over and handed the drinks to the two young women: ¡°So, can we chat now?¡±


    ¡°Have you guys got free access to those Blue Envelopes yet?¡± Gloria tapped her fingers on the table.


    ¡°No, unfortunately. We set up a meeting with a councilman earlier this week. He asked for more information. Our captain agrees to provide it - but it¡¯s going to take a while.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, can¡¯t you just take a look at the files directly?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°I wish. But the thing is, if we access the files directly, it might alert those people in the city. And we can¡¯t afford that, not with all the - the investigation going on.¡± Marcus took a sip of his tea.


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    ¡°That sounds like an excuse.¡± Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°Maybe. But right now we don¡¯t really have any leverage.¡± Marcus pretended not to understand what Gloria meant: ¡°But - that¡¯s not what I came here for. I think I have something - an urgent lead, if you will, that could be mutually beneficial for us if we resolve it.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Gloria put her mug down on the table with noticeable force, a few droplets of coffee jumped onto the table. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Lanmian Forest. Did you hear that the community collective is hosting a food festival there?¡±


    This news made the two young women squirm and gasp under their breaths. Not as big a reaction as Marcus was expecting. But from the stern looks on their faces, he knew they knew at least something about the food festival, if not just as much or even more than what he knew.


    ¡°What do you know about the food festival?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Another site of sacrifice, for the 15 year circle.¡± Marcus got straight to the point. This answer made them more uneasy than the news about the food festival itself. ¡°And those snatched kids who are kidnapped are going to be sent there. We haven¡¯t heard of any new cases for a while - they are probably planning something big - ¡±


    This time, the terrible look on Sue and Gloria¡¯s faces were as he expected. The two young women exchanged looks, before Gloria asking: ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. There might be other, smaller sites around the city, but just like the cruise ship ¡®accident¡¯ last time. It is very likely that they HAVE TO have a centralized sacrifice. I am not sure why, but it appears so.¡± Marcus nodded and finished his tea. It was indeed quite tasty, no wonder the young women wanted to meet here.


    But also - it was strange that the owner of the shop kept looking over, as if she was trying to pay attention to their conversation and eavesdrop.


    ¡°... okay. That makes sense.¡± Gloria nodded at Marcus: ¡°I assume - you¡¯ll want to check the place out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And this will be off the books. This is - this is big, and possibly very bad. And I would like some help.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see.¡± Sue nodded: ¡°Where did they say it¡¯s going to be?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere near the edge of the Lanmian Forest. At least that¡¯s what the liaison told us.¡±


    ¡°Can we trust him?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Which is why I need help from someone who¡¯s a good fighter, experienced with everything and - and I can trust, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is this your attempt at buttering me up? ¡± Gloria chuckled, then shook her head: ¡°Okay, tell us the plan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have one. ¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Not a detailed one at least. Since I decided not to ask for too much detail to avoid raising suspicion. And - I know a thing or two about the reputation of the Desolate Forest, so I want to - at least consult with you before making the plan.¡±


    ¡°...okay.¡± Gloria thought for a while, then shrugged.


    ¡°What?¡± Sue immediately grabbed Gloria¡¯s arm: ¡°We - we need to talk about this. That place is just around the - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I need to check the area out anyway.¡± Gloria held Sue¡¯s hand: ¡°I assume it¡¯s time as well.¡±


    ¡°Your refill.¡± Just this moment, the owner of the coffee shop put down two extra mugs of drinks on their table, the same kind of drinks for Gloria and Sue.


    ¡°We need to have a chat outside.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°Give us a few.¡±


    The owner of the coffee shop was clearly someone who knew the two young women. It was a simple setup. He checked the napkin folder and the paper tissue box. And under the tissue box, he saw a simple transmitter.

 Book 2 Chapter 131. Planned and Unplanned

    The plan was set, Marcus and Gloria would depart the next day mid day. The reason for it being mid day was that it would be the time when the sun would be at its highest, where there would be the least amount of Yin and paranormal energy in the air, if there was really something weird going on. There was also a bit of a logistics issue, where Gloria¡¯s having to collect certain things and get properly prepared.


    Marcus considered not going home and just stayed in the district for the night. He decided against it for this would be the first night his father would start working, and he would like to be there for him.


    The deceased old man¡¯s family locked themselves in during this night. Because, apparently some of the local residents were very unhappy with what had happened, and decided to throw paint and rotten eggs on their door.


    ¡°What happened, son? You seem a little tense.¡± By the dinner table, Elvin asked Marcus with a cup of tea in his hand, while Marcus sipped his beer: ¡°I thought - I thought you¡¯d be happy that I don¡¯t need to work night shifts right away? Do you have some other concerns about this job? I can - ¡±


    ¡°No! No - I¡¯m really glad that you don¡¯t have to work night shift right away.¡± Marcus immediately interrupted his father, then sighed and shook his head: ¡°Hopefully they won¡¯t assign any night shifts at all. It¡¯s just something I need to do, and uh - I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about?¡± Elvin scratched his jaw.


    ¡°Well - ¡± Marcus hesitated, then put his beer down: ¡°About not being able to help. It¡¯s just case after case of these things, and then they¡¯re still gonna - we are nowhere near stopping those people.¡±


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re referring to the missing kids? ¡± Elvin sighed, picked a piece of stir fried beef and put it in Marcus¡¯ bowl: ¡°It is becoming a bigger deal - and, I can¡¯t believe the city is not doing much about it? Are they hiring for help? Are they deploying their own investigators into it? Are they putting some safety measures in placed, or - ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, dad. I really don¡¯t.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you what I heard today at work.¡± Elvin stood up and picked up the teapot from the boiler: ¡°Did they tell you how many cases there are? Children missing, I mean¡±


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    ¡°Official numbers?¡± Marcus thought for a moment: ¡°I think - in the entire city, at least twenty confirmed cases. If you count the unconfirmed ones, that¡¯s at least fifty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard.¡± Elvin nodded. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat back down: ¡°But - you may not have heard this - there¡¯s also these cases where the entire family of people went missing. At least from the - I mean gossip I heard, there¡¯s at least two families that went away completely. And they said that these are both families of multiple children.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are they kidnapped or something?¡± Alerts started blaring in Marcus¡¯ mind.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. But from what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s very likely they moved, instead of - you know - ¡± Elvin weighted his words, but ended up choosing the most simple and non-negative ones.


    ¡°Did your new coworkers mention what their places look like? Are they completely empty? Did they leave anything behind? Any signs of struggle, foul play or anything?¡± Marcus frowned and started writing down notes on his phone.


    ¡°No - not really.¡± Elvin leaned in a little with an enthusiastic smile: ¡°I can ask around, if you¡¯d like. Do you want me to - ?¡±


    Marcus thought for a moment, then nodded at his father: ¡°Yeah. But please do so discreetly. And don¡¯t overreach with your questions - the last thing I want is for you to get into trouble because you¡¯re prodding too much.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Elvin chuckled and shook his head: ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a job for long, but I still remember how to talk with people. No worries.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always worried. So be extra careful.¡± Marcus chuckled, got up and was ready to put his empty beer bottle into the trash bin.


    ¡°Oh, son?¡± Just this moment, Elvin threw out another carefully worded question: ¡°Have you - have you seen your mother recently?¡±


    Marcus¡¯ entire body tensed at the question, then he shook his head: ¡°No - no, dad. I wish. I¡¯ll definitely let you know if I have.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Elvin¡¯s facial expression dimmed, he poured himself another cup of tea: ¡°Go to sleep and have a good night then - you¡¯ll need plenty of rest for - for whatever you¡¯re about to do.¡±


    Marcus nodded at his father, then headed into the bathroom to take a shower before he would head to bed.


    The next day was bright and the sky was clear. Gloria waited for Marcus in the alley beside Zishan Cafe, wearing a vest and a jacket, sturdy combat boots, long slim jeans and with a backpack on her back. She chose her attire expecting fights to break out, as Marcus did.


    ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Marcus joked, as he tugged the straps of his own backpack.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turf. I need to be early.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°You haven¡¯t brought anyone with you?¡±


    ¡°This is off the books, for various reasons.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°But I have some arrangements set up for different situations. ¡±


    ¡°So have I.¡± Gloria nodded and whipped out a folded parchment - it was a hand drawn map.


    ¡°What - what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°The map to the area. ¡± Gloria pointed at an area marked with a red circle: ¡°The best map of the area showing what we need to be careful about. This is the area of the old ruins. Now, if you look at any other map, physical or digital, it¡¯s gonna show an area of mountains and deep forest.¡±


    Marcus checked his phone. Indeed, on his digital map, the area circled was a mountainous area with steep altitude and full of trees and hilly terrain - a place no normal person would want to go.


    ¡°And here is the Lanmian Forest.¡± Gloria pointed at an area south of the circle: ¡°If they¡¯re really having a second ¡®festival¡¯ as you said they said, then it¡¯s probably around this area. It¡¯s a big thing, we would not miss it.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 132. Diversion (Part 1.)

    ¡°Here you go. We can¡¯t go further.¡± The taxi driver stopped by a patch of grassy area by the side of a road: ¡°If you¡¯re going backpacking, please be careful and let your friends know you came here. I¡¯ve heard people coming here without telling anyone, and then something happened, nobody knew they¡¯re here and they¡¯re dead because of that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, sir. I really appreciate your concern for our wellbeing and safety.¡± Marcus answered with a slightly forced South-Western District: ¡°We¡¯ve already let out friends know. And if they haven¡¯t heard from us, they¡¯d be alerted. ¡±


    ¡°And hopefully then they¡¯ll be looking for us here.¡± Gloria shrugged.


    ¡°Alright alright, as long as you know what you¡¯re doing. Have fun!¡± The driver chuckled and drove away. The tip he received from the two put him in quite a good mood.


    ¡°Did we over-tip? I think we over-tipped.¡± Gloria frowned as she turned around, after seeing the taxi driver¡¯s face.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯re tourists from the South-Western District.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°They - I don¡¯t know, I heard they¡¯re good tippers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I can kinda attest to that - kinda.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°Not sure we had the best attitude for it though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s a short ride, and we¡¯re on our phones most of the time anyway.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    The further they went in their direction, the grass and land under their feet became less flat and the grass grew longer and denser. More trees appeared along their paths, with greater heights and bigger crowns. As a result, their surroundings became dimmer as well.


    ¡°Looks like nothing is happening here.¡± Marcus looked around, there were no visible signs of anything being organized or built. Even for a one-time event like a back up food festival arranged to make up for the canceled one, it should at least leave some trails around the area.


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    ¡°Let me go higher.¡± Gloria took a look around, then pointed at a tree on her right. With a few well-timed pulls and jumps, she reached the top of the crown.


    Marcus remained on the ground and looked around, checking out the soil around and the grass. The earth appeared quite fertile here, it was slightly strange there was no one doing any farming here. And the environment around was quite pleasant, at least at this time of the day, which made it stranger that there was no one living here. He did hear something about the old ruins, which was some distance away from where they were now, but never understood the aversion to this place from the locals.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything obvious, but there¡¯s some buildings there.¡± Gloria pointed at something to the north of their location: ¡°I see some wood panels and some pillars, but I can¡¯t see clearly here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Marcus nodded.


    The direction pointed out by Gloria was along a path that seemed treaded before, but not frequently visited. Marcus knelt down a couple of times to check the ground - the earth was solid from the footsteps, and grass was popping out from the cracks.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s been using this path.¡± Marcus caught up to Gloria.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, it seems so.¡± Gloria looked around, frowning: ¡°This is - this is weird. People generally don¡¯t come here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This place is still too close to the old ruins. And the old ruins - the locals, and I mean the REAL locals, not someone who came from the other districts and only stayed for a bit - would never go near it if they could help it.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I only heard a few things - like the entire land is haunted, there¡¯s this ¡®Lady in White¡¯ or ¡®Witch in White¡¯ who abducts unruly children, and such.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it still a bit of distance from here?¡± Marcus checked his phone, looking at the picture he took of Gloria¡¯s hand drawn map. ¡°The old ruins area - judging by everything - even if we¡¯re driving we¡¯re still at least ten minutes away?¡±


    ¡°The area is big, and the old ruins, from what I¡¯ve heard, were just a smaller part of what was here long ago - when it was still occupied.¡± Gloria shook his head.


    In less than 10 minutes, they finally saw what Gloria found when she was on top of the tree. It was not a setup for any kind of festival, much less a food festival they were expecting. This was a place of ruins - not ruins of any of the buildings from distant times, but more modern ones - wood panels, broken glass windows, tiles and moldy painted exterior.


    A small neighborhood, but abandoned. A winding road laid across seven or eight wooden buildings in various levels of ruinage. Grass sprouted from the cracks and gaps between the bricks on the road. More than half of the buildings no longer had most of their walls or their ceilings, only three stood with some cover for any potential squatters inside.


    ¡°This is - some kind of neighborhood? And new looking - relatively.¡± Marcus checked the splintered wood from one of the broken walls, and the remaining interior decorations of the house it belonged to: ¡°This is a modern house. Style wise it is not anything new. But it¡¯s definitely not ancient, like what you would expect from ¡®the old ruins¡¯.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re definitely not THE ruins. Looks like they¡¯re just buildings - multi-family homes, if I remember correctly. If you want to we can check a few out near the Mud River banks - ¡± Gloria walked around the exposed base of the building: ¡°I - I think I know a little bit about these buildings. There¡¯s some talk about certain neighborhoods being abandoned due to the rampant paranormality.¡±


    Just this moment, three shadows circled around the area, in a formation to flank them.

 Book 2 Chapter 133. Diversion (Part 2.)

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Gloria called out to Marcus, and a moment later he sensed fatal danger coming his way. He activated his Qi and hopped to his right. A flurry of thin, sharp throwing blades pierced through the wall behind him and shot into the forest. Another shadow lunged at Marcus from the side, metal claws on both hands and ready to slash into Marcus¡¯ throat and abdomen.


    Gloria launched herself to behind a corner of the half ruined wooden house to evade the attacks from a shadow wielding a long metal whip. The metal teeth on the whip tore a long gash on the wooden wall.


    Two shadows were onto Marcus, one slim shadow throwing daggers and needles at him, and the other was wielding a pair of metal claws. The two were clearly trained as some kind of assassin duo, as they were flanking him from both sides and were attacking with a rhythm. The one with the claws lunged at Marcus with quick and lethal strikes a few times, each time the one throwing daggers would coordinate with him and attempt to block his room for escape. With this tactic, they almost got Marcus a few times. The blades on the metal claw glowed in a strange light, appearing to be laced in some kind of poison.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Marcus jumped into the corner of one almost completely leveled house, with a handful of wooden splinters in his hand. His gun was inside of his pocket, but with formidable foes like this, it would only be useful when used at the most opportune moment. ¡°Why are you attacking us?¡±


    ¡°No reason.¡± The shadow using two claws said to Marcus: ¡°Just your time to die.¡± Before Marcus could say anything back, he shot at Marcus with one claw up high and one claw low. His Qi concentrated on the claw, making the claw glow in light green, ready to tear a few holes in Marcus¡¯ body.


    The shadow at a distance unleashed a flurry of three throwing blades at Marcus from the side, all of which in a wide angle, attempting to preempt his evasion.


    Marcus lowered his body like a crouching tiger, his Qi coursed through his meridians and flowed into his muscles. It had been quite a while since his last fight, and since then, he had been practicing with much more effort than before. Even though right now it was a situation of life and death, he could not help but feel somewhat excited - only in moments like this, would his true skills be tested.


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    The shadow¡¯s two claws swung at Marcus¡¯ head and his legs. Marcus¡¯ sudden lowering of his body made the other shadow¡¯s effort at blocking his path completely futile. Right now, the posture of this Poison City Police Department detective appeared to be way more threatening than he expected. This was a more difficult target who was much more experienced in fighting. The intelligence he got from his employer might not be fully accurate. With this idea in mind, he pushed his Qi harder. They needed to end this fight as soon as possible.


    The two claws made a loud clunk when they collided with Marcus¡¯ arms. The actual claws or the blades on them did not make contact with any part of Marcus¡¯ body. Instead, it was the backs of his fists blocking their dull section extending from the shadow¡¯s knuckles. Marcus twisted his arms and held onto the shadow¡¯s wrist, spreading his opponent¡¯s arms apart and thrusted his left knee forward at the shadow¡¯s abdomen.


    It was as if he was kneeing an inflated mattress, the shadow broke free from Marcus¡¯ grasp and glided backwards riding the impact from the strike. Marcus stomped the ground and kicked the wooden floor, sending pieces of broken wood panels the shadow¡¯s way, along with the wood splinters in his hand. The shadow swung the claws in front of him, blocking them, shredding them in pieces but almost lost his balance when landing on his feet.


    One single blade shot at Marcus¡¯ face, forcing him to lunge to the side and give up on following up with an attack. Marcus scanned the area around before fixing his eyes at the two shadows again. If given the chance to go one on one, he was certain he could take either of the shadows. But right now, it seemed there was no easy way to defeat both of them, with their well trained coordination and poisonous weapons.


    On Gloria¡¯s side, her opponent was a shadow in a black cloak, a silver metal mask and wielding a long metal whip and a short dagger. This shadow¡¯s attacks were swift and sharp, all of which were aiming to maim or kill her. And before long, she found herself separated from Marcus.


    The metal whip made of at least dozens of mini-sections cracked in the air and struck again. Gloria lunged forward right after shifting to the right with her hands inside her pocket. While the shadow was retrieving the whip, she swung her left hand in front of her, releasing a handful of small throwable items.


    The shadow¡¯s figure shifted to the right with a quick side step, evading the Qi infused flying objects - sugar packets. And in this moment of confusion, Gloria swung her right hand at the shadow, launching another handful.


    This time the shadow did not dodge but thrust the dagger forward. Gloria forced herself to lean left while charging to stay away from the tip of the blade, and continue ramming into the shadow¡¯s embrace barely losing any momentum.


    Gloria¡¯s shoulder crashed into the shadow¡¯s chest. Even with her Qi circulating at full speed her socket still almost dislocated. The sharp pain made her gasp and stop where she was, while the shadow flew backwards from taking her attack.


    A plate, or body armor.

 Book 2 Chapter 134. Diversion (Part 3.)

    The shadow wielding claws lunged at Marcus once again. This time, without facing the attack head on, Marcus shot backwards and retreated into the narrow gap between two almost completely ruined wooden walls. The claws tore both walls down, but at the same time the throwing blades from the other shadow were blocked as well.


    Marcus looked around. Gloria was fighting another shadow who wielded a metal whip at some distance behind him. He stomped the ground and launched himself backwards, heading towards the location of Gloria¡¯s opponent. Under circumstances like this, focusing their power and taking down at least one shadow would be their best bet.


    Gloria seemed to think the same, and after leaning back and letting the metal whip strike a tree by her side, she shot at Marcus.


    ¡°Stop them!¡± The shadow who had been attacking Marcus with throwing blades leapt up from a broken roof, shouting at the shadow wielding the metal whip while shooting two blades at Marcus.


    Marcus rolled on the ground to evade the throwing blades, unzipping his jacking while doing so. And just as he pulled himself to the back of a tree, the metal whip swung down his way. He burst out from his hiding place, both hands extended forward at the shadow who wielded the metal whip, holding his gun.


    ¡°Bang bang bang!¡± Three rapid shots in the blink of an eye, all of which struck the shadow on the chest. The shadow took a few steps backwards, but did not go down right away. Gloria shot from behind and delivered a powerful hand chop onto this shadow¡¯s neck. The shadow collapsed in an instant.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The fury of the shadow wielding throwing blades was palpable. Before either Gloria or Marcus could turn on him, he pulled out two handfuls of blades from both his sleeves and unleashed them on the two all at once.


    The two handfuls consisted of more than a dozen mini blades and spinning rings, all enclosing them from a wide angle. Marcus grunted, pushed his Qi to course through his entire body, grabbed Gloria by her sleeves and rushed towards the back of a thick tree.


    A few loud clunks exploded from around Marcus. Three blades bounced from his shoulder and his back, tearing his jacket and shirt but not leaving any visible marks on him. The trees around them took the brunts of those blade attacks.


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    ¡°Thanks, but you didn¡¯t need to do that.¡± Gloria sighed and looked Marcus up and down: ¡°Are you hurt? I know your Qi can harden your body. But it¡¯s not beneath these bastards to lace the weapons with poison - ¡±


    Before Gloria could finish, light smoke arose from Marcus¡¯ back - he was pushing the tiny traces of poison left on his back using his Qi. Lucky for him, there was not that much poison.


    Another shadow shot at the tree, two metal claws glowing in light green. Gloria immediately pushed Marcus to the side while jumping backwards. The next moment, the metal claws broke through the trunk of the tree, sending splinters everywhere. The other shadow shot out from the side, shooting another handful of throwing blades at Gloria.


    Gloria threw out a loud curse before tapping her feet on the ground and launching herself backwards to find more trees to hide behind. This took her further away from where Marcus was. Without much of a choice, she rushed to an area behind a small hill and opened up her backpack. She was not expecting that she would get ambushed here, thus she put her own throwing blades in the back and not in her clothe pockets.


    Taking a moment to focus and calm her nerves, Gloria shot out from behind the hill and towards Marcus¡¯ direction. The other shadow was jumping over the hill, just in time to see Gloria pass him by.


    The shadow wielding two metal claws was dishing out a flurry of attacks at Marcus, swinging both claws one attack after another. But Marcus kept leaping around, dodging swing by swing, not letting even one swing get close to him. Yet, the attacks were so rapid in its succession and he was never able to get a good shot or counter attack.


    ¡°Come and face me head on!¡± This shadow screamed at Marcus as he tore down another unfortunate tree that was barely three adult men tall.


    Marcus looked around once again, and he saw that Gloria was heading his way from a distance, chased by the shadow who used throwing blades as weapons. He leapt back again, narrowly dodging another attack. The metal claw left a long gash on the ground.


    The shadow with two claws roared, then swung both claws at Marcus. His light green and light blue Qi shot out, in the shape of two claw marks in the air.


    There was not enough room or time for him to dodge again. Marcus had to cross his arms in front of him and take the attacks directly. The Qi claw marks exploded on him upon impact, throwing him into a tree, breaking his gun and tearing a few gashes on his arms. The shock squeezed the air out of his lungs. His visions went blurry for a brief moment.


    The shadow lunged forward and swung his right arm at Marcus¡¯ head, and his left at Marcus¡¯ waist. Marcus immediately lowered his body and blocked the shadow¡¯s right wrist with his right hand. His left knee thrust forward, aiming at the shadow¡¯s abdomen. The shadow¡¯s body arched back once again, his Qi focused on his front torso, attempting to dissipate Marcus¡¯ attack like last time.


    This time, however, the knee was not the only attack from Marcus. His left hand turned to a claw and swung from below to up, striking the shadow right at his right waist.


    Dull pain shot from the four fingers of his hand to his entire left arm. A metal plate underneath the shadow¡¯s cloak was pierced and cut through by the sharp blades of Qi on Marcus¡¯ fingertips. The excess Qi shot into the shadow¡¯s torso, cutting his inside like four thin blades slashing at high speed.


    The shadow screamed for a brief moment, before Marcus headbutted his nose and muffled his voice.

 Book 2 Chapter 135. Diversion (Part 4.)

    When Gloria reached Marcus, the shadow he was facing was just blasted to the bottom of a tree by a full force palm strike to the chest. The detective endured some injuries on his arms, shoulders and chest, but none look too serious.


    ¡°NOOOO!¡± The shadow chasing Gloria screeched as he shot one more round of throwing blades at Gloria and Marcus from behind.


    Gloria leapt to the side while kicking Marcus¡¯s shoulder from the side, pushing both of them out of the way of the blades. Two blades grazed through her leg, leaving two slashing wounds on them.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Gloria turned in midair, unleashing a handful of three of her own throwing blades at the shadow behind them. This time, the shadow was still in midair and had to hand to take the blades with his arms and chest. ¡°Go!¡± After standing back up, Gloria grabbed Marcus by the arm, and started rushing towards the direction from whence they came here originally - if they made it to a more populated area, they would be safe.


    But it was not very long before they saw people coming their way, groups of individuals carrying weapons with their faces covered, led by another shadow in black cloak coming right their way from the angle. Apparently, whoever set up this trap had considered the possibility of them attempting to escape.


    ¡°No - we can¡¯t get through that.¡± Marcus¡¯ breathing was getting hoarse, and his skin began burning, as if he was having a fever: ¡°Not while I¡¯m fighting this poison - ¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gloria took a deep breath, different options flashed through her mind, eventually she said to Marcus: ¡°We¡¯ll need to go into the Old Ruins. It¡¯s our only chance.¡±


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    ¡°... alright, fuck it.¡±


    Two of them changed course. Gloria started leading the way while helping Marcus catch up with her as they dived through the thicker and thicker forest and circled around the abandoned community from decades before.


    ¡±I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll tear you limb from limb, and cut out your heart!¡± The shadow who fought using throwing blades let out a throaty and desperate scream: ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this! You¡¯ll pay in blood!¡±


    Neither Gloria nor Marcus had any time for this loud vow of revenge. They just pushed their Qi to speed up and run in this unfamiliar terrain, keeping each other on their side and making sure they don¡¯t fall behind.


    Blades shot from afar, brutal, uncalculated and full of rage. The shadow shot more blades at them, but as his rage burnt higher his aim got more scattered and unfocused. His footsteps were right behind Gloria and Marcus¡¯. He was burning his Qi trying to catch them, and he was getting closer by the seconds.


    A piece of rock shot at Gloria and Marcus from behind on their left. Gloria pushed Marcus and rolled to the side. The poison laced on the blades had seeped into her legs. And with all that running, her leg muscles became numb and somewhat unresponsive. The push and dodge roll exhausted all the strength she could muster.


    ¡°You are going to pay!¡± The shadow ripped off his mask and looked down at Gloria with a twisted grin, revealing his blackened teeth and fully tattooed face. In his right hand, he held a long crooked blade, the edge of which was glimmering in a dark red glow. He took a look at Gloria, then pulled out another crooked blade: ¡°You could have just died a peaceful, painless death. But you just had to - had to do all of that - ¡±


    Marcus burst up from the ground and tried to tackle the shadow from the side, but it appeared that the run here and his wounds were taking over him as well. The man whipped his leg from the side and delivered a powerful kick to Marcus¡¯ left waist, sending him rolling into the dirt.


    Gloria threw two of her own throwing blades at the shadow, but they were instantly caught by his bare fingers.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± The shadow swung his hands and shot the blades back at Gloria.


    Gloria tried to dodge while protecting herself with her arms and got hit on her shoulder and her left forearm. She let out a scream from the cold, sharp pain as she fell onto the ground.


    The shadow turned around and started walking towards Marcus. But just when he was only halfway, leaves and tiny twigs and branches blew at him. Winds howled, carrying droppings from trees, dirt and tiny rocks with each stream and gust.


    Fog poured from the depths of the forest. Before any of the three could do anything, they were swallowed by a sea of white.

 Book 2 Chapter 136. Palace (Part 1)

    Marcus crawled up and stood where he was, gradually lowering his body while looking around in attempts to locate Gloria when the fog and the howling wind blew through his surroundings. Even with him pouring his Qin into his legs and his entire body gradually getting into a crouching pose, he was not able to move even one inch.


    After a while, something in one of his inner jacket pockets started releasing a gentle energy. This energy flowed through the exterior of his body, seeped into his clothes and became a thin, flexible but sturdy shield against the wind. With this added protection, he was about to make two steps forward, before the wind grew stronger yet again, pushing him back, and eventually lifting him up from the ground and throwing him backwards.


    The wind and fog dissipated, along with the fog it carried. Marcus rolled on a cold, hard and smooth ground inside of some kind of man-made structure.


    Gloria was groaning on the ground, just a few more steps away from him. As he stood up and looked around, this appeared to be an ancient passageway with no ceiling above them. On top of their heads, however, was not the normal daytime sky like when they came, but that of a clear night sky, with stars, and a faint moon hidden behind a cloud.


    Both their backpacks were gone. He checked his inner jacket pockets, his phone and his other personal belongings were still there.


    ¡°Where are we? What is this?¡± Marcus asked as he helped Gloria up.


    ¡°We¡¯re inside the old ruins.¡± Gloria nodded at Marcus as a sign of thank you, before looking around with surprised fascination: ¡°At least I think we are. Someone brought us here. Or something.¡±


    ¡°Okay, where should we go?¡± Marcus nodded, then looked both ways: ¡°Have you been here before?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. I¡¯ve only been to the outskirts of the ruins, I¡¯ve never been inside, not to mention this - this corner.¡± Gloria sighed and shook her head. She grunted when she took a step forward, for the wounds on her legs were still seeping dark, thick blood.


    ¡°You¡¯re poisoned, use your Qi to push it out.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°Sit down and meditate, I will stand guard.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s okay. As long as I don¡¯t use too much of my Qi from now on, it can just push the poison out gradually in time.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°Come on, we need to get outta here, we don¡¯t have much time to lose.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Just take a moment. If a fight breaks out I don¡¯t think I can cover for you.¡± Marcus stopped Gloria: ¡°I¡¯ll need to heal as well to be best prepared. Just do it, I¡¯ll help you if you¡¯re not comfortable.¡±


    ¡°... fine.¡± Gloria grimaced when she tried to take another step. There was no other option for her, than sitting down and activating her Qi like Marcus said. ¡°Okay, just stand guard, I¡¯ll ask if I need help.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Marcus nodded and stretched his arms and legs.


    As Gloria sat down by the foot of the wall and got into a meditative state with her legs stretched out, Marcus walked to her side and started using his Qi to enhance his senses.


    Light smoke arose from Gloria¡¯s wounds. Dark red blood seeped out, carrying a tingling smell with it. Before long, the blood dripping became fresh red, symbolizing the removal of most of the poisons in her system.


    Gloria gasped as she tore up her sleeves to bandage her legs. Then she looked at Marcus: ¡°Okay, your turn.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Marcus grunted when he sat down. There were a few scratches and shallow puncture wounds on his back and his lower waist. Not super serious, but could be much more troublesome if the poison got in his way during critical moments.


    Taking a look at Gloria, Marcus took a deep breath and got into a meditative pose.


    When he opened his eyes after squeezing the little traces of poison out of his wounds, he saw nothing around him, and no one. The entire passageway was empty, slightly dimmer than before. Gloria was gone, and there was no sign of her ever being here. Not footsteps, not droplets of blood on the ground, not even her scent.


    Marcus shot straight up and activated his Qi, ready for a fight. He enhanced his senses further to make sure he could see threats incoming earlier. The air was chilly, and the walls around him gave off a strange dim light purple glow.


    ¡°Marcus.¡± A faint whisper almost made him jump. He turned to the direction where the voice came from without delay. There was only an empty passageway under the starry night sky. A small shadow was casted onto the ground, seemingly from the wall on the left side.


    Slowly, gradually, a piece of white came out of the shadow.


    The hairs on his back all stood up. Marcus focused his Qi along on his arms and legs, if there was anything abnormal coming his way, he would preempt it.


    The white grew brighter, taller and wider. It was the lower part of a woman¡¯s dress. Marcus narrowed his eyes and lowered his body. Anything that could come straight out of the shadows in this place would surely not be anything normal.


    The dress came forward, eventually revealing her face. It however stopped at about five or six arms¡¯ length from Marcus. Marcus was stunned where he was, his Qi flow halted for a brief moment.


    This was his mother, in a white dress, just like the last time she appeared in Marcus¡¯ dream. At least, from the looks of it.


    ¡°Marcus.¡± The woman smiled.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Marcus was not dumb to be fooled, his Qi flow continued, and his readiness to fight did not waver.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have long, so here¡¯s what I can tell you.¡± The woman sighed: ¡°Be careful what¡¯s in there. Go forth with your heart hardened and ready. There¡¯s only danger ahead. But if you want to break out, it is the only way you can go.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Go forward. Marcus, it is full of danger, but it¡¯s the only way.¡±


    ¡±What do you mean? I don¡¯t - ¡°

 Book 2 Chapter 137. Palace (Part 2)

    With Marcus getting into a meditative state, Gloria took a deep breath before stretching her arms and legs. She felt much less lousy with most of the poisons from those shadows¡¯ weapons out of her body. And should anything happen, she would not need to rely solely on Marcus - this would not be ideal. Even if she could, she should not.


    She stretched one more round, this time with her Qi running faster through her meridians. The soreness and numbness lingering in her muscles, joints and tendons lessened even more. She jumped up, and was able to touch the top of the wall to the side.


    She was ready. Even without the other things in her backpack, she was in a good state to fight. The wounds on her legs stopped bleeding, with the help of her Qi, they would not be a source of concern soon.


    She turned to look at Marcus. He endured less injuries from the fight, but seemed to have expended more Qi than her, so there was no telling how long he would need.


    But he was not there. There was no one in the corner where he was. Not even a shadow, or a mark indicating a grown man was sitting there.


    Qi accelerated in her meridians, and a lot of which concentrated on her eyes and her ears. Her senses were tuned, and her visions changed.


    Creeping cold came from behind her, she swung her right arm behind her as she turned and backed off, with her hand completing a horizontal chopping slash. Her chop released an energy lade, but did not hit anything. Yet there it was, she saw a person hiding in the shadows, a man.


    ¡°Gloria, you need to listen to me.¡± The man walked out of the shadows, wearing a full suit of white robe.


    It was none other than Gyuu Park.


    Gloria paused for a moment, before suppressing the roaring sorrow from the memories and narrowing her eyes: ¡°How dare you!? Who are you!?¡±


    ¡°You need to listen to me.¡± ¡°Gyuu Park¡± raised both his hands: ¡°I don¡¯t have long¡­¡± Before he could continue, Gloria¡¯s claw attack already went through his body. There was no blood, no spilled energy, as if his presence here was only a projection or a hologram.


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    Gloria¡¯s body went through the man taking the appearance of Gyuu Park and landed on the ground. Only the feeling of cold air remained on her fingertips.


    ¡°Okay, say what you want to say. Or I¡¯m gonna leave.¡± Gloria took a moment to collect herself.


    ¡°You need to move forward. This place - ¡± This man had the same tone and mannerisms as Gyuu Park: ¡°This place is - it¡¯s not the same as last time I was here. Everything¡¯s fading, including the power that¡¯s been keeping this place the way it was. You need to move forward, or else danger would be coming for you.¡±


    ¡°Why? What do you mean?¡± Gloria looked around, frowning: ¡°What danger? What kind of danger? And -  how are you here?¡±


    ¡°Corruption, shadows, and foul energy that we¡¯ve been looking into.¡± ¡°Gyuu Park¡± shook his head and answered in a stern tone: ¡°And when you are here, there¡¯s no way you can easily leave. You¡¯ve already paid the price. And this is why I¡¯m here. ¡±


    ¡°... alright go on. What else do you have for me?¡± Gloria sighed after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°The only thing I can tell you right now, is I¡¯ve been here.¡± Gyuu Park groaned as his shadow blurred and flashed, seemingly enduring some pressure from an invisible force: ¡°I came here not on my own accord, but by accident. I did not appreciate my time and opportunity here. Don¡¯t make that mistake.¡±


    Gloria¡¯s eyes opened wide: ¡°Wait - you¡¯ve been here? Are you really - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can tell you. Good to see you, Gloria - ¡± Gyuu Park smiled, before his shadow completely disappeared in front of her. ¡°And take care.¡±


    Everything flashed in front of her eyes. Just after a few seconds, she heard the coughs of Marcus, who was standing by the wall with one hand supporting himself.


    ¡°Oh - you¡¯re here.¡± Marcus turned around, with his eyes slightly red: ¡°Sorry - did you - did you see it as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I saw it.¡± Gloria took a deep breath: ¡°I saw a - a friend of mine. Who¡¯d you see?¡±


    ¡°My mother.¡± Marcus also took a deep breath: ¡°She told me to move forward. But - ¡±


    ¡°My friend said the same. But I¡¯m not sure where we should - ¡± Gloria shook her head and was just about to blame herself for not letting Gyuu Park speak, when the shadow of a woman with long black hair and in a glowing silky white dress appeared at the end of the passageway.


    Marcus turned his head at the shadow following Gloria¡¯s gaze. He saw it as well.


    The woman turned right and started walking away. Gloria and Marcus exchanged looks, before following her.


    Just when they turned, a couple of clay pots at the feet of the walls cracked and burst open. Black tar flowed outside. Puffs of black smoke arose, gradually taking the shapes of humans with weapons.


    Gloria lunged forward with her Qi concentrated on her hands and released a flurry of finger strikes at the smoke figures on her side in rapid succession. High speed streams of Qi shot from the tips of her fingers and tore the figures up like rags caught in strong wind.


    Marcus launched two claw attacks at the smoke figures on his side, shredding them and burning them up.


    The woman in white stood on the end of this passageway, and when they got past the smoke figures, she turned again and walked away again.

 Book 2 Chapter 138. Palace (Part 3)

    The further they followed the woman in a silky white dress, the more obvious to them that the walls were glowing and radiating some kind of gentle light purple glow. And at the same time, it became somewhat obvious to them that something was actually not right with the passageways they were in earlier - the walls appeared to be more fragile and weathered, and less pristine than what they were seeing now.


    The woman disappeared around the corner once again. When they made it past the corner, they found themselves in front of a stone arch, beyond which was a giant garden. Flower rows, tall stone stands, dangling baskets from stone pillars, everywhere they can fix their eyes on, they saw flowers and vegetation they had never seen before. And on the far side of the garden was a tall, wide, clean wall with a relief sculpture on it - a male warrior wearing an elegant helmet, wielding a lance with his left arm.


    The woman in a white dress was sitting on a stone platform, beside a larger stone stand shaped like the mouth and neck of a vase, pruning the flowers and grass growing in it. The flowers in this stand all had light purple and light orange petals with some kind of golden lining along the edges of each petal and each leaf.


    The woman in white dress took a look at them, her pupils glowing in orange. Yet the rest of her face was covered by fog, making it so that they could only see the outline of her face but nothing in detail. A faint, tranquil but still slightly unsettling singing voice surrounded the entire garden, echoing from wall to wall. Marcus listened closer, and found that the humming sounds came from the eight broken pillars standing in different corners of the garden.


    Marcus walked in first, Gloria followed him.


    ¡°You are here.¡± The woman¡¯s voice had a certain elegant tone to it, perhaps the accent, or perhaps the expressions on her face. ¡°Good - good. But could be bad - could be bad, or it could be worse - maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the Lady in White.¡± Gloria whispered to Marcus.


    ¡°Lady in White - you mean THAT Lady in White?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes twitched.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°Be careful - my friend told me - she¡¯s not actually dangerous - if you behave.¡±


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    ¡°Behave is a weird prescription for a couple of warriors, fighters who defied common wisdom and came all the way here. Bearing unpredictable fate with you as well.¡± The woman chuckled and stood up: ¡°Come in here. You want to leave, you need to step inside first.¡±


    Marcus took a deep breath, exchanged looks with Gloria before walking into the garden step by step. They came in closer to the woman as well as the wall with the sculpture. His eyes opened wide as he glanced at the wall once again. The relief sculpture only had his left arm. It showed his right shoulder, but no arm connected to it.


    With this shocking realization, Marcus¡¯ eyesight blurred for a moment. He looked around again, this time paying additional attention to the patterns on the decor, patterns on the stands and flower pots. There was nothing clearly indicative, but from the general styles, he could tell that they were indeed of styles from the olden days.


    ¡°This is - this is probably a memorial garden for the One Armed Knight.¡± Marcus whispered to Gloria under his breath.


    ¡°Yeah, it makes sense. The old ruins are said to be from ancient times, some say they¡¯re from even before the formation of Lake Aqiu.¡± Gloria nodded and whispered back: ¡°But - let¡¯s ask when there¡¯s a chance just to be sure.¡±


    The lady in white, still with the mysterious fog on her face, walked down from the platform. With them coming closer, they saw that there were several rows of flowers hidden behind the tall stand, all glistening in different colors.


    ¡°Lady - can you be so kind as to enlighten us on who you are, and where we are?¡± Gloria did not wait but ask with a slightly hastened tone: ¡°We are in dire need of your guidance and your assistance, because the entire city is in great disarray - ¡±


    The Lady in White simply waved her hand, and Gloria¡¯s voice was instantly sealed. She kept talking, her mouth and throat kept moving, but she did not make any sound. Marcus tried to ask as well, but the same thing happened to him.


    ¡°You might think that since I am here, stuck and isolated, I may have turned a blind eye toward the entire city, and the world.¡± The Lady in White walked past them, heading towards the center of the garden. Her hands slowly glided through the air, over the flowers by her side. When she reached the center of the garden, she raised both her hands above her head, tiny sparks flashing in her palms and above her fingertips.


    Lines of light green and light blue glow grew from the top of the walls and the pillars, they arched in the air, they folded and merged into one another.


    Marcus took a deep breath to calm himself down, as he marveled this incredible display of power and - art. The glowing lines formed a holographic picture of what this open air garden would have looked like, if the magnificently built and meticulously decorated ceiling of the entire garden remained and would have provided shelter and shading for anyone staying here.


    ¡°This garden, this place, was once called the eye of the land, a place for those who yearn to see, for those who want to memorialize those we lost, and of course, for war and campaigns.¡± The Lady in White snapped her fingers, and the ¡°walls¡± made up of glowing lines of light turned to screens. Like projection screens, they showed live visions of different corners in the city, the historical towers in the South-Eastern District, the shiny and high-tech buildings of the South-Western District, and the bell towers standing beside the trading centers of the Northern District. ¡°It is as if by fate that I am here. And it''s becoming the last bastion against the corruption consuming and chewing away the city.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 139. Palace (Part 4)

    ¡°It was as if still yesterday, when he and I were finally rid of our entanglement in the earthly duties, of power, of struggle, of politics and war. What a sad state of affairs, yet what a relief. It has taken quite a ¡± The Lady in White sighed as she glanced through the screens in front of her: ¡°It seems to me, that even generations and generations past. The rhythm and song of battle for the throne and the sword has never changed. It just - echoes and echoes.


    ¡°The affairs of the Kingdom shall no longer trouble us. Those who hate and fear us would be at ease, for we no longer desire any kind of reign, over anybody, on anything. We wanted only peace, rest and time to ourselves. No one should ever, ever take matter as power-adverse as this as some other indications of threat. We would finally be rid of the poisonous nets of politics. Or so we thought. We were, however, sorely mistaken.


    ¡°Before settling into this garden, we did all we could, and we did all our duty bid of us in suppressing - combating this curse laid on us by the foul dragon Shyurak upon its deserved death. And we did leave methods, rituals and functions that would facilitate their continuous efforts, as well as the direction for further research and investigation. All of this effort bought us years of peace, the life we wanted. We remained in this garden, tended to the flowers, as well as utilizing the latent power here to keep our eyes on different aspects and places of the Kingdom.


    ¡°But the years of peace had eventually passed. People were sent through our gates, asking us for our involvement, or clarification, or redeclaration of our will to not intervene. The King and Queen were not concerned about us. The people in power needed our assurance. They needed to silence us, once and for all.


    ¡°When all the storms were at their highest and darkest, the King and Queen seemed to have decided to drive us out of here, and into far away lands. One day, a messenger from the King and Queen came, commanding us to let go of this garden, and let it serve as a final seal of the curse that was still plaguing the Kingdom. The order also commanded that we do our best to aid in this effort. As a reward, we will be granted a shelter in the mountains, where we can move our flowers too.¡±


    The Lady in White¡¯s body trembled. The wrath was palpable. And She just turned her eyes on the flowers as she continued her monologue, barely showing any interest in looking at Marcus or Gloria. And without their voices, they decided just to follow her and listen. If she was really from all those ages ago like she said, she must possess unimaginable power and she would absolutely not have them here if she did not have the intention to.


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    ¡°This was not what we agreed to. This was a blatant violation of our trust. I was furious, but he calmed me, and demanded that the King and Queen produce the plans of the ritual. The ritual needed to be sound, before we would vacate this place of our own volition.¡± The Lady in White sighed and looked up at the holographic ceiling.


    ¡°He did not expect, however, that the messenger came prepared. He showed us the plan - a ritual of unimaginable size, with this very garden as the center of a great seal. It is well designed. Ambitious, almost on the edge of implausibility, but still practical if they really could gather all those materials and power needed.


    ¡°So, we had to agree. We knew the risk, we knew how much of a toll it would take on the entire Kingdom to perform this ritual. We could not let all that effort go to waste. ¡±


    ¡°We waited on the day of the ritual, in this garden ready to lend our power in completing it. If the ritual was successful, this entire garden would become a vortex of power in need of stabilizing. We would stabilize the vortex from here, and turn the power of this place into an ¡®eye¡¯ for the seal. Should it complete, it should lock the curse down for centuries, chiseling away its power in the time.


    ¡°The day of the ritual. It started, and for a moment ran just as anyone would expect. But no more than one hour into the ritual, the earth shook. An earthquake struck the entire Kingdom. It almost tore down half the Capital Walls, it broke down dams around the lake, and broke all the walls you can no longer see here.¡± The Lady in White finally turned to Marcus and Gloria: ¡°And right after, fog swept through the land and surrounded this garden, separating this place from the outside world. The King and Queen¡¯s army was pushed out, and only he and I remained. No one could come in, and neither of us could get out.


    ¡°So we had our peace, for more years. But in utter isolation, and without an option to head out. He was a knight. Strong, powerful, loyal, but destined to live a short life. So he went before me. I, on the other hand, was blessed with spells and spirit power. And with it, a long life. The ritual changed me as well. Maybe also thanks to that foul dragon¡¯s fire I bathed, I am able to carry on, not falling into his footsteps.


    ¡°I would have ended myself to follow him. I wanted to. But I could not. For a simple reason: the curse rose around the garden. The curse thickened and howled around this place. Seeping, crushing, corroding its way into the garden. And I chose to defend our memory, defend our time here, until the very last moment.


    ¡°So you ask, where you are. This is the garden. This is the would-be eye of a seal that could have sealed away the evil that is eating this - this city. And this is my mirror and my grave.¡±


    The Lady in White snapped her finger, the invisible force silencing Marcus and Gloria disappeared.

 Book 2 Chapter 140. Palace (Part 5)

    ¡°How the Kingdom has changed. Right now it¡¯s only what you¡¯d call, a ¡®city¡¯. ¡± The Lady in White turned the holographic ceiling of the garden into a dome, showing live footage of different corners in the city: ¡°And the curse did not stop. It did not dwindle, but remained, seeping deeper into the very being of this city. ¡±


    ¡°Now. As for the reason you¡¯re here. ¡± The Lady in White let out a long exhale: ¡°You came here with questions. And you came here with the need to gain knowledge and experience on how to deal with the disturbances you¡¯ve seen. I¡¯ll grant you each one question. For anything else, I don¡¯t see any talent in you that could justify my going through the depths of my past and memories. ¡±


    ¡°Oh - okay?¡± Gloria coughed, then took a look at Marcus.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± The Lady in White turned around and started checking on the flowers.


    ¡°She¡¯s the Burnt Queen.¡± Marcus whispered to Gloria.


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria did not comprehend what Marcus was trying to say.


    Marcus had to take a few deep breaths to sooth his racing heartbeat and calm himself down. This conclusion was not something he pulled out of thin air. It was much more than an educated guess. When he was young, especially before the incident with the cruise ship, he was an avid reader of almost everything relating to the legendary tale of The One-armed Knight and the Burnt Queen. And after seeing his mother¡¯s spirit in one of his visions, he brushed up on a lot of the books and documents he read, as well as the notes he wrote as a kid. Everything he saw here, and everything the Lady in White told him only pointed to this singular conclusion.


    Legend said, after returning from the campaign and venture through the desert to get anointed, the Burnt Queen started ruling with the only remaining knight in her escort team, who lost an arm during the fight against Shyurak, as her husband and King consort. They did not rule for long, only around ten years. After the Queen¡¯s birthday, she shed her official robe, laid down her scepter at the altar, and retired with the Knight. There was not much record on where they retired to, or how their journey ended. It''s all connected here.


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    ¡°She¡¯s the Burnt Queen. She¡¯s the Queen from the story -The One-armed Knight and the Burnt Queen.¡± Marcus whispered again.


    Gloria paused for a short moment, before her eyes opened wide and astonishment was written all over her face. ¡°How is - how is this possible? How - ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I guess we will see more and a lot weirder.¡± Marcus shook his head, then took a deep breath: ¡°I - I¡¯ll see if we can get more questions. I have something that - that might help.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have something she might want. It¡¯s - I don¡¯t know how I could use it anyway. And since she¡¯s the Burnt Queen and she¡¯s been fighting the ¡®curse¡¯ for all this time, I figured she could use it - ¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay, go ahead please, I have too many questions. I don¡¯t know if I can choose just one.¡± Gloria took another deep breath and nodded at Marcus with an appreciative look on her face: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Marcus walked up to the Lady in White from behind, right hand in his inner jacket pocket.


    ¡°My - my lady?¡± Marcus tried his best to come up with a humble and genuinely inquiring tone: ¡°I have something with me. Something I was gifted from a wonderful being by chance. And I was wondering if you would be so kind as to give us some more questions, if I offer this - this artifact to you as a token of our appreciation?¡±


    ¡°You speak of that artifact you carry that helped you stand against my pull earlier, the one that helped you and your friend stay vigilant in the hall.¡± The Lady in White turned around and looked into his eyes.


    Her irises were like they were made of blue sapphire with meticulous patterns. Marcus pulled back after just one look at her eyes. Then, he pulled out the piece of fabric from that White Wuchang¡¯s robe and handed it to the Lady in White with both hands.


    ¡°What is this?¡± The Lady in White asked, her tone still the same but mixed with a touch of intrigue and surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s - a piece from a Wuchang¡¯s Robe. A White Wuchang.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Did you take it from a Wuchang?¡± The Lady in White asked, frowning.


    ¡°Well yes but - ¡± Marcus was about to acknowledge when he saw the lady¡¯s eyes narrowed: ¡°- NOT FORCEFULLY! Not forcefully! I helped him deal with a tricky situation and then he gave me this as a token of thank you, I guess. He also showed me something - I am not sure how to describe it.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± The Lady in White sighed and sat down on one of the platforms with flowers. ¡°Leave nothing out.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 141. Palace (Part 6)

    Marcus organized his thoughts, and combined his memories with the information he learned all along the way before retelling what happened at his own apartment complex. The Lady in White remained calm most of the time, her facial expression changed when Marcus mentioned his vision gifted by the White Wuchang, especially the part about the black altar.


    ¡°And - do you have any idea on who those men around the altar were?¡± The Lady in White asked after Marcus finished his retelling.


    ¡°I - I have some suspicions, but no definitive answer - ¡±


    ¡°Speak, for I am not holding you to anything even if you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°My sincere gratitude, my lady.¡± Marcus bowed lightly and took a deep breath: ¡°I believe - I believe it¡¯s those monks and practitioners missing from the South-Eastern District. I - I¡¯ve read up on the ideas of ¡®pillars¡¯. And they are these - these providers of positive, supportive forces in spells and rituals. So - whatever that kind of ritual they¡¯re doing in my vision, it¡¯s obviously very dark. And to suppress that kind of darkness, they¡¯d need the energy from those monks and practitioners. Whoever¡¯s responsible for this - this ritual or massive spell, they¡¯d definitely need this suppression to lessen their risk of being corrupted by the spell itself.¡±


    ¡°I see. ¡± The Lady in White nodded with approval: ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take this piece of fabric off your hands. And you shall have two more questions. However you want to use them would be up to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Marcus bowed toward the lady, then turned back to Gloria: ¡°I think - let¡¯s just each have two questions. Why don¡¯t you go first?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so kind. Thank you.¡± Gloria smiled, patted Marcus on the side of his arm and stepped forward.


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    Gloria hesitated for a few seconds in front of the Lady in White, then opened her mouth: ¡°Lady, thank you for gracing us with your wisdom. So, I have these questions: First, since Lady you have been watching over our city for quite a while now, I was wondering this¡­ There have been a lot of people taking young children away from poor parents all around the city, seemingly offering them in some kind of sacrificial ritual. Can you enlighten me on who these people are? And I did not mean the ground level henchmen, but people at the top, people running the whole operation. They must be - they must be some kind of highly organized syndicate?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what this ¡®syndicate¡¯ is. But you are half right. They WERE highly organized.¡± The Lady in White shook her head: ¡°They were once a large group, not unlike a nest of snakes. They lay dormant when the time¡¯s not right, and spring into action every 15 years. They held these foul rituals at various places, so foul that even the powers of this place could not easily locate them. Through the years, members of this group came and went, more went than came. But this one thing was certain - they came from every place and sector of this city of yours. They dwelled in your city hall, they crawled in that tall, flat headed building where powerful people conduct their daily business. And one corner they like to gather in, stands on top of a shiny building. A building with a liquid lightning going through its veins and skins.¡±


    ¡°Power Corporations.¡± Marcus muttered under his breath.


    Gloria nodded at Marcus, having fully understood what Marcus meant. ¡°Thank you very much, my lady. So here¡¯s my second question: my friends and I have been looking into the flow of Qiyun around different corners of the city. We focused more on our district, the South-Eastern District. We found that the flow of Qiyun has been stagnant in a lot of places. ¡± She took a deep breath mid question to weigh and organize her words: ¡°So I guess what I want to understand is - why? I guess we kinda know they¡¯re linked to these rituals, but we don¡¯t KNOW it and we have no idea as to why.¡±


    ¡°You and your friends are correct. It has to do with these rituals. In fact, it¡¯s a direct result of them.¡± The Lady nodded: ¡°I know not what the ritual is named. I know not who created it. But it is as foul and against the natural order of being as rituals can be. It would forcefully take away the Qiyun of those sacrificed and feed it back to those who run the ritual. On the surface, it serves as a temporary suppression of the curse. It is only keeping the beast temporarily satiated. The curse requires more and more sacrifice, and the selfishness of man would skew everyone¡¯s choices who chooses to participate in that undertaking. Which, in turn, would make the presumption of the ritual more shaky.¡±


    ¡°What is the presumption - nevermind. It¡¯s not my turn.¡± Gloria almost followed up with a question, before pulling back and bowed once again to the Lady in White. For fear of angering the lady.


    ¡°My first question would be a follow up of hers.¡± Marcus thought for a short moment: ¡°With this ritual going on, how do we stop it? I mean the curse, and this vicious cycle. Or break it? Without causing grave disturbance or causing further harm to our city?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 142. Lost Vision

    ¡°There is no easy way. Not even I know that.¡± The Lady in White shook her head and sighed: ¡°But I can tell you some things that might work, it just depends on whether you CAN actually put it in your heart to do them. It also hinges on how prepared you would be, in going against these people who have been acting in your city for decades. Even though they are now a husk of what they once were, they still hold tremendous power and influence in your city¡¯s politics and functions.¡±


    ¡°I am - I believe I am ready for that.¡± Marcus let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Then let me start with the best solution that I know.¡± The Lady in White looked up at the night sky: ¡°Since you are one of the official enforcers of the city, you should have encountered their soldiers and minions. What have you noticed about them?¡±


    Marcus fell into his thoughts. The first person he thought of was Stitch, the only henchman they¡¯ve caught in the entire precinct, one who unfortunately died in a fight. After that the closest ones he came to were those men in black who gathered around the docks. But they were apprehended by Chef Tang and his crew. And it had been a while, the chef¡¯s crew never contacted him or anyone involved in the operation.


    ¡°They deem what they were doing to be an act for the greater good, and for the fate of the city.¡± Marcus answered, looking right into the lady¡¯s eyes: ¡°You are saying, if I do what they are doing. I can actually stop the curse of the city, like they¡¯re claiming?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But chances for you are three out of ten, even if you do it the right way.¡± The Lady in White looked up at the night: ¡°This is an ancient ritual. Even during my time, I¡¯ve heard rumors about it being practiced by those malicious on small scales. What it is, is to take the Qiyun from those who have vast and great futures ahead of them, rip their Qiyun of them, and use that Qiyun to build a net to chain the curse. For, as you might know, curses, future, and the pure energy of Qiyun, they are different aspects of the same thing.¡±


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    ¡°So - what about my actual question - what of the other ways?¡±


    ¡°Patience is a virtue, and a fine strategy when there was no obvious way out.¡± The Lady in White spoke with a soft and slightly tired voice, her eyes drifting towards the relief sculpture of the One-armed Knight. ¡°The reason even if you do things perfectly, is because you are literally messing with Qiyun, taking it off others, holding a cut flow of it, shaping it, every step of the way would corrupt your own, your fate and your future. Curses, it would become.¡±


    Marcus and Gloria sighed at the same time. Gloria sniffled and wiped the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°For decades during my time, my predecessors have been trying to find a way to control the power of lightning, and control the power of fire, and light. We failed. No spell or ritual can grant us the level of control that we desire. But it is a matter of fact now, in fact, in your time, it has been a granted aspect of life since decades ago.¡± The Lady in White sighed and shook her head with a wry smile: ¡°Therefore, I impart this knowledge to one talented young man who walked through the door. He had the right mind, he understood. He created another ritual and planned it over several major parts of the city. But - he failed. He lost control of the ritual, along with it, his life, and his vision. Yet - wise and cautious as he was, he left ways to restart this ritual using liquid lightning. I know not where he left it. You¡¯ll need to find it, and find new pillars to achieve it. To that end, I believe you already know what needs to be done. Sacrifice is, as you expect, inevitable.¡±


    ¡°... thank you.¡± Marcus and Gloria exchanged looks: ¡°My sincerest gratitude, you - you don¡¯t know how much this helps.¡±


    ¡°What is your final question, young enforcer?¡±


    ¡°I - I want to know this - the spirits that appear in the night, or wandering in the city. They almost always have these chains on their backs.¡± Marcus rubbed his nose bridge, then uttered his question: ¡°I want to know the nature of these chains.¡±


    Gloria nodded and awaited the Lady¡¯s answer with an eager look.


    ¡°Binds. They are binds on the soul, as well as on the curse itself.¡± The Lady picked two flowers from her side. One decorated by laming petals with long winding golden patterns, the other came with long, crystal blue sword-like petals: ¡°They pull the residual Qiyun as well as essence from the souls and take advantage of that force to suppress the curse itself. Flawed, shoddy and barbaric attempts to the once promising ritual, conducted by lesser men.¡±


    The Lady in White spoke the last words with palpable contempt. After which, she handed the two flowers to Marcus and Gloria, exhausted: ¡°My gratitude to you as well, for daring to come here. It¡¯s been years since I last spoke this much. And - my wishes that you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Marcus and Gloria bowed before taking the flowers. Gloria wanted to say something, but not before fog swept around both of them, swallowing them in whole again.

 Book 2 Chapter 143. Out and About (Part 1)

    ¡°You did not ask this. But treat it as my figment of hope that I am projecting onto you. For I saw possibility, and hope, in your paths. The ritual they had been attempting to do, one of the ways they should be done is to do with impartiality and equality. The lives and Qiyun should originate from even roots. It is to be treated as death. It is to be treated as our chances to live. It is to be treated, as air, as the earth below our feet, as the space we inhabit. The vines of their doom and decay, are rooted in the choices of the road they paved.¡±


    Marcus opened his eyes. There were only trees around him, and at the foot of another tree, sat Gloria with her eyes closed. It appeared they were sent to the edge of the forest around the old ruins. The bushes around them were thick, and the trees tall, providing them with ample shade and cover. Above them, the sky was gray, with a few clouds. It was almost evening, it seemed that the flow of time inside the ruins was slightly faster than it was outside.


    ¡°Okay. Where are we?¡± Gloria also woke up.


    ¡°I think - we¡¯re at the edge of the forest, right outside the old ruins. We may need to walk out a bit to get some signal on our phone to know exactly where we are.¡± Marcus showed Gloria his phone: ¡°Also the time is - is not right at the moment. So we¡¯ll need a signal to correct our time.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Sure.¡± Gloria rubbed her temples: ¡°Did - did you hear her last words?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I did. About the ritual needing to be impartial and even?¡± Marcus nodded and sighed: ¡°I am - I am not sure what that meant - I can¡¯t - ¡± Though he said this, he had a rough idea, just he did not want to face the implications of this question, at least not now.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gloria looked straight at Marcus, then sighed: ¡°I think I know. You know, I babysat for a family in the Northern District, and - I heard things. Because they¡¯re transplants, they formed a community of their own and lived close to each other. So - ¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Marcus rubbed his temples and nose bridge: ¡°I know - just - let¡¯s get outta here first.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Gloria let out a long sigh and nodded along.


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    They did not know the exact direction in which they should go. So they just judged based on the height of the sun and headed towards a general Southern direction.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Just around ten to fifteen minutes into their way, Gloria raised her hand, signaling Marcus to stop walking.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Marcus knelt down behind a tree, along with Gloria.


    ¡°I heard something, up front.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°Let¡¯s lighten our steps. They could be our friends, but most likely it¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°My friends would find someone and come here in backup if I don¡¯t get back to them in time. But it should take them a while since they don¡¯t know much about this place.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Yeah. Good choice.¡± Gloria shook her head as she crouched along the shadows towards the direction of the sounds.


    Before long, Marcus saw some shadows moving in the forest. It was a group of five men, all coming towards them in a search formation. All of them had flashlights with them, and seemed to be armed.


    Gloria made a ¡°shush¡± gesture to Marcus, then hopped onto the trunk of the tree in front of them and into the crown. Marcus took a look at the tree - he was not able to do that as quietly and swiftly as Gloria did. So he just found a bush nearby and hid behind it. He concentrated his Qi on his arms and legs, ready for a fight.


    ¡°What a load of crap.¡± One of the men groaned: ¡°They pulled us from a 16 hour shift just to do this? Searching for two fucking people in this forest in the middle of nowhere? These fuckers, man - ¡±


    ¡°Just keep moving, man.¡± Another man coughed: ¡°There aren¡¯t many of us who can even do this work. They¡¯re not gonna do it themselves. They¡¯re not gonna go anywhere near the old ruins! They¡¯re afraid their fragile body and lungs will just go ¡®poof¡¯ - ¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even matter.¡± A third man spat: ¡°Watch your seals. If they tarnish too much then we¡¯re outta here. They can punish us all they want. If our protection break we¡¯d be in much bigger trouble than their fines and shit.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck cares!? Everything¡¯s gonna be over soon after that fucking festival. And I¡¯ll be the fuck outta this shithole city.¡± The first man whined without any concern for his volume: ¡°If they want more fucking items, I¡¯ll bring more fucking items. I can¡¯t stand another day - ¡±


    Before this man could finish his whining, Gloria already shot at him from the top of the tree, her Qi glowing around her.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Marcus rushed out of the bushes, also activating his Qi. His meridians appeared to have become slightly smoother and wider, allowing more Qi to flow through at greater speed. This amplified his swiftness or action and reflection. With his mind fully focused, the movements of these five men slowed down gradually, and he could predict their attacks and reactions with much more ease.


    ¡°You FUCKING BASTARD!¡± The sole of Gloria¡¯s right foot crashed into the man¡¯s face. A loud crunch echoed through the trees, blood and a few teeth spilled from the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°Boom boom!¡± Marcus unleashed two palm strikes at two men. The Qi concentrated on both his hands exploded and unleashed two shockwaves, blasting them into the air. One man was thrown into a tree, while the other tumbled into a bush.


    ¡°What the - ¡± The rest of the two men tried to pull their weapons out, but they were instantly met with Gloria¡¯s elbow and Marcus¡¯ knee strike.

 Book 2 Chapter 144. Out and About (Part 2)

    Marcus only brought two sets of handcuffs with him before coming here. And in the fight, he lost one set. So they could only choose to cuff the two strongest and most in shape men together, while forcing the rest of them to sit down by the foot of a tree side by side. Their weapons were all stripped from them, including several knives and even one machete and one taser. They also found what these people¡¯s ¡°seals¡± were - small copper mirrors hanging by a red thread around their necks. Out of caution, they left these mirrors on these men¡¯s necks.


    After patting and sitting these men down, Gloria opened her backpack and brought out a lidded incense burner, some bamboo strips with red stripes on them, several talismans and a few thin straw ropes with red ribbons on them. It was to build a simple protection array, not for her or Marcus, but seemingly for these five men.


    ¡°Time to talk. You fuckers.¡± Gloria took a deep breath before could calm her voice down. ¡°Who sent you? And where the hell are they? And where are the kids you snatched?¡±


    The first man on the left, whose nose got broken by Gloria, groaned and mumbled something, his eyes staring daggers at Gloria and Marcus.


    ¡°We¡¯re not saying anything.¡± The man sitting behind the man with a broken nose grunted: ¡°You¡¯re not getting anything from us.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Really?¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°How about - if you spill, we don¡¯t cut off the chains on your neck?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± The man in the middle spat: ¡°You know it¡¯s an artifact. And it contains powers beyond your imagination. If you tried to - ¡± Before he could finish, Gloria just came over and slapped him across the face.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up if you don¡¯t have anything useful to say.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°I know what that is. We kept them on your necks because we want you alive, for now. Same reason we¡¯re putting you in this circle.¡±


    ¡°You think this is the first day we¡¯re on the job? You think we would buy this shit?¡± The fourth man from the left coughed, he was still recovering from Marcus¡¯ palm strike. ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with! You don¡¯t know WHAT you¡¯re dealing with! You - ¡±


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    ¡°We know about the ritual. We know why you¡¯re doing it.¡± Marcus¡¯ voice was stone cold: ¡°You didn¡¯t think the people who sent you here just to capture some random fugitives, right? You don¡¯t think THEY know we know something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - you¡¯re bluffing!¡± The second man on the left raised his voice: ¡°If you know already, why¡¯d you ask us, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just want to know whose fucking house we want to raid next.¡± Gloria kicked this man in the chest: ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter for you, does it? We can wait all day here. Do you think you still have any chance once they find you here?¡±


    ¡°And you, my friend there.¡± Marcus turned to the man with a broken nose: ¡°You¡¯ve been saving up to leave the city, huh? You wanna let all that go to waste? You wanna take that chance? How about this - if you give us a satisfactory answer, we¡¯d let you go so you can start packing up early? The exit toll of the city can be paid directly with cash, you know.¡±


    The man with a broken nose did not answer, and just groaned.


    ¡°Motherfucker - don¡¯t you dare!¡± The first man from the right cursed: ¡°Don¡¯t you speak a word!¡±


    The man with a broken nose coughed and rubbed some blood off his face. Then he turned to Marcus and spoke with a heavily nasal tone: ¡°These people - okay? These people bring death to anyone, even those who work for them. You think you can stop them? You think you can change what happened and go against them?! You¡¯re just two fucking nobodies!¡±


    ¡°Then deliver us onto our death then.¡± Marcus raised the corner of his left eye: ¡°Our offer still stands. You see, if you¡¯re correct, we¡¯d be dead anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! Don¡¯t you fucking dare speak a word!¡± The rightmost man tried to rush to the left and choke the man with a broken nose, but he was constrained by the cuff on his right wrist and was kicked onto the ground by Gloria.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta do good by me! You know they wouldn¡¯t let us live after this! Where do you think those missing people go?¡± The man with a broken nose almost jumped up, blood dripped all over his lower jaw and his lower cheeks: ¡°They sent us here! They must have people watching already! They - ¡±


    Before they could say anything, a semi-transparent wall of energy appeared around them, along the edge of the protective array. And right outside of the wall, was an entity with a long umbilical cord-like tail on its lower body, three arms, one giant crooked head with a horn on its forehead. The creature¡¯s horn was against the energy wall, it just tried to break in


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± The five men jumped together, ready to run away. Marcus and Gloria acted at almost the same time, each pushing two men down. But the man in the middle, due to not being cuffed and being in relatively good shape, took advantage of the chance and burst through the space between Gloria and Marcus. With two steps, he made it outside of the array.


    The creature turned and disappeared. And the next moment, before neither Marcus nor Gloria could call to him, his body tensed and fell onto the ground. He grabbed onto his own throat, croaking and kicking. But all that was no use, as an invisible spike impaled his hands and his throat, leaving a gaping hole right at the center of his neck.


    The man wheezed, as the invisible force pulled his tongue out from his mouth and ripped it completely off.


    ¡°Hide in this array, now!¡± Gloria yelled at Marcus.


    The wall of energy flashed again just as Marcus jumped into the array with the two men he held. Cracking sound came from the point of impact from the creature¡¯s horn - it just tried to attack the array and break in again.

 Book 2 Chapter 145. Out and About (Part 3)

    ¡°What the hell - did you leave personal items to those people who sent you?¡± Gloria asked the men.


    ¡°Of course! ¡± The man standing to the right of Marcus cried. ¡°Oh my god! We¡¯re dead! We¡¯re so fucking dead!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deliverer. We - we can¡¯t attack it.¡± Marcus focused his Qi on both his arms, a heavy frown on his: ¡°What should we do? Do you know a way to find the person controlling it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Trace the cord.¡± Gloria forced herself to calm down, her talismans holding right in her hand. ¡°He must not be far. So - buy me some time and I¡¯ll track the bitch down. ¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Your Qi, it¡¯s a Yang-based Qi right? Infuse it into the array. ¡± Gloria wiped her forehead: ¡°Just don¡¯t push too hard. It will speed up its burn but should give it extra strength for a period of time. And - ¡± She paused: ¡°If the wall breaks, just defend yourself, don¡¯t attack it, don¡¯t harm it in ANY way. You understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Go!¡± Marcus nodded, then sat down on the ground in a meditative pose, his hand hovering on two pieces of bamboo strip. Thin streams of Qi flowed from his palms and into the bamboo, which caused the wall of energy to light up some more. After picking up two knives confiscated from the men who were trying to find them, Gloria shot out of the range of the array, her eyes glowing in light blue.


    The creature squealed in frustration, its skeletal body releasing black smoke as it used all three of its hands to claw at the wall of energy. Its two human hands on the side were connected to its shoulders, while the single hand with three long fingers in the middle came from inside of its rib cage, connected to its spine. Its head was in the shape of a dog¡¯s skull, with rotten skin and fur sprinkled all over the surface of the bones.


    ¡°What the hell is this! Please! Kill it!¡± One man cried and squealed, his legs were not able to support his body and he had to hold onto the tree.


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    ¡°Please! Kill it!¡± The man with a broken nose begged.


    ¡°No, we need to hold here. ¡± Marcus shook his head, his eyes fixed on the creature: ¡°This is a deliverer. It¡¯s the carrier of curses. And if we did anything to harm or injure it, we¡¯d all be cursed with severe blowback.¡±


    ¡°What kind of blowback!? I don¡¯t care! It¡¯s literally trying to kill us!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Who cares! Just get us outta here!¡±


    ¡°The direct blowback would be a horrible gruesome death.¡± Marcus raised his voice to shut the men up: ¡°So back off and be quiet! Unless you want another taste of my palm!¡±


    With her Qi concentrated on her eyes, Gloria could see the ugly and foul cord that connected the deliverer¡¯s body with its controller. Through all these days of studying the notes and documents left to her by Gyu Park and diving into the documents in the archives, this was the only way she knew for sure would resolve the situation where a deliverer was sent on her way. If she had brought more materials, she could in theory have built a more sturdy protection array and guard the captives until the controller expended all his energy. But this would be a huge gamble, to say the least. Not even Gyu Park could guarantee his array could hold for that long.


    Following the direction of the cord, Gloria found a cloaked shadow hidden behind a tree.


    Her Qi infused into the blade a knife. Her right arm swung across the air, tossing the knife with a rapid horizontal spin. The knife¡¯s trajectory curved in the air, bypassing the trunk of the tree and cleaving at the shadow¡¯s side. ¡°I found you, motherfucker!¡±


    The shadow shivered and attempted to dodge, but was not able to get away in time. The spinning blade struck the shadow right on the shoulder. Its edge buried in the shoulder pad. The shadow let out a female grunt before throwing a black talisman with red ink at Gloria.


    Ethereal green flame burst from the talisman, and in a mere moment turned into a howling flaming skull shooting at Gloria with its mouth open. Gloria had no intention to dodge, and just thrust her right hand forward with her middle and index fingers pointing forward.


    A sharp blade of Qi shot from the tips of her fingers, penetrating the forehead of the green flame skull and exploding it from inside. The shadow backed away while chanting her spell using a wooden short staff with a fierce dog head at its end. But her spell was cut short by another throwing knife - the spinning blade almost cut off a couple of her fingers, and ended up severing the wooden dog¡¯s head from the staff.


    A shockwave exploded from the broken staff and threw the shadow into the ground. Splinters tore many holes in her black cloak, and blood seeped through her face cover.


    Gloria took a few steps forward, getting close enough for her to take a look at the shadow while not too close that she wouldn¡¯t have time to dodge the shadow¡¯s attacks.


    The shadow seemed to be in great pain. She ripped off her face cover and the cloak around her chest area. At visible pace, her face became pale and covered in dark marks that looked like claw scratches or bites.


    Their eyes met. And for some reason, the shadow let out a light scoff right before the lights in her eyes dimmed.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Alerts blared in Gloria¡¯s mind. She turned and began rushing towards the direction from which she came.

 Book 2 Chapter 146. Out and About (Part 4)

    Barely a few minutes after Gloria left the circle and traced the cord of the deliverer, a cloaked shadow shot out from behind a bush into the air. With a quick swing of both arms, a flurry of metal darts were launched at Marcus as well as the captured and helpless men around him.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Marcus raised his arms and struck the space in front of him using both his palms. Palm strikes of Qi clashed in the air against these metal darts, knocking most of them to the side or down on the ground but a few still slipped through.


    ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Two men cuffed together and hiding behind Marcus cried out in pain. And the other two who were not injured started panicking: ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯re here to kill us!¡±


    ¡°Stay calm! ¡± Marcus roared and maintained one hand hovering over the bamboo strips that made the protective array. The deliverer screeched and banged on the energy wall once again. With the input of Qi slowing down, the wall dimmed, and each of the deliverer¡¯s attacks caused greater and more visible dent.


    The shadow retracted both hands into the sleeves then pulled out another two handfuls, in total of eight darts. Before Marcus could launch his counter attack, another flurry of darts already hailed at him and the men behind him.


    Marcus roared and pushed his Qi in every inch of his meridians. His eyes glowed, his reflexes were heightened, and the incoming darts became clearer and slightly slower in his vision.


    His arms flowed, jabbed and swung in front of him, leaving afterimages in their tracks. All eight of the darts were one by one either knocked down or snatched by his palms and fingers. It appeared that whoever this cloaked shadow was, they were afraid of actually harming the deliverer by accident and thus haven¡¯t infused the darts with Qi.


    Not even half a second after Marcus¡¯ capturing the darts, two men behind Marcus started screaming. He looked back, just in time to see the two men who were hit by the darts twitching on the ground, while foaming at their mouths. The other two, though spared by the darts, were shaking and appeared to be losing their will and guts to stay.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill us! He¡¯s gonna kill us!¡± Tears ran down the man with a broken nose: ¡°He¡¯s gonna kill us right here! One way or the other!¡±


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    Before Marcus could say anything, this man had already bolted out of the protection array, just to get away from the cloaked shadow.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± The other man who was not injured tried to run, but was pulled back by Marcus.


    ¡°What the hell are you thinking! You can¡¯t last one minute out there! ¡± Marcus tried his best to pin the last able man down on the ground: ¡°Are you out of your fucking mind?!¡±


    Before this poor man could answer, a loud bang came from the deliverer bashing the energy wall one more time, before disappearing. Yet the very next moment, the man who had his nose broken by Gloria got pinned on the trunk of a tree. He shared the same fate as the first man of the five - impaled in the throat, and then his throat was pulled out of his mouth and torn off.


    ¡°Holy shit! Holy shit!¡± The man held down by Marcus screamed and almost climbed onto Marcus like a terrified cat: ¡°We¡¯re doomed! I¡¯m dead! I¡¯m gonna die!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Marcus tried to push the man away but the incoming metal darts stopped him. He had to raise his arms to block two of them and lean to the side to evade another two. The last man still able to walk was once again spared of the darts. But the next moment, the deliverer appeared right outside of the energy wall once again and clawed it with all three of its hands.


    The cloaked figure paused for a moment, before jumping onto a tree branch and shooting another handful of darts at Marcus and the man clutching his arms. Marcus had to take a step back to dodge and block the darts. But the actual target was never Marcus or the last man he was trying to protect, but the bamboo strips and the ropes on the ground.


    ¡°Foosh¡± ¡°Crack¡± the bamboo strips and the ropes with ribbons on were cut and pushed to the side by three throwing blades.


    The energy wall that stopped the deliverer disappeared. And without its power of illumination, Marcus lost track of the deliverer as well. He had to push his Qi onto his eyes, and all he could see was a faint shadow.


    ¡°The array¡¯s broken! We¡¯re screwed! ¡± The last man cried his lungs out.


    A breath of cold air blew right at Marcus¡¯ neck. He turned without delay, just in time to face the faint shadow head on.


    A long piece of slightly elastic, slippery and powerful muscular tissue scratched his palms. If not for his Qi concentrated on his palms, the tiny pricks and the long, thin edges on the tissue would have left some wounds on his hands.


    His move redirected this powerful thrust attack. The muscular tissue scraped the man behind Marcus by his shoulder, ripping a piece of fabric off his jacket.


    It was the deliverer¡¯s tongue. With his blocking off the attack, Marcus almost came face to face with the deliverer. The chilliness on his palms, and the foul breaths coming from the deliverer¡¯s mouth made his entire body shiver.


    The man screamed again, then finally collapsed onto the ground, completely passed out.


    The cloaked shadow shot right at Marcus, a shiny dagger in the right hand and a small set of spiked brass knuckles in the left hand.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus cursed, as he rolled sideways to dodge the dagger attack of the shadow. Yet when he stabilized his stance, he heard the wheezing and coughing sounds from the last man he was guarding.


    The man was pinned on the ground, the deliverer¡¯s long, powerful tongue impaled him by his throat, and the middle arm coming from inside the deliverer¡¯s rib cage was reaching into his mouth.


    ¡°He¡¯s beyond saving now.¡± The shadow¡¯s voice was hoarse and muffled by the cloth facemask: ¡°Join him now. It¡¯d be easier.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 147. Out and About (Part 5)

    Marcus roared and lunged forward at the shadow. Veins popped on his forehead, and his Qi was almost burning in the air around him from his rage. The shadow thrust the dagger at Marcus¡¯ neck. The attack missed. They immediately followed up with an uppercut using the brass knuckles.


    Marcus karate-chopped the shadow¡¯s upwards swinging hand right at the wrist to stop the uppercut midway. He grabbed the shadow¡¯s right wrist using a claw attack. As the shadow tried to slide away, he pulled the shadow¡¯s arm back while unleashing a knee strike against the shadow¡¯s chest area.


    ¡°Bong!¡± Marcus¡¯ knee crashed into a metal chest plate. The chest plate caved in, the impact broke through and delivered a powerful shock to the shadow¡¯s internal organs.


    The shadow coughed and tried to get away by pulling on the arm grabbed by Marcus and redirecting the arm with brass knuckles. This was an attempt to attack Marcus and force him to let go. But Marcus just pulled the shadow closer. With Qi concentrated on his forehead, he bashed the shadow right in the nose with a headbutt.


    The shadow¡¯s nose bones and cheek bones cracked, even the upper cheek fell in slightly. Blood shot out from the mouth and the flattened nostrils. The spikes on the brace knuckles tore three holes in Marcus¡¯ jacket, but at this very moment Marcus¡¯ back and waist were hardened by his Qi, and it left only three white marks on his skin.


    Sensing this shadow had lost any ability to fight, Marcus grabbed the blood stained face covering and ripped it off. The shadow was a woman, one whose face was completely ruined by his earlier headbutt. Right now, the shadow¡¯s breathing was weak, and she might have fainted.


    With an extra eye on the shadow¡¯s movements, Marcus patted the shadow down to remove any remaining darts and other weapons. In total he found around twenty metal darts and throwing blades, as well as a long, sturdy metal string. After a short moment of consideration, he tied the shadow to a tree, using the metal string and cloth from her cloak, before heading back to check on the men who were hit by the shadow¡¯s darts earlier.


    The two men cuffed together laid on the ground, foaming at their mouths, dark veins all over their faces, necks and arms. Their necks and tongues remained mostly intact, without any grievous wounds made by the deliverer. It seemed that since they were gone, the deliverer stopped its task.


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    Looking at his palms, Marcus fixed his eyes on the few shallow scratches made by the deliverer¡¯s tongue. Lucky for him, there were no signs of any residual negative or unknown energy on him. He took another look at the two cuffed men on the ground in front of him, then gazed upon the other two dead bodies with their throats impaled. His knees gave out, and almost all of his energy was drained from him.


    The thought of him not being able to protect any of the witnesses or perps that could be of help to him filled his mind. He wanted to capture someone inside with access to intelligence. He did more than he previously thought he would or could. And to lose another opportunity from the same snuff these people used time and again, he wanted to give himself a slap on the face. Maybe even more.


    Gloria shot back to where the protective array was, just in time to see Marcus kneeling on the ground with two bodies in front of him. Without a doubt, the deliverer and the cloaked figure tied under a tree behind him were responsible for this.


    ¡°Marcus.¡± Gloria went over and patted the detective on the shoulder: ¡°It - it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡± Marcus looked up at the starry sky and sighed: ¡°I just - this happens everytime. Everytime we capture some perps who might know something, they get killed. And it just makes me angry with myself, if I didn¡¯t go on that stakeout with Sitch, he¡¯d still be alive - ¡±


    Before he could finish, many rushed footsteps came from afar through the ground. Gloria jumped up onto a tree and looked into the direction from which the footsteps came - a large group of people were coming their way. Similar direction like the five men they defeated.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta go.¡± Gloria pulled Marcus up: ¡°They¡¯re coming our way. I think - if we bypass them and go the way they came from, we¡¯d get outta here and maybe into the main road.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I see what you mean.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and shook his head, pushing away any unhelpful thoughts he was having at the moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The group incoming was one of at least eight individuals. They swept through the area in no time. The bodies of the two shadows were collected, while those five men were simply gathered in a barren area and set on fire in a pile with gasoline.


    ¡°Here.¡± While they were going through the forest, Gloria handed Marcus a small copper mirror - the ¡°seal¡± on the men, helping them fight off whatever influence or effect that might be acting against them. ¡°I got these off their bodies - I figured they could help us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. If not for you I¡¯d miss it. ¡± Marcus looked the mirror up and down, front and back. It was in a rough octagon shape, with bagua symbols carved on each edge. A crude bagua mirror, it seemed.


    ¡°Bagua mirror? I think not.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°They need to be made into a round shape, in a wooden octagon case. And to make a curse repelling bagua mirror, the surface needs to be flat or curved outward. But this one? It¡¯s concave. It¡¯s something else.¡±


    Before long, they saw a small camp in a slightly open area. And beyond the camp, they saw the corner of a road, with some cars parked nearby.

 Book 2 Chapter 148. Break

    ¡°Do you know how to hotwire cars?¡± Marcus glanced at the cars parked beside the road.


    ¡°I know only a little, what about you?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes and fixed her eyes on the oldest looking one.


    ¡°I know very little. Never really got any practice.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Okay, so we go for that one.¡± Gloria pointed at the oldest car along the road: ¡°Old car, should be most easy to hotwire.¡±


    People came in and out of the camp from all different directions. It appeared that whoever these people worked for had mobilized a lot of resources just to find him and Gloria.


    There was still no signal on their phone. And at this position it became somewhat clear that their signal was being jammed instead of purely bad reception in the forest.


    There were still some trees, bushes and other sources of shade around the camp, which allowed both of them to circle around and make it to the road, though it took quite a bit of time.


    With their footsteps lightened and stances lowered, they snuck behind a fancy looking jeep with thick tinted windows, decorated headlights and dark green doors with a matte paint job. This jeep was just one car away from their target.


    Just when they decided to move forward, the jeep beeped. They froze for a mere moment then shot to the front of the car and hid behind it. A man approached from the back of the jeep, breathing heavily and mumbling.


    ¡°These fuckers. These assholes. Motherfucker.¡± This man cursed and spat on the ground. ¡°What the hell is this? All these people at this hour and no additional pay? Fuck this.¡±


    The man almost fumbled his keys when he tried to open the door. But just when he shut the driver''s side door and pulled out a box of cigarettes, a strange female face appeared before him. And with a quick knock on the back of his neck, he passed out right where he stood. Marcus took his keys, while Gloria patted him down and took the man¡¯s wallet, his phone and a small butterfly knife.


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring him along.¡± Marcus pulled out the handcuff he took back from the two dead men as Gloria put the man down on the side of the jeep: ¡°Hope he knows something.¡±


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    ¡°Hey! What the fuck!?¡± Another man came over, staring at Marcus and Gloria and the man lying on the ground.


    ¡°Shit! ¡± Marcus cursed and opened the driver¡¯s side door: ¡°Get in!¡±


    Gloria opened the back row door of the jeep on the driver¡¯s side and hopped in, Marcus jumped into the driver¡¯s seat, jammed the key into the hole and started the car. The man who discovered them just realized what happened and started calling out to his cohorts while waving at the people in the camp.


    The jeep burst out of its parking location and shot full speed into the direction it was already facing. The road ahead was winding, and the feel of the steering was not what Marcus was used to. Marcus almost drove it off the road twice before he managed to handle it.


    ¡°Is his phone locked?¡± Marcus asked as he checked the rearview mirror. The cars parked on the sides of the road all started and began their chase. Though there was still some distance between them.


    ¡°Yes. Unfortunately.¡± Gloria swiped through the screen of the phone: ¡°Also - this phone looked kinda weird - it¡¯s thicker than normal¡­¡±


    ¡°THROW IT OUT!¡± Marcus immediately yelled.


    Gloria knew what Marcus meant in an instance, without a moment of hesitation she rowed down the window and tossed it at the road behind them.


    The phone with extra thickness than normal phones bounced on the ground, and just when the first car behind Marcus and Gloria ran over it, a ball of flame jumped through its back, the outer shall turned to tiny shrapnels and shot everywhere.


    ¡°These fuckers - ¡± Gloria looked back: ¡°Speed up! They¡¯re gaining on us!¡±


    ¡°This is the fastest I can go! This is a jeep and not a high speed car!¡± Marcus bashed the steering wheel in frustration.


    ¡°We¡¯re going the wrong way.¡± Gloria crawled to the passenger¡¯s seat from the back row: ¡°This road will lead to the Northern District. But not into the actual district, just some place around the outskirts.¡±


    Marcus looked to his left, the area to his left was a slightly hilly grasslands, with fences and trees in sight. ¡°Hold on! Fasten your seatbelt!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Gloria held onto her seatbelt and pushed her feet against the footrest so that she would not be thrown around the interior of the car from the incoming bumps.


    The jeep¡¯s hangers whined and some hard objects in the glove compartment bounced around as Marcus swirled the steering wheel and turned sharp left. The jeep sped into the hilly lands on the left side of the road. He tried his best to drive on the less bumpy and uneven area. The shock absorber of the jeep was not that great, and Marcus almost banged his head against the ceiling of the car a few times.


    Three cars also rushed into the hilly area, in an attempt to catch up to the jeep Marcus was driving. The old car they were targeting before was among them. But two out of three cars were not built for this kind of road at all. The oldest car soon broke down, then another normal sedan fell behind due to its lack of running at a consistent speed. The final car still behind Marcus and Gloria was a mini truck with large wheels and therefore high ground clearance. It did not have high speed on flat roads, but similar ability to traverse uneven grounds like the jeep.


    ¡°Check the glove compartment for guns. ¡± Marcus took a look at the rearview mirror then fixed his eyes on the road ahead: ¡°And see if you¡¯ve got a signal on your phone.¡±


    ¡°No signal. How the fuck can they jam the signal at this place?¡± Gloria almost threw her own phone out of the window. Inside the glove compartment, there was indeed a gun in a detachable leather holster. ¡°Marcus. Gun, pistol, leather holster.¡±


    ¡°You wanna switch? ¡± Marcus nodded. ¡°Can you handle it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try if you can get that truck off our fucking tail.¡± Gloria loosened her seatbelt.

 Book 2 Chapter 149. Hiding Again (Part 1.)

    ¡°You ready? One - two - THREE!¡±


    Marcus hopped into the back seat with the gun in his left hand, just as Gloria fully pushed herself into the driver¡¯s seat. Marcus¡¯ feet left the gas pedal for only a short moment before Gloria¡¯s took over. She pulled the seatbelt over with one hand and fastened it. Marcus pushed open the sunroof and reached his upper body out.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The jeep ran over a spot pot hole and its entire body bounced from the ground. Marcus had to stand firm and hold onto the edge of the sunroof to avoid being thrown off his balance or worse, drop the gun.


    ¡°Stay steady on the course!¡± Marcus raised his voice as he looked back to locate the truck that was following them.


    It was a black truck with mud stains on its head and the bumper. Two men in sweatshirts and had tattoos on their arms were in the front seats, the one on the passenger¡¯s seat appeared to have a gun in his hand as well, and he was reaching out of the window.


    ¡°Bang, bang!¡± The man opened fire. But he was a really bad shot. The bullet barely grazed the jeep.


    Marcus held the gun Gloria found in the glove compartment firmly in his hands. This gun was just a touch smaller in frame than the normal PCPD standard issue officer pistol, it had a smaller magazine, but used the same kind of bullet.


    Riding the shakes of the jeep, Marcus fixed his eyes on the truck behind him, as well as the two men in it. The windshield of the trunk gave off a strange glow when shone upon by sunlight, indicating that it was tempered glass. The hood of the truck and its bumper looked reinforced as well. But he needed to be sure.


    Deep breath in, deep breath out. Marcus took advantage of a single moment where the jeep was in mid air and fired three shots. Two at the windshield of the truck and one at the hood.


    Two round, heavily cracked white marks appeared on the window, and a smell dent was left on the hood. This caused the truck driver to brake in a moment of panic and bought them some space between the vehicles. But not enough to completely get rid of their pursuers. Just as Marcus suspected, the truck was reinforced.


    ¡°Have you got rid of them?¡± When Marcus retreated back into the jeep, Gloria asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus grunted: ¡°The fucking jeep¡¯s reinforced. They have tempered glass windshield and a hardened hood. The only hope we can have is shooting them while they shoot or shooting their fucking tires.¡±


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    ¡°Okay, check my phone. Check your phone and see if you can call someone.¡± Gloria shook her head while still had her eyes on the road.


    Marcus picked up Gloria¡¯s phone, the signal symbol flashed on the screen. The shortest bar was flashing on and off. He checked his own phone, it was showing something similar. He called Kevin, a connection attempt seemed to be made from his phone, before he was hit with the ¡°the number you called is not available¡± message. He tried a few more times, the same thing happened.


    Using Gloria¡¯s phone, Marcus tried to call the emergency number. It was the same thing.


    Marcus looked back through the rear glass window. Right now the truck was quite some way behind the jeep, from their position they could barely see the front plate of the truck. But to Marcus¡¯ worry, the truck was gradually gaining on them.


    ¡°Do you know where we can find the road? A road outta this area?¡± Marcus looked around, for now he could not see the other vehicles that went the other way.


    ¡°Not really, no.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I just kinda know there¡¯s a road on our left, somewhere - ¡±


    ¡°Then go left while you can.¡± Marcus checked under and behind the back seats, hoping to find some more weapons or tools he could use. But he was sorely disappointed. He scooped over to the passenger¡¯s seat and checked the glove compartment, inside he found only a spare magazine.


    The jeep started moving leftward, with Gloria slowly and carefully turning the steering wheel and drove through grass, bushes and more uneven ground. There were more trees on their left, and the land appeared to be going higher in elevation.


    ¡°Road! Holy fuck!¡± Gloria took another look at her left and turned the steering wheel to the right.


    The jeep swerved right, barely escaped the fate of shooting into the air above the road. They were now driving along the elevated land on the right side of a road, on which they saw the other vehicles from the camp before, driving in the same direction.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look ahead! ¡± Marcus scooped into the backseats again and looked out from the open sunroof.


    The elevation went down straight forward, and he could see a little bit of the road at a distance. And he could see the divider between the road in their direction and the incoming traffic.


    ¡°Okay - we may need some maneuver here - there¡¯s a lower point we can get onto the road, but you¡¯ll need to turn right immediately to avoid crashing into the divider, okay?¡± Marcus lowered his body back into the jeep. ¡°I¡¯ll try to force them out of our way.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do what you have to do. How much distance is that?¡±


    ¡°I guess one minute or two at this speed.¡± Marcus looked back at the truck, it was close enough to them that he could see the front plate now. It was still too far for him to get a clear shot at the tires.


    ¡°I see the road now! Ready?¡± Gloria yelled as the jeep sped through the space between two trees.


    ¡°Ready!¡± Marcus lowered the left side back window and checked his seatbelt.


    Gloria floored the gas pedal while spinning the steering wheel to the left then right. The jeep swerved then drifted towards from the uneven terrain and onto the road, from an elevation of about a quarter of an adult man¡¯s height. Marcus opened fire on a few cars blocking their way, forcing the potential shooters from them to duck behind the windows and their drivers to slow down or change lanes


    The left rear tire of the jeep made contact with the front right tire of a black SUV, bashing it to the left as the jeep crashed into the road. It was not a smooth landing, but the jeep made it onto the road.


    Gloria made another hard left lane change, as the truck before them hit the brakes and tried to block their way. Marcus unbuckled, hopped right, lowered the right rear window and opened three shots at the driver of the truck just as its driver lowered his window. The windshield and the window were coated with a splash of red from the inside.

 Book 2 Chapter 150. Hiding Again (Part 2.)

    ¡°I know the road ahead. Get ready.¡± Gloria looked at both sides of the road: ¡°Be careful, I¡¯ll get off the main road from the right, then I¡¯ll drive off the road. Then all we need to do is make it across some grass.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? Where are you going?¡± Marcus checked on the positions of other cars. The other cars were still mostly behind them, not going to be able to come into effective shooting range of his pistol soon, but not far enough that they could relax. The light poles on both sides of the road lit up, providing some dim lighting for everyone, and making everything appear less dim and blurry.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure. Then we¡¯ll have some place to hide for the moment - hopefully.¡± Gloria checked on both sides of the jeep again, then spun the steering wheel to the right at full force. ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a newly developed area, okay? I¡¯ll tell you when we get there!¡±


    The jeep took a sharp right turn on the road, and sped into an exit fork despite the honks of several cars along the road. A few of the pursuing vehicles did not react fast enough and missed the fork and had to continue on the road. Three vehicles that were farther away


    caught up and merged into the exit lane, one of which was the truck that was following them earlier.


    Marcus checked his phone. The signal logo kept flashing between zero to one bar. He tried to call the emergency number and Kevin¡¯s, it was the same as before. Without a choice, he moved to the passenger¡¯s seat and changed the magazine on his pistol. The previous one had only one spare bullet in it, so he just put it in his jacket pocket.


    ¡°Ready? Hold on!¡± Gloria took a look at Marcus, who already buckled himself in and held the pistol firmly in his hand.


    A turn appeared in the road before, with short bushes planted on the side of the road. But Gloria just floored the gas pedal again and let the jeep run off into the grassy plains on the right side of the road. Far ahead of them, rested a construction site, inside which were some relatively newly erected apartment buildings and a big temple under renovation.


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    ¡°Bang!¡± Two pursuing vehicles not made for hard terrain ran into each other when heading into the off road. This blocked other vehicles behind them, including the truck that had been gaining on Marcus and Gloria¡¯s jeep, as well as a couple of SUVs.


    This grassy area had much even road than the plains before, and the jeep only lost a relatively insignificant amount of speed compared to on the road.


    The construction site was for a gated community of apartments. They finished the main structure of one of the buildings, which had around 15 floors. And the surrounding area was mostly enclosed by fences. Gloria kept the jeep on the left side of the fences, drove past a dirt road used by the construction trucks, then headed straight at the temple in renovation. Or rather, a small alley on the left side of the temple¡¯s ground.


    ¡°They¡¯re still behind us.¡± Marcus looked back, he could still see the dirt raised by the pursuing vehicles gunning at them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. ¡± Gloria spun the jeep and parked it at the entrance of the alley: ¡°Off, now! We¡¯ll go on foot from now on!¡±


    Marcus hopped off the car, and followed Gloria¡¯s lead into the small alley.


    The walls on both sides of the alleyway were thin, freshly painted walls. Marcus ran this finger along the surface of the walls, paint was left on his fingertips, without his even trying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try, everything¡¯s new.¡± Gloria said: ¡°This is why I chose here. ¡±


    ¡°Why did you choose here?¡± Marcus did not understand what Gloria meant at first.


    ¡°This place is new, which means nothing is sealed and no one lives here. ¡± Gloria looked around, then pointed at a building on their left: ¡°Here - the rooms here are more finished. Let¡¯s go in. Then we¡¯ll find another hiding spot when we need to.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Marcus thought for a brief moment, there seemed to be no better idea right now.


    The time was already late, yet there were some construction workers working on the exterior of the building. They evaded all attention and snuck inside without much trouble. In this building, the apartments were walled off, the floorings were done, the lights in the hallways were installed and the only things left were the doors and internal renovation of each apartment.


    Marcus checked his phone again. He had some signal now. He immediately called Kevin. But, there was no answer.


    Gloria called Sue at first, the call did not make it through. It appeared to be coming from Sue¡¯s side. She tried Luoshan Zi, same problem.

 Book 2 Chapter 151. Mask Off

    Inside the precinct building, Kevin was waiting anxiously by his table. His computer was running some news analysis programs trying to find patterns of incidents. There were some patterns found, and with more of them found, a few notifications popped up on the screen.


    But Kevin did not have the heart to check the notifications. He checked his phone constantly, and kept his phone charged at all times. The call from Marcus still did not come. The time was getting late. In just 15 minutes, the day shift would be over, and the detectives would get off work. Many of the officers had already left, and the building was gradually emptied out. More would leave, before the night shift officers came.


    After thinking for a brief moment, Kevin decided to move on with Marcus¡¯ contingency plan. He packed his bag, got his taser and his pepper spray, then double checked his notes, before rushing out of his lab to find the desks of the detectives.


    The other detectives were out, only Keryn Lance remained in the building, and the detective-in-training, Officer Mick Cramer. There was no other choice for him.


    ¡°Keryn. Mick.¡± Kevin rushed to Keryn¡¯s side and waved at Mick, who was cleaning up his coffee mug: ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem. Marcus needs our help.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Mick put his mug in the sink: ¡°What happened? Isn¡¯t he taking the afternoon off?¡±


    ¡°My lab, let¡¯s talk there.¡± Kevin pointed behind him: ¡°It¡¯s - uh, it¡¯s complicated. And I need your help finding him.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± When Kevin closed the door behind them, Keryn asked.


    ¡°Okay - Marcus did not take the afternoon off. He went to the Lanmian Forest to check on something.¡± Kevin sighed and explained: ¡°He went to the forest because - well - he had certain suspicions about things, and the community collective.¡±


    ¡°You mean, he had suspicions about Tyler Khan.¡± Keryn frowned: ¡°I see - I can¡¯t say I would disagree with him. So he went there and - ¡±


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    ¡°He still hadn¡¯t gotten back to me. He told me he would check it out, and if there¡¯s anything I should find as many as I can, and if not I should hide.¡± Kevin rubbed his hair: ¡°And I don¡¯t wanna call him - I don¡¯t want to expose him with a bad timing call - ¡±


    ¡°Okay, so we should go to the Lanmian Forest and find him.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°But - before we go, do you know where he went exactly? Lanmian Forest is a big place.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s on the corner of - ¡± Kevin was just about to answer, before realizing that he forgot something - he reached below his desk and hit the button to trigger a bug scan. ¡°Okay - this is strictly need-to-know intelligence, but I think the time calls for it. The food festival - we suspect it¡¯s a farce - it¡¯s an excuse to perform a mass sacrifice, as opposed to the smaller ones - ¡±


    ¡°Mass sacrifice? What - what - what do you mean?¡± Mick was flabbergasted by this sudden bombarding statement.


    ¡°Sacrifice of humans, most likely young children.¡± Kevin waved his hand: ¡°It¡¯s a working theory, that¡¯s why we didn¡¯t tell many, but that is not important - ¡±


    Before Kevin could continue, a sharp beeping sound resounded in the lab.


    ¡°Holy fucking shit - someone bugged me.¡± Chills ran down Kevin¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Who - ¡± Keryn was surprised by this finding as well: ¡° - the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Tyler Khan.¡± Kevin spoke through his teeth, stern and worried: ¡°We must go. We must go!¡±


    ¡°What - what¡¯s happening?!¡± Mick asked as Kevin grabbed his backpack, unplugged his computer abruptly and opened the door of the lab: ¡°What¡¯s this to do with Tyler Khan? What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a spy! He¡¯s a fucking spy!¡± Kevin responded with a raised voice.


    Keryn followed up by Kevin¡¯s side, she did not ask another question, just double-checked that her gun was strapped to her belt. ¡°Grab your gun, Mick, NOW!¡±


    But just as Kevin walked halfway into the common space of this floor, Tyler Khan came right to the front door, with a group of men behind him, all of whom were in dark cloaks and had their faces covered.


    ¡°Shit! Backdoor! To the back!¡± Keryn raised her voice and pulled Kevin back.


    ¡°The key! The key!¡±


    Three of them headed towards the back door. They ran by the squad car registration window and just grabbed all the keys on the hangers. Behind them, the men led by Tyler Khan rushed into the precinct and started flanking them from every corner. There were only a few officers in the precinct, and most of them were instantly subdued.


    ¡°Bang bang bang!¡± Gunshots fired behind them as Kevin, Keryn and Mick ran into the garage. Keryn pulled Kevin and guarded behind him. Mick cursed, as he did not bring his gun over and left it on his desk.


    Keryn ducked behind a squad car with bulletproof windows and doors, pulled out her gun and started firing back at those who came behind them. ¡°Mick! Come here! Kevin! Find the right keys!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Kevin tried a few keys, and within mere seconds found the keys to the car behind which they were hiding.


    Mick leapt from behind another car and to Kevin¡¯s position. Keryn fired off all the bullets in her magazine before jumping into the car. ¡°GOGOGO!¡±


    The bulletproof squad car¡¯s tires scratched the ground before speeding out of the garage and into the street outside. The men pursuing them led by Tyler Khan tried to take the squad cars, but they were left with no keys so they had to rush out of the precinct to take the cars in which they came.

 Book 2 Chapter 152. Unveil (Part 1)

    It took the men pursuing them a while before they could get back to their car and went into the road Keryn, Kevin and Mick went on, and it did not take much effort for Kevin to lose their tail.


    ¡°Who are these people? Are they from the community collective?¡± Mick pulled out his phone and was about to dial a number: ¡°How fucking dare they? Do they have no concern for the peace treaty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not. Not all of them.¡± Keryn pushed Mick¡¯s hand down, stopping him continuing to dial: ¡°Don¡¯t call anyone up yet. I don¡¯t know if we can trust anyone.¡±


    ¡°What - what do you mean? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re investigating something that could be connected to a bunch of dangerous people. People who might have connections to some very dangerous people.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Sorry you¡¯re caught up in all of this, Mick. But we¡¯ve gotta stay radio silent for now.¡±


    ¡°I just warned Sai. He should know what to do.¡± Keryn put her phone away, before completely shutting her phone off and pulling the battery out. She then looked at Mick, her voice stern and commanding: ¡°That means you - shut your phone off and pull out the battery.¡±


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t with mine.¡± Mick¡¯s lips shivered: ¡°It¡¯s an integrated - ¡±


    ¡°Then pull your sim card out!¡± Kevin raised his voice: ¡°Do you have anyone you wanna leave outta this before we go dark?¡±


    Mick thought for a while, then pressed a button on his phone to eject the sim card: ¡°No - not really.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll tell you about it later.¡± Keryn patted Mick on his shoulder, then she turned to Kevin: ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    Kevin shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know - I¡¯m thinking maybe we find a place to ditch the car, change one and then we go to a safe place.¡±


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    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time.¡± Keryn looked back, he saw a few quite reckless vehicles coming in from far behind: ¡°Do either of you have a car stashed somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevin sighed, defeated.


    ¡°No. That¡¯s - that¡¯s a criminal move.¡± Mick scratched his jaw while looking back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the captain¡¯s place first.¡± Kevin nodded at Keryn and Mick through the mirror: ¡°We can¡¯t go to any of the places on file. The safe houses are not safe either - assuming some of them are already inside our system, then we can¡¯t go to any of our places.¡±


    ¡°But - wouldn¡¯t the captain¡¯s house be on file as well?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°That''s why we go there FIRST. We need to alert the captain, then we figure out what to do next. The captain¡¯s in the system much longer than we have, he must know something or some place we don¡¯t.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°We go there, we knock on his door, if he could help us then he helps us. If he can¡¯t - then we find another place.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he help us?¡± Mick asked again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t explain right now. ¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s very complicated. But the gist of it is, the captain has limitations on his part as well, and there are some things he can do for us, and there are things he cannot, because if he¡¯s involved it would mean that the city has stepped in.¡±


    ¡°Okay - I¡¯m pretty sure the captain¡¯s weight. But what is it that you¡¯re looking into? And why the secret?¡± Mick raised his voice as he looked around at Kevin and Keryn for answers.


    ¡°Ghosts. Mick, how much do you know about ghosts?¡± Keryn held her hand on Mick¡¯s shoulder and signaled him to calm down.


    ¡°I - I - well - ¡± Mick calmed down just like Keryn asked. Then he looked down at his right arm, where he was once ¡°hurt¡± by a bagua mirror. ¡°I - I think they CAN exist. And that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been looking into? Ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Not just ghosts.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Cases that involve ghosts. Cases where the presence and behaviors of ghosts serve as indications of large scale foul play. And cases where ghosts are at the centers of everything.¡±


    ¡°Large scale foul play? What do you mean?¡± Mick started rubbing his face, then he looked at Kevin through the rearview mirror: ¡°Wait - is this the reason you¡¯ve never gotten back to me on the processing of that evidence room security cam footage? The case with Lydia Mu and that Benson kid?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Exactly.¡± Kevin made a swift and unsafe turn at a crossroads, making the cars behind on to their right honk: ¡°And it¡¯s the captain¡¯s order as well. Because we want to keep things for those who are on the need to know basis.¡±


    Mick was stunned for a few seconds, before finally throwing the question: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the city''s position that investigations do not take indications or theories of paranormality into consideration, unless the factors are hard to ignore.¡± Keryn looked back once again, the reckless cars had spread out, it seemed that their pursuers did not know where they were going: ¡°And when a case is in that state, we¡¯re looking at a blue envelope situation and things will not get solved.¡±


    ¡°... shit!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Kevin drove into a ramp to a highway: ¡°Just ten more minutes.¡±


    ¡°So - Lydia Mu - ¡± Mick laid on the back of his seat: ¡°I guess - in her case, her ghost appeared on that security cam footage?¡±


    ¡°... yes.¡± Kevin nodded: ¡°Only for one or two frames. And we believe, that her grudge lingers on the body of the Benson kid, her killer, even after death.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 153. Unveil (Part 2)

    Captain Ko¡¯s house was just as lonely and spacious as Kevin remembered. The house had a few brick walls, and some stained wooden frames. It had been a while since he last came here, and with the knowledge and experience he had gained since then, it was definitely one built with some ritualistic intent.


    ¡°This is - Captain Ko¡¯s place?¡± Mick looked around, shivered and held his own arms: ¡°Feels chilly - somehow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t get used to it.¡± Keryn scoffed: ¡°The captain doesn¡¯t like visitors, like - at all. Last time we came here he made us wait outside and handed us umbrellas for the scorching sun.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. And maybe we shouldn¡¯t ask. He¡¯s also forbidden us from coming here after sundown - but I guess we don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Kevin knocked on the door of the house. ¡°Captain Ko? Captain Ko I know you¡¯re in there! We have an emergency! We have an emergency! ¡±


    He waited for a while, but there was no answer.


    ¡°Hey, Captain!¡± Kevin knocked on the door once again: ¡°Please open up! Captain Ko! Open up!¡±


    ¡°Holy fucking shit.¡± Keryn stomped forward. Kevin ducked to the side and let her take her turn. With Qi on her palms, the frame of the door shook along with the door itself under her slams. If it was any other door, it would surely be dented if not broken. But right now, the door barely showed any signs of damage. ¡°Captain! Open up! We have an emergency! The precinct¡¯s under attack! ¡±


    ¡°Captain! Open up! If not Keryn¡¯s gonna break your door down!¡± Kevin raised his voice.


    ¡°Captain! Open up! If not I¡¯m gonna break your fucking door down!¡± Keryn also raised her voice, as she focused her Qi on her arms: ¡°I¡¯m gonna count to three! One, TWO - ¡±


    ¡°What the FUCK?!¡± The captain finally opened the door, tired, frustrated and visibly furious, much more so than any time they¡¯ve seen before: ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, maybe a little, but not as out as fucking Tyler Khan.¡± Keryn put her arms down: ¡°He fucking attacked the precinct!¡±


    ¡°He what?!¡±


    ¡°And he is also chasing us. So - we need a place to lay low and figure out what¡¯s going on. And we need people backing us up so we can fight back. ¡± Kevin said: ¡°So sir - we really need your help here. Please, right now the situation is - ¡±


    ¡° - dire, I understand. But - look, you couldn¡¯t have chosen a worse time.¡± Captain Ko spoke through his teeth, and his hands were slightly trembling. Though he tried his hardest to hide his exhaustion, it was pretty clear to even Mick. ¡°I - well, come on in then, my place is the place to hide - and you don¡¯t have a choice. Come on, haven¡¯t got all night!¡±


    The inside of the captain¡¯s house was even chillier than outside. There were only a few faint orange lights on the wooden panels embedded in the walls, plus some paper lanterns with actual candles inside dangling from some overhead wooden beams. Keryn looked around a few times, frowning. Before long, she whispered to Kevin: ¡°This place - this place is kinda strange, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Sit, in the dining room. And don¡¯t touch anything. And I mean ANYTHING. ¡± Captain Ko walked into the kitchen: ¡°You want something to drink? I made some tea. Or do you want hot water? I don¡¯t have soda or coffee. ¡±


    Mick shivered and breathed in through his teeth: ¡°It¡¯s freaking cold in here, man. Captain, don¡¯t you have heat in your place? My apartment is a fucking shithole and even they have heat.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the heat¡¯s - the heat¡¯s broken. And it may take a while to fix.¡± Captain Ko answered from the kitchen.


    Mick shivered, walked around while rubbing his own upper arms. Keryn and Kevin sat in two chairs, finally trying to take a moment to breathe and think about what happened and what they should do next.


    ¡°Okay - just a minute.¡± The captain sighed while still being in the kitchen: ¡°The water boiler is - is not working properly and it may need a bit.¡±


    ¡°Umm - guys?¡± Mick asked with a trembling voice.


    Keryn and Kevin turned towards Mick, who was standing by a sofa at the intersection between the living room and the dining room. They went to Mick¡¯s side with lightened steps and followed Mick¡¯s pointing finger. Tucked between the armrest of the sofa and its cushion, was a piece of torn up cloth with dark stains on it.


    Kevin immediately took out a pair of spare rubber gloves in his pocket and picked the cloth up, examining the sofa while he did it. More stains remained on the sofa, wet, reeking of a slightly salty and rotten smell.


    ¡°Blood. Human blood, still fresh.¡± Kevin lifted the cloth up before his eyes and said with a frown: ¡°And - ¡±


    ¡°And corrupted, thus the strange smell.¡± Keryn¡¯s eyes glowed in a light green light: ¡°And this looks like a piece from a shirt?¡±


    Kevin turned around, just in time to meet Captain Ko¡¯s eyes: ¡°Captain? What is this?¡±


    Captain Ko sighed and paused for a moment, before continuing his way with a tray of three cups of tea in his hand: ¡°Like I said, you guys couldn¡¯t have come at a worse time.¡±


    ¡°Captain, what happened?¡± Keryn stood between Kevin, Mick and the captain. ¡°Whose blood is that?¡±


    ¡°Brooklyn Payne.¡± Captain Ko sighed.


    This answer shocked all three of them. None of them could pose another question for a moment.


    ¡°You were curious what kind of deal Brooklyn Payne made with me. This is it.¡± Captain Ko put the tray on the dining table: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not dead. And I didn¡¯t kill him. If I wanted to do it I¡¯d let him out there and NOT make this deal.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 154. Unveil (Part 3)

    Keryn and Mick both turned to Kevin and fixed their eyes on him, for right now he was the only one who would have the ability to distinguish whether the captain was lying. Kevin, on the other hand, examined the torn cloth and the stain on it with his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°... you took away a curse from him.¡± Kevin put the cloth down back onto the sofa: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s the only explanation. But with what?¡±


    ¡°Keen observation, Mr. Loo.¡± Captain Ko chuckled: ¡°I should write another letter to the city and ask for more funding to support your promotion to a forensic scientist.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even - captain.¡± Kevin raised his hand and rejected with a stern tone: ¡°I¡¯ve been in this business for enough time. I love what I do. Don¡¯t you dare defile that.¡±


    ¡°Alright - alright.¡± Captain Ko let out a sigh and backed off with his hands raised: ¡°And you¡¯re right. I guess since you and Keryn were right there when we discussed the business with Brooklyn Payne, you know I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    ¡°Brooklyn Payne - the infamous ex-cop PI?¡± Mick frowned.


    ¡°Yes. ¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°We ran into him when Marcus was running an investigation, I went along as well. He was in a very bad state. And he made a deal with Captain Ko through the pohne. We didn¡¯t know what the deal was about. But I guess we know now.¡± He then fixed his eyes on Captain Ko: ¡°But then there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand - how could you help? Marcus did not know how. I tried looking into it and there were no definitive solutions anywhere.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, mechanically.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°Curses are usually bound to a person¡¯s blood and flesh. So - with the help of some - special rituals, I can just drive the energy of the curse to certain areas, then draw blood, cut off some flesh to get rid of it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevin nodded, without saying anything else.


    ¡°Okay?¡± Keryn was surprised at Kevin¡¯s attitude at first. But after a short moment of consideration, she sighed and relented: ¡°Okay - I think this - I think this makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Captain. We need your help.¡± Seeing that both Keryn and Kevin accepted the captain¡¯s explanation, Mick decided to change topics: ¡°Actually - there are two things we need your help with - ¡±


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    ¡°Like we said, Tyler Khan brought some men and attacked our precinct. And we have reason to believe that they have planted bugs in our precinct.¡± Keryn scratched her jaws: ¡°And there¡¯s another thing - Marcus went to the Lanmian Forest to look into something and he hasn¡¯t contacted Kevin since, as per their agreement.¡±


    ¡°And - and I should add, Marcus went there because something Tyler Khan mentioned.¡± Kevin added: ¡°In fact, it¡¯s pretty evident now that Tyler Khan said those things about the food festival on purpose, in order to test who¡¯s on their tail - ¡±


    ¡°Food festival? So that¡¯s what that¡¯s about.¡± Captain Ko nodded, then sighed: ¡°But - ¡±


    ¡°Marcus needs our help right now, Captain.¡± Kevin stepped forward: ¡°Please, we need to send some people to the Lanmian Forest - ¡±


    ¡°Lanmian Forest is under the jurisdiction of the community collective. You know we can¡¯t just send people over.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°And we can¡¯t really send people in without raising major alerts.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Marcus is in danger right now - ¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s Marcus, the Stone Tiger.¡± Captain Ko cut Kevin off: ¡°Plus, I think he would bring someone along with him. Our off the book consultant from the South-Eastern District, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but - ¡± Kevin stammered, not having the energy to parse why the captain would know about Gloria going with Marcus: ¡°He told me when he sorts out everything he would call me. So something must have happened - no, I can¡¯t sit here and wait. I must go to the forest myself - ¡±


    ¡°NO! NO!¡± Captain Ko blocked Kevin¡¯s way: ¡°You can¡¯t go out right now. At least not until sunrise.¡±


    ¡°What - why?¡±


    ¡°This entire house is some kind of ritualistic building, right captain?¡± Keryn¡¯s ice cold voice sent chills down Kevin¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t tell, Kevin.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°You¡¯re concerned. I get it. But if you go out right now, well - I¡¯d say a death would be the more preferable outcome should that ever to happen.¡±


    ¡°What - ¡± Kevin immediately looked around the interior of the house. The embedded wooden frames, the red threads along the beams, the incense burners in the corners, and the talismans stuck onto some of those wooden frames and beams, all of them were clear indication that the entire house was fashioned into some kind of ritualistic array. ¡°What the hell - what the fuck is this, capatin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to know.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°Just know this - you, and I mean all three of you, cannot leave before sunrise. Or it would be very nasty for all of us. And Detective Lance - ¡± He fixed his eyes on Keryn: ¡°You start acting Kevin¡¯s girlfriend. My wife would not be happy if I had a single woman spend the night in our house.¡±


    Kevin started stammering: ¡°Sir, this is - ¡±


    ¡°Okay, what else should we know?¡± Keryn interrupted Kevin.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time that you bring Mick onboard for some of the things we¡¯ve been looking into. He¡¯s more experienced now, but he¡¯s still new.¡± Captain Ko nodded at Mick: ¡°Young officer, I can imagine you have a ton of questions. And I appreciate your understanding.¡±


    ¡°But - what about Marcus? He needs help!¡± Kevin raised his voice.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything right now. If Tyler Khan is really bold enough to attack our precinct, then I¡¯d take it that he would have plenty of connections to powerful people in the city. So - we could only wait here.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°I will make some calls and see what I can do. Oh, here¡¯s another thing: don¡¯t use your cellphones while in my house before sunrise. It won¡¯t work, and it could be a source of¡­ hazard.¡±


    ¡°Oh - captain?¡± Mick raised his hand.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What if they found us here? If we¡¯re not able to call - ¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll deal with them when they come.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 155. Unveil (Part 4)

    ¡°Now, take some rest. Come to the dining room after sunrise. I¡¯ll give you a few things that can keep you safe. Like I said, I¡¯ll make some calls tonight, and they will deal with the situation at the precinct. And I will arrange a meeting with Councilman Ding¡¯s office.¡± This was the last thing Captain Ko told them, before sending them to their rooms on the second floor.


    ¡°Okay, Kevin, what did you see? What can you tell us about the captain¡¯s setup here?¡± Keryn asked Kevin before the door to ¡°their¡± room. Mick waited outside the door along with them two, hoping to hear more from Kevin.


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t really tell much. But I have some theories.¡± Kevin sighed after a moment of thought: ¡°The wooden beams, the incense burners in the corners, and the lanterns. It¡¯s definitely some kind of permanent ritual. So it needs ongoing maintenance.¡±


    ¡°So - the reason captain always goes home early is because he needs to maintain this ritual?¡± Mick frowned: ¡°So - what about his wife? Does he even have a wife? Or is it just a ruse?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ruse. I believe Shrevas has met her.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°But - it¡¯s strange, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve seen her for a while. It¡¯s been - it¡¯s been at least several years, I think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird - that¡¯s very weird - ¡± Kevin took a look around. Even when they were on the second floor, there were wooden beams embedded in the walls. And when he looked at them, he could see some thin, barely noticeable golden linings embedded in them.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Keryn also noticed the golden linings glimmering under the faint moonlight pouring through the window. The golden linings formed into arcane patterns on the wooden beams, turning the slender beams into permanent talismans. ¡°What - are they all like this?¡±


    ¡°I think I know what it is. I¡¯m no expert in talisman making, but I can tell, just a little.¡± Kevin pointed at both ends of a beam in front of him. ¡°They¡¯re - they¡¯re containment or protection talismans.¡±


    ¡°Containment OR protection? Which one is it?¡± Keryn nodded at Kevin.


    ¡°That will depend on how the middle section is made. Like I said, I am no expert, and I can¡¯t read what this means.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°I can just read the head and bottom - so¡­¡±


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    ¡°His wife.¡± Keryn said with a cold voice: ¡°His wife, no one¡¯s seen her in years.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait, hold on.¡± Mick interrupted: ¡°Please, I am really, and I mean REALLY out of the loop here.¡±


    ¡°What Keryn is saying, or implying, is that Captain Ko¡¯s wife was dead, and something happened. This forced captain to make this large array to contain whatever - whatever consequence in this house from bleeding over.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°And this ritual is in dire need of peace, our entering this place might have been a grave disturbance. So - we gotta lay low and do what the captain said.¡±


    Keryn raised her eyebrows, then nodded at Kevin with approval. ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s pretty much it. And more than what I wanted to say.¡±


    ¡°But - okay. But what can it be?¡± Mick scratched his head: ¡°And - I hate to say this but - what is going on?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll loop you in on the details later. But the gist is - like we said in the car, ever since the case with Lydia Mu, thanks to Marcus, our precinct¡¯s been doing more and more investigation into cases that are linked to paranormality.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°And you know, in the city, as a policy we can¡¯t do that. And since then, there have been more and more cases like that. On top of it, we have reason to believe that a group of dangerous people have been operating in the city, in preparation for something big.¡±


    ¡°Something big? How big? What kind of big - ¡±


    ¡°Like Lake Aqiu big.¡± Kevin lowered his voice.


    ¡°... holy shit.¡±


    Kevin graciously offered to sleep on the ground while Keryn would sleep on the bed. Keryn tried a few times to convince him to sleep next to her, but none worked. Just before they laid down, a voice resounded from the bedside table, almost making them jump up.


    ¡°If you need anything, just use this radio.¡± It was Captain Ko, through a small handheld radio placed in the lower drawer: ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s been a while I¡¯ve - I mean we¡¯ve had guests.¡±


    ¡°Roger, thanks captain.¡± Keryn responded.


    ¡°Thank you captain.¡± Mick also responded.


    ¡°No problem. But don¡¯t use it for no reason. I¡¯ll be making the calls in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Sure, captain.¡± Keryn responded: ¡°Good night.¡±


    While Kevin was having trouble actually settling down and was constantly rolling on his blanket, Keryn seemed to have adjusted to the situation quite well. Her posture remained steady, and her breathing was consistent, which in turn calmed Kevin down a bit as well.


    ¡°So, Kevin. This might be a good time to ask you this - this 15 year cycle thing - ¡± Lying on her bed, Keryn asked: ¡°How much have you found out? And how much is just between you and Marcus, and the captain?¡±


    ¡°Why - why do you wanna know now?¡± Kevin stammered: ¡°It¡¯s - uh, it¡¯s a theory, mostly. We¡¯ve shared our findings - ¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°See, I¡¯ve been digging into this as well. It¡¯s - it¡¯s really interesting how a lot of things are more or less in plain sight. I mean, people still remember the cruise ship on Lake Aqiu, and the mass disappearance of people before that. With that mysterious mass grave you and Marcus found, you¡¯d think people will begin to suspect - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah - yeah.¡± Kevin sighed.


    Before long, Kevin actually was the first to fall asleep. His nervous and worriedness was no match for the exhaustion from running all the way here.


    But his slumber was cut short. As Keryn woke him, a hand covering his face and one hand over her lips in a ¡°shush¡± gesture.

 Book 2 Chapter 156. Unveil (Part 5)

    ¡°What did you hear?¡± Kevin whispered as he followed Keryn out of their bedroom, holding the handheld radio connected to a pair of headphones in his ears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know - just some voices - I think it just went through the walls, like echoes or vibrations.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Did the captain say anything?.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Kevin shook his head in response: ¡°And neither did Mick, I think he might be asleep as well - it¡¯s been a really long day - ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look first. If somebody really comes in then we need to call the captain and wake him up.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Kevin lightened his footsteps and tried to tread as carefully as possible. But no matter how hard he tried, he could never move as quietly as Keryn did.


    ¡°Wait - here it comes.¡± Keryn made another ¡°shush¡± gesture and pointed at the wall to her left.


    Kevin did not notice anything at first, but as he held his left ear close to the wall, he could hear a faint voice emanating from the wall and the embedded wooden beams themselves. After only a short moment of hesitation, he put his ear directly against the wall.


    Soft cries, moans and weeps. It was as if a sick woman in pain was whispering right at his ears. He almost jumped straight away from the wall. Keryn caught him by his back, without letting him make any more noise.


    ¡°Holy shit - this is - this is not people coming in! It¡¯s in the walls of this house.¡± Kevin almost lost control of his voice: ¡°This is an entity inhabiting this house!¡±


    ¡°An entity? What entity?¡± Keryn put her right ear against the wall, the left ear: ¡°What - what the hell is it? Some kind of ghost? Or spirit?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen anything like this, or heard about it.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°But I think I know what the containment artifacts are for - it must be to contain this - this entity, or these entities, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


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    ¡°My god, what is Captain Ko up to?¡± Keryn spoke through her teeth.


    Just this moment, the sound of cars approached. Neither Kevin or Keryn paid it much mind at first, until several men got out of their cars and headed straight towards the house. Some of them started working on the doors and windows.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Keryn cursed: ¡°Call captain, and Mick. But make sure not too loud. Can¡¯t have them hear us.¡±


    ¡°Captain? Captain Ko?¡± Kevin spoke into the radio with a low voice: ¡°Mick? Are you up? We have people incoming! Captain Ko? Mick? Wake up!¡±


    There was no response. All he could hear from the radio was static.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Keryn cursed: ¡°In the kitchen, now. At least we¡¯ll have some more weapons.¡± She checked her gun and handed Kevin her taser: ¡°I have four shots left. So, we need knives, anything we can use as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Mick? Captain? Wake up please!¡± Kevin raised his voice a little as he followed Keryn downstairs and into the kitchen.


    The captain¡¯s kitchen was simple but well modeled and very clean, almost too clean for a kitchen - clear indication that it was rarely used, if at all. Keryn began searching through the drawers and shelves. She found three knives, one small steak knife, one multi-use kitchen knife with a pointed tip, and one cleaver with a thick spine. There was also a small tenderizer, but only with a plastic head instead of a metal one.


    Kevin turned on the faucet behind Keryn, then turned something on over the kitchen counter. Keryn looked back at Kevin, and saw the water boiler flashing its light.


    ¡°Hot water? Really?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find anything else.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°Captain doesn¡¯t even have a lot of throwable plates.¡±


    ¡°Okay, keep trying them. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Keryn sighed and held the kitchen knife in her hand, while keeping the other weapons close to Kevin: ¡°Don¡¯t rush over and fight, be careful.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Keryn.¡± Kevin reminded Keryn from behind: ¡°I think - I think if they enter, we need to keep them here.¡±


    Keryn¡¯s body shivered, then she nodded at Kevin: ¡°Fuck! Yeah. Thanks for that - I almost forgot. Then I¡¯ll probably need your help - ¡±


    Before she could finish, the back window just around the corner of the kitchen opened. Kevin and Keryn lowered the body at the first sound of the locks being picked open and hid behind the marble kitchen island.


    ¡°Motherfucker. How fucking easy is it to pick that lock?¡± Keryn sighed, shaking her head.


    Light footsteps approached. Keryn inched her head out from behind the island to take a peek at the incoming men - there were three of them, all in dark cloaks, and all seemed to be holding handguns.


    ¡°Three men. ¡± Keryn whispered to Kevin: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s wait for them to come in closer, I¡¯ll shoot them first, then you use your taser and see if we can stop one of them, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kevin took a deep breath, then nodded.


    Keryn also took a deep breath, then shot up from behind the island and opened fire on the shadows of three men walking in.


    The man in the middle got hit with three shots and was put down in an instant. Kevin leapt out from the other angle and shot the taser in his hands at the man closest to him. The two prongs struck the man on his lower waist. His target cried as he twitched and fell on the ground.


    The last man opened fire back at Keryn. Keryn was forced back to behind the island, but not before throwing the kitchen knife at the last man standing.

 Book 2 Chapter 157. Unveil (Part 6)

    The last man grunted as the kitchen knife struck him. He fired off all the bullets in his gun, ruining the surface of the island, and did not even continue putting pressure. Kevin opened his eyes and moved his hands away from his face, just in time to see the man twisting at the back door knob - the door¡¯s locked from inside as well, and he started limping his way to the window, through which he and his cohorts came into the room.


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to get out!¡± Kevin struggled to stand up, but he was too shocked to get up in time.


    Keryn¡¯s shoulder was bleeding from some cuts possibly from the bursting marbles from the crossfire. But this did not deter her from charging from behind the counter and right at the stumbling man.


    By the time Keryn reached the man and grabbed him by the ankle, the man already had his head and shoulders out of the window. The kitchen knife was stuck to his left leg, and blood was dripping onto the ground.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± The man screamed and kicked back, almost pushing Keryn back while pushing himself slightly forward.


    A deafening female scream rocked the entire house. Everyone in the room got struck by a devastating blow of chilling energy to their bodies and minds. The man stuck in the window cried and his limbs all stopped moving for a moment. Keryn almost fell down, but still had her hand firmly on the man¡¯s ankle.


    The door to Captain Ko¡¯s bedroom busted open. The captain rushed out of it, with his eyes, nostrils and ears bleeding. ¡°What the fuck happened? What the fuck!?¡±


    He stopped asking as he saw the open window in the back, the man stuck in it and Keryn trying to pull the man back in. He ran forward and lent Keryn a hand to pull the man back. Then he cuffed the man¡¯s hands behind his back.


    The man tased by Kevin was thus cuffed and forced to sit at the foot of a wall. The man who was shot three times had already stopped breathing. Captain Ko pulled out a first aid kit from below the kitchen counter and addressed the wound on the last man¡¯s leg, with the knife stabilized.


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    Mick fell onto the ground from the scream, and was struggling to stand up when Keryn went to check on him. He wretched a few times while walking down the stairs, but he held it back. That was until he got to the kitchen area and saw all the mess. ¡°What happened here? What - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sound sleeper for sure.¡± Keryn chuckled: ¡°Yeah - the people chasing us, they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck? That means we¡¯re sitting ducks here!¡± Mick gasped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I made the necessary calls already. There will be people handling things. Even if they came they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± Captain Ko wiped his face with a handkerchief stained with red.


    ¡°Captain, are you okay?¡± Kevin asked as he brought cups of tea to the coffee table.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. You can now see that I was not lying about you cannot leave.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m kinda used to it by now. Some day my marriage is gonna kill me.¡±


    ¡°What is happening to you, sir?¡± Keryn helped Mick sit down on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m not as experienced in these things but - but even I can tell this is bad.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s worry about these men first.¡± Captain Ko shook his head and pointed at the two men who were cuffed and wisely chose to remain silent: ¡°Do you have any theories on who they are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But my guts say they are connected to the community collective of the South-Eastern District somehow. ¡± Kevin sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s gonna be anything significant. Maybe superficially, but that¡¯s probably not who they actually are, or what their actual allegiance is.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°They must be from THOSE people in the city.¡±


    ¡°¡®THOSE¡¯ people? Who are ¡®THOSE¡¯ people?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°A group of rich and powerful people in the city, from all three districts and obsessed with the paranormal.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°And naturally, their henchmen would be scum from all backgrounds.¡±


    ¡°But - have you been going against these people in the past few months?¡± Mick frowned and straightened his body: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s serious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what SOME detective has been dealing with. As you can already tell. Our precinct has no official stance on it. ¡± Captain Ko reached below the coffee table and started looking through the drawer: ¡°And - if you want me to talk about anything real here, we¡¯d better have ways to make sure they wouldn¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    ¡°How about just locking them up in a spare room?¡± Keryn rubbed her temples: ¡°Your house is big, sir - you surely have one of those.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s - there¡¯s a storage unit under the stairs.¡± Captain Ko sighed and shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s also ventilated, so - ¡±


    Keryn nodded, then snapped her fingers at Kevin and Mick, signaling them to come help her. The two men whined and complained, but they had no choice but be led into the narrow storage unit. Out of the kindness of her heart, Keryn even brought a chair for the man with a knife in his leg.


    ¡°Alright, time to spill, captain.¡± Keryn came back, pulled a small stool and sat directly on the opposite side of the coffee table to Captain Ko.

 Book 2 Chapter 158. Unveil (Part 7)

    ¡°Several years ago, I think about seventeen to or eighteen years ago, there was this case, involving a family of five in the Northern District.¡± Captain Ko sighed and looked up at the ceiling: ¡°There was a very very notorious case. It was soon suppressed and all public reportings and records of it were scrapped. But if you remember it, I guess you¡¯ll kinda guess what happened.¡±


    Kevin thought for a brief moment, then said: ¡°A family was murdered in a ritualistic sacrificial style. And it was a family of - of three I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Official report, for a short time, was that it was a family of three.¡± Captain Ko nodded, then scoffed: ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t know, I was one of the senior detectives on the team that conducted the investigation. And in order to shut all of us up, we were offered promotions and choices of sections to work if we wanted them. So I - I took a notebook I found under the parents¡¯ bed, a secret section in the beams, I mean. And - that was my first official introduction into the world of paranormal and rituals.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s the reason for it being hidden? Just because there is paranormality involved?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°Yes but that¡¯s not the entire reason.¡± Captain Ko nodded: ¡°You should¡¯ve seen the site. Many officers who had gone to the site resigned from the force shortly after that. It was - brutal and utterly gruesome, disgustingly so. And one thing about it was very, very obvious - it was a slaughter to send a message, besides being some kind of nasty ritual. Whoever did this, they butchered the family and did a sacrifice right then and there.¡±


    ¡°But - there weren¡¯t only three of them?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°No - actually from the layout and decorations of the house, they had three children. One older son, one younger son and one younger daughter.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°And if you want to know, it¡¯s a Blue Envelope case now. ¡±


    ¡°What number?¡± Kevin narrowed his eyes, and asked the captain without delay.


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    The captain did not answer, and just sighed and looked him straight in the eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s 1149 isn¡¯t it. It¡¯s Blue Envelope 1149?¡± Kevin stood up from his chair, raising his voice with each word: ¡°Captain, YOU gave us the number! You led us on this investigation! You - you manipulated us!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it manipulated.¡± Captain Ko sighed and shook his head: ¡°You were looking in that general direction already. And I pointed you and Marcus the right way. I could not look into it, I cannot look into it. But what I can do is help cover your tracks more or less when you¡¯re looking into it.¡±


    ¡°That - that¡¯s still manipulation!¡±


    ¡°Kevin, calm down a little.¡± Keryn pulled Kevin back while looking into his eyes and shaking her head: ¡°So - can you tell us about what you have here? What¡¯s happening? What happened to your wife?¡±


    ¡°No, and it¡¯s none of your business.¡± Captain Ko narrowed his eyes. Keryn was not prepared for this blunt an answer. She was left speechless for the moment.


    ¡°What about Brooklyn Payne then? What¡¯s he got to do with this?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°He was my partner when handling that case. And it was through that case he was introduced to everything as well. He, too, has a copy of that note.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°And - he got a little too greedy with the ask, that¡¯s the real reason he was ousted from the force.¡±


    ¡°But why does he want a deal with you?¡± Kevin huffed and asked: ¡°How can you help him with what he has?¡±


    ¡°We started from the same note but we did not pursue the knowledge the same way.¡± Captain Ko scratched his nose: ¡°Or, to the same extent. I used my position and access to learn a lot more than he does, even some relatively taboo arts and rituals. To get rid of his curse, he needed some very specific sacrificial rituals and materials. And I can help him with that. In exchange, he promised to not interfere with what you do, and to get some of his, uh, more troublesome employers to back off.¡±


    ¡°You mean, like Bensons?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°Yes. Like them. And some others. Brooklyn Payne was not a good cop, arguably not of many good qualities. But he¡¯s resourceful and experienced in what he does. Call it private investigator, handler or fixer.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°And - he wanted out. Hopefully after all of this what he had would be enough.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s leaving the city?¡±


    ¡°He had way more than enough to leave the city, pay the tax and start a new life elsewhere. But he wanted more, he wanted luxury when he would be out of here.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°And what can you do? People don¡¯t like to be told they probably won¡¯t be able to live to spend their wealth.¡±


    ¡°Where is he now?¡± Mick asked: ¡°If he knows these people, then we can probably ask him for ways to contact - ¡±


    ¡°No. I tried.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°And for his own safety he couldn¡¯t tell us any more. But he did tell me this, and I was waiting for a good time to gather the squad, but I guess now is as a good time as any - a powerful employee of his tasked him to find this Luo Zhuge. And this coincided with our investigation into this guy¡¯s direction.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 159. Meeting The Spy (Part 1)

    Kevin, Keryn and Mick all fell silent. For a moment they did not know what to do. Captain Ko sipped his tea, while looking around and seemingly taking the moment to relax and rest. The clock on the wall showed that it was almost 3 AM in the morning, and they only had a few hours before sunrise.


    Kevin scratched his jaws and head, then took a deep breath before asking: ¡°Captain - can you tell me a bit more about the Blue Envelope - ¡±


    The horrified screams coming from the storage unit interrupted Kevin before he could get the questions out. The captain and Keryn shot out from their seats and opened the door.


    The two men locked inside were struggling and kicking, their eyes were full of fear but unfocused. Black claw marks and handprints appeared on their faces and necks. The man with a knife stuck on his leg was having it worse, as his shirts and trousers were all torn up, as if invisible hands were clawing at them.


    Captain Ko slapped a few talismans onto the wall, but they instantly burned off. He had no choice but to run to the living room, pulled out a small incense burner and rushed back, yelling: ¡°Stop! STOP!¡±  There was a lot of oily-looking ash in the burner, not anything near regular incense ashes. He yelled at his officers as he grabbed the ash from this burner and slapping it onto the two struggling men¡¯s body: ¡°You! Go find my woks and pans, scrape as much bottom as you can, NOW!¡±


    Kevin immediately understood what the captain meant, so he rushed into the kitchen and started pulling out all the cookware on the shelves and in the drawers.


    Keryn and Mick came along to his side, and were handed two frying pans, whose bottoms seemed already scratched and abnormally clean.


    ¡°Scrape the bottoms, and collect the ash.¡± Kevin put one metal wok upside down on the counter, with a small bowl on his side and a small metal spoon in his right hand, ¡°Ashes from the bottom of a wok, they could conceal a living human from the eyes of paranormal entities.¡±


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    ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s almost scraped clean already!¡± Mick found a metal spoon and started scratching like Kevin, yet the bottom of the metal pan was almost like new, with only spots of black char here and there, not much for him to scrape.


    ¡°Just get all you can!¡± Kevin put some crumbs of char from the metal wok into the small bowl: ¡°Even a little helps!¡±


    Mick looked around and fixed his eyes on the stove in the kitchen. The stove was quite clean, but the cooking grates showed some signs of use. He immediately headed over there and picked up one grate - there was a trace amount of ash on it, not much, but way more than the bottom of the pan he was handed.


    ¡°Do grate ashes work?¡± Mick picked a grate and put it in front of Kevin: ¡°There¡¯s some here!¡±


    ¡°It should - it¡¯s the same stuff.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°Need some help here! Get some ash my way!¡± Captain Ko urged with his voice raised.


    Mick, Keryn and Kevin gathered a small bowl of ash as fast as possible and brought it to Captain Ko. In the storage unit, the two men were still moaning, screaming and struggling. Their shirts were torn off and there was ash smeared all over their faces, shoulders and chest. It seemed to have helped, as the handprints and claw marks stopped appearing. But their legs were still under attack, and the remaining ashes in the captain¡¯s mini burner was not enough.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hope this helps.¡± Captain Ko smeared the last bit of it he scooped from his burner on the two men¡¯s soles. Then he took the small bowl from Keryn and put the ash on the two men¡¯s knees. ¡°Get more, now! Just in case.¡±


    After another round of ash, the claw marks and handprints finally stopped appearing on the men¡¯s bodies. Captain Ko had to wake both up using cold water and placing spicy condiments under their noses, before leaving them in the storage unit again.


    ¡°The curse still lingers in your house?¡± Kevin asked the captain after taking a deep breath and weighing his words.


    ¡°No it¡¯s handled. But this is just one of the reasons I cannot let you go out before sunrise.¡± Captain Ko checked his mechanical watch: ¡°We¡¯re less than two hours away from sunrise. You guys go get some more sleep. I¡¯ll take care of all of this.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re - they¡¯re gonna live to testify, right?¡± Kevin¡¯s question was quite hesitant.


    ¡°What - of course, what the hell do you take me for? ¡± Captain Ko was stunned by the question at first: ¡°I¡¯m still your goddamned captain! I don¡¯t do things like that!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! Our apologies, captain.¡± Keryn immediately pulled Mick and Kevin behind her: ¡°Good night captain, we can leave when sunrise, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But here¡¯s a better option for you - you come with me to the Northern District, to meet with some people in the city. To be precise, I arranged a meeting with Councilman Ding¡¯s office.¡± Captain Ko nodded at them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a meeting with Councilman Ding? Again?¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes.


    Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°You¡¯ll know more about it tomorrow. Because not everything is ironed out yet. Are you coming or not?¡±


    Keryn exchanged looks with Kevin and Mick, then nodded at the captain: ¡°We¡¯ll tell you tomorrow.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 160. Meeting The Spy (Part 2)

    Kevin and Keryn eventually decided to go with the captain on their visit to the city council, while Mick had no choice but to follow them, as there was still no indication that what happened to the precinct and with Tyler Khan was handled.


    The only thing they can be sure of was that Marcus was safe, for he sent Kevin a short and cryptic message saying he was caught in something but was hiding now, and that he would come back as soon as possible. Kevin tried calling, but it appeared that Marcus had turned off his phone. So right now all he could do was send a coded message to Marcus, telling him to find the captain first.


    A group of cloaked men came to gather the two men that had been cuffed, as well as the dead body already wrapped in plastic. Keryn grunted as the men in a van drove away - she had somewhat of a theory on who those men were, yet she seemed to be in no place to say anything.


    ¡°I can tell you have your reservations.¡± Captain Ko shook his head as he drove his plain looking van out of his second garage from the side, with all three unexpected guests covered in blankets, sunglasses and hats.


    ¡°Yeah - those are - they are gang members, aren¡¯t they? They¡¯re fixers and cleaners from local mafia?¡± Mick asked, in almost complete disbelief: ¡°You - how can you work with them? Captain? How can you - you¡¯re a man of the law!¡±


    ¡°Life¡¯s complicated. And it gets way harder when you¡¯re mixed up with things like ghosts, spirits and questionable rituals.¡± Captain Ko sighed as he drove into the main road: ¡°And they are the professional types, all you need to do is pay them - ¡±


    ¡°How much is it? To pay them?¡± Kevin asked as he looked out the van window - the cars driven by the men who came last night were gone.


    ¡°Not much this time, our invaders brought my payment with them when they came.¡± Captain Ko shrugged.


    ¡°Are they - are they like, actual gangs, or are they like - like Chef Tang¡¯s?¡± Mick asked, hesitating his phrasing.


    ¡°Well, first, commendations to you on knowing how Chef Tang¡¯s is like.¡± Captain Ko chuckled: ¡°And to answer your question - they¡¯re somewhere in between. Gray areas, if you wanna call it that. I¡¯ve been dealing with the paranormal world for years now, and they have been - instrumental to my gaining the experience and knowledge that I have today.¡±


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    ¡°How many groups like them exist in the city?¡± Keryn asked after some hesitation.


    ¡°Counting Chef Tang¡¯s, I¡¯d say at least three of them. This one just happens to operate in the cross section between our district and the South-Eastern.¡±


    The city hall was quite busy even at this early morning. There were protesters in front of the city hall, holding signs condemning the city¡¯s inaction against the rising crime rate. They saw a few parents holding up signs of their missing children as well.


    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Before they could enter the building, the guards stopped them.


    ¡°I am Captain Mathis Ko of the 17th precinct in South-Western District, I am here with my officers because I have an urgent meeting with Councilman Ding¡¯s office.¡± Captain Ko answered.


    ¡°Alright, go in then.¡± The guard pushed the door open for them.


    When they went into the councilman¡¯s office, the councilman was not at his desk - there were no documents or folders on it either. It was clearly a sign that he had not been here for a while.


    ¡°Wait - where¡¯s the councilman?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s on vacation with his family. Lucky for us we¡¯re not here to meet him.¡± Captain Ko pointed at the sofas in the far corner of the room, a mini waiting or resting area.


    ¡°Alright, what do you need? You know it¡¯s not - not good optics that you just come and barge in like this.¡± The secretary of the councilman walked in, clearly, visibly displeased.


    ¡°Bri.¡± Captain Ko straightened himself, then extended his hand at Kevin, Keryn and Mick: ¡°This is Mr. Kevin Loo, our forensic technician, Detective Keryn Lance and Officer Mick Cramer. They¡¯re all from my precinct. And everyone, this is Ms. Bri Fung, the secretary of Councilman Ding, and the one who actually does most of the work he claims credit for.¡±


    ¡°Greetings.¡± Bri Fung nodded at the three following Captain Ko, then stared into Captain Ko¡¯s eyes: ¡°Just tell me. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°You know what I want. I gave you that list last week.¡±


    ¡°And I told you that I couldn¡¯t just give them to you. Even with my access, there are a lot of checks and hops I need to go through. They are classified as Blue Envelopes, after all.¡±


    ¡°Bri.¡± Captain Ko looked back at her: ¡°I NEED this. Please, if you give me those files now, I will owe you a huge favor. Name anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. ¡± Bri narrowed her eyes as she glanced through the three that followed Captain Ko here: ¡°And to be honest, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to discuss this in front of others - ¡±


    ¡°Bri, I beg of you.¡± Captain Ko grabbed Bri Fung by her hands as he leaned in close: ¡°For past times¡¯ sake, and trust me I would never, ever ask this of you if it wasn¡¯t for something dire.¡±


    Bri Fung hesitated for a moment, then retracted her hands: ¡°What¡¯s the situation? What¡¯s so dire about it?¡±


    ¡°Dire enough that I would suggest you leave the city, as soon as possible, no matter your decision on the files.¡± Captain Ko sighed.


    ¡°Why? If I don¡¯t do it, or do it slowly and carefully, what¡¯s the risk for me there?¡±


    ¡°Because those who know. And I mean those who KNOW. Things are coming for them.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Last night, when they came to my door telling me that an investigator from the community collective had led a group of unidentified men into my precinct, I thought something was off and way out of line. But then I made some calls - and I wonder, haven¡¯t you wondered why certain high profile figures in your district had disappeared?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 161. Meeting The Spy (Part 3)

    ¡°...what are you saying?¡± Bri Fung went silent for a moment, then looked Captain Ko straight in his eyes: ¡°You¡¯re saying - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that the things and topics we discussed, we¡¯re both right on some points and wrong on some others. And almost all things we discussed and foresaw with the grimmest outlook, it seems, have been correct.¡± Captain Ko raised his jaw at a painting of the councilman and scoffed: ¡°And I think - people know this, more are aware of this than we thought.¡±


    ¡°What proof do you have of this? ¡± Bri Fung shook her head.


    ¡°Depends on what you mean by ¡®proof¡¯.¡± Captain Ko shrugged and chuckled: ¡°For one, you know what happened at the docks? Regarding that sunken platform?¡± This earned surprised looks from both Kevin and Keryn, for they both knew about the incident, and were under the impression that the incident was still unresolved and went a while without updates.


    ¡°What? The one you casually handed to some intelligence dealer in the South-Eastern District?¡±


    Captain Ko chuckled, then almost laughed out loud. This jab did not affect Captain Ko like it would probably on other police officers or captains: ¡°Bri, you¡¯ve been with the city folks for too long and have forgotten a lot of the potential downfalls. Chef Tang was not some random intelligence dealer. The shop stood in that district for more than a few decades, and the chef remained the only one whose intelligence anyone could fully trust - as long as you can afford it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - so? It doesn¡¯t change the fact that the people who injured your detective got away with it - at least from the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°It may surprise you, handing these men to him was the best choice under the circumstances. Even if we gave them protective custody of the highest order, they¡¯d be dead within a week.¡± Captain Ko shrugged.


    ¡°Oh? And you are certain of this because whoever was behind this, they will be leveraging the unclean against these men?¡± Bri Fung scoffed: ¡°Do you know how - how crazy that sounds? I know we have our differences - but this is - this is way too much.¡±


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    ¡°Humor me. You asked for proof, I¡¯m giving you the proof that I gathered. If you let me, I can explain everything to the fullest extent, to the best of my abilities.¡± Captain Ko nodded, then pointed at the sofas in the waiting area: ¡°Maybe we should sit down first?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Help yourselves to some water. ¡± Bri Fung sighed after a short moment of awkward silence: ¡°Bear in mind that I only have - ten minutes, tops. I can¡¯t miss this meeting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Captain Ko sat down at a spot closest to Bri Fung.


    Kevin and Mick went to get some water, while Keryn sat by the captain¡¯s side. Kevin took a look at Keryn, then decided to bring another cup of water back.


    ¡°Dude, I think I need help with the information. Please enlighten me afterwards.¡± Mick shook his head as he sipped his water: ¡°And - maybe when my head is clearer - I¡¯m still a bit dizzy here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s common. You should get some rest after this.¡±


    ¡°Sure - sure, when we actually find a place we can rest.¡± Mick raised his eyebrows and yawned.


    ¡°... I know you have your doubts about the chef. But here¡¯s the thing, I received credible confirmation - that those men in his custody? Majority of them are still alive.¡± Captain Ko pulled out a small notepad: ¡°Of fourteen of them in total, five were dead. And the rest were somewhat willing to talk. Though, it may take some time to actually get some useful information out of them.¡±


    ¡°But still - five are dead.¡± Bri Fung frowned: ¡°And this is - GOOD? To you?¡±


    ¡°Like I said - if they were to be put into any other kind of custody, they would all be dead.¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°One example - one of our detectives actually caught one of these people - people who are linked to this trafficking syndicate. The man was locked in a holding facility under the management of the South-Eastern community collective, and without any actual human interference, the perp was killed right in front of his eyes. His throat got punctured, as if someone rammed a sharp spear through, only no one was there. And - if that sounds familiar to you, then - ¡±


    Kevin was expecting Bri Fung to rebut the captain. But to his surprise, she only frowned lightly and nodded, signaling the captain to continue.


    ¡°I see - so there ARE cases like this in the city, just - unreported, I assume?¡± Captain Ko sighed and shook his head: ¡°Yeah, curse kills to make sure no one talks, that¡¯s not that big of a deal, right? I¡¯m sure the city has been seeing a rising number of those, especially recently huh?¡±


    ¡°Well - actually - ¡± Bri Fung hesitated, as if she was about to say something then decided against it: ¡° - nevermind - keep talking.¡±


    ¡°And last night, something I¡¯d never expect happened, and it prompted me to call for this meeting.¡± Captain Ko narrowed his eyes: ¡°An investigator from the community collective, who¡¯s on the books a liaison from the collective, led a group of unidentified men into my precinct trying to assault my officers, who had to come to my place last night to hide.


    ¡°Mind you, this is AFTER they asked us for help to look for those reclusive scholars and monks.¡± Captain Ko couldn¡¯t help but pick up Kevin¡¯s water and drank it all, Kevin was about to remind the captain, but was not able to in time. ¡°So - he¡¯s trying to use US to find those scholars for their OTHER employer.


    ¡°And - I also had some dealings with Brooklyn Payne recently.¡± Captain Ko leaned back with a mysterious smile: ¡°Guess what interesting information he told me?¡±


    Bri Fung¡¯s left eye twitched at the mention of the name, she pretended she was not affected by it, yet it did not escape anyone present.

 Book 2 Chapter 162. Meeting The Spy (Part 4)

    ¡°He¡¯s entangled in some - nasty business, and it almost cost him his life, at minimum.¡± Captain Ko pretended not to see Bri Fung¡¯s expression change: ¡°And just as luck and fate would have it, he ran into one of my detectives, while he was in dire need of help. I offered, and he accepted it. And as a token of his gratitude, he disclosed information to me that could be very useful to me and my detectives. And I think, some of it would be useful to you as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, which is?¡± Bri Fung sighed and leaned back on her seat.


    ¡°¡®Death or gone, be one.¡¯¡± Captain Ko raised his left eyebrow, with an insinuating smile: ¡°At least, that¡¯s the saying circulating around some of the rich and powerful people - especially old money people. And - you should be more familiar with how those people are doing more than me, right? Since the city council is in charge of handling the exit process from the city, and our councilman is heavily involved - ¡±


    ¡°Stop with this insinuation, it¡¯d do neither of us any good.¡± Bri Fung interrupted Captain Ko.


    ¡°But, I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± Captain Ko nodded, smiling: ¡°One by one, they¡¯re exiting the city, or at least, their children are. But it¡¯s getting really interesting, because while the old money is trying to jump ship, the new money jumped-ups are trying to grab the land they left. Whatever the reason behind their escape is, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s kinda smart to follow them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only you assigning your ideas to them. They are old money, they can easily come back if they need to. And they have a thousand ways to make sure they won¡¯t lose much health or influence even when they¡¯re gone.¡± Bri Fung shrugged.


    ¡°That might be true, but they wouldn¡¯t just leave for nothing, and they wouldn¡¯t just send their children away for nothing.¡± Captain Ko nodded, satisfied that Bri Fung was receptive to at least some of the things he said: ¡°So - what¡¯s this to you? ¡±


    Bri Fung lowered her eyes and started pondering. After around half a minute, she looked up at Captain Ko: ¡°What do you think he wants - I meant that community collective liaison, what he wants? What does he want with those scholars?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s what I need your help with, with those files, and FULL files, I can find out. WE can find out.¡± Captain Ko narrowed his eyes: ¡°So - what do you say?¡±


    Kevin¡¯s sight shifted between Captain Ko and Bri Fung constantly for a while, there was too much subtext and too much implied history for him to make sense of it all. But at least from the surface, things appeared to be going their way.


    ¡°Tell me what your theory is, before I make the biggest career mistake in my entire life.¡± Bri Fung sighed.


    ¡°Pillars. They¡¯re trying to find pillars.¡± Without even a hint of hesitation, the captain responded: ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about that.¡±


    This answer earned two gasps from Kevin and Bri Fung, and confused looks from Keryn and Mick.


    ¡°That¡¯s a - a - ¡± Bri Fung appeared to be slightly angered by this answer that she was at a loss for words.


    ¡°A bit much? Or a big allegation? That¡¯s because it is. ¡± Captain Ko shrugged: ¡°But - there¡¯s no other explanation for everything. The community collective has no reason to involve the city in their search for the scholars unless it¡¯s a desperate situation. So I asked around yesterday - only a few precincts received requests for help. The other liaisons barely asked them to be on the lookout. When they did, they made it out to be not that big a deal. So - add this to the fact that our liaison just invaded our precinct with a group of unidentified men, I would assume only the worst.¡±


    Bri Fung hesitated, then stood up and paced around. It took her another two or three minutes of intense thought and consideration before she sat back down. It was probably way past her meeting time already, yet none of them wanted to remind her.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Bri Fung finally grunted and relented: ¡°Fine! FINE! I guess - you haven¡¯t been totally wrong on anything before, so - you¡¯ll have it this afternoon. Come back then.¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. We need them now. And it¡¯s early morning. Plenty of time to get it then clean your tracks.¡± Captain Ko shook his head.


    Bri Fung narrowed her eyes at the captain: ¡°You¡¯d better be right this time, and not just tangentially. Wait here, I¡¯ll come back. This will take some time even when I do it right away.¡±


    It took her around half an hour, surprisingly fast for the three thick folders she brought back. All of the folders were made of plain looking and thick, sturdy parchment-like paper, tied together with white cotton threads.


    ¡°1148, 1149, and 1033, the three cases you need. Everything you need about them is here.¡± Bri Fung handed Captain Ko the folders, who in turn passed two of them to Kevin and Keryn while keeping one under his jacket.


    ¡°My sincerest gratitude, Bri. You just saved our lives.¡±


    Bri Fung took a deep look into the captain¡¯s eyes, then came over and kissed him on the lips. It was a short kiss, after which she pressed her forehead against the captain¡¯s, sighed: ¡°This is goodbye. Our - arrangement ends right here, right now. You owe me passage out of the city. After that, I¡¯ll be gone.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 163. Routined

    ¡°What are these for? I know 1149 and 1148. But what is 1033?¡± On their way to a separate safe house owned and operated solely by Captain Ko, Kevin asked as he flipped through some of the pages of the folder marked with ¡°1149¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s an accident, well, sort of.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°I was just promoted to sergeant around that time -  I think. It¡¯s basically - a worker from one of the electric companies was doing a relatively mundane maintenance and inspection on a transformer. It¡¯s not even supposed to be any heavy work, alas, sometimes things just happen.¡±


    ¡°What happened? ¡± Keryn asked as she opened the folder marked ¡°1033¡± and read the first few lines out loud: ¡°¡®The cause of death is deemed to be electrocution by high voltage electricity¡¯. Why - why is the ¡®death¡¯ in quotes?¡±


    ¡°Read on.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°I¡¯ve - I¡¯ve heard the rumors and gossip, if I¡¯m not misremembering, the guy kept on working for a while after - ¡±


    ¡°¡®The worker, Yunyi Liu, a senior engineer employed by the Thuller Group Power Company, was reported to have stopped checking back into his company-provided dormitory right after the accident. However, he kept coming into work for a week post-accident. It was not until his on-call shift was over that the next engineer on the rotation reported finding his burned corpse near the transformer.¡¯¡± Keryn continued: ¡°¡®This case was investigated by the Precinct - redacted, by Detective redacted and Detective redacted, who proposed that experts from South-Eastern District be brought in. The detectives were later reassigned as this case was put on hold. ¡¯¡±


    ¡°Well, this was surely something new and worthy of the Blue Envelope statues.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°But - why is it such a large folder? Did the detectives really find that much?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Keryn flipped through a few pages: ¡°See here ¡®... the only theory we have right now is that this is a paranormal phenomenon, where Mr. Yunyi Liu¡¯s ghost lingered after he was killed in the accident, not really knowing his own demise. For he left almost all the marks in his work station like that of a normal human, he took notes, he performed numerous relatively simple but still technical tasks for the company¡­ Mr. Liu¡¯s department at Thuller Group could not produce more work logs or any more details about his daily duty at the time of this report, citing infrastructural safety regulations in the city.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Do they have sign in sheets and stuff? ¡± Kevin asked from the side.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s see - yes.¡± Keryn nodded as she pulled some photocopied pages from the back: ¡°The dates are redacted, but looks like the dude signed in for seven - eight consecutive days. I guess that¡¯s - that¡¯s normal? The second day¡¯s signature is circled - looks like this is the day the man died.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything about what kind of job he did? And what kind of ¡®accident¡¯ it was?¡± Kevin urged.


    ¡°Okay, let me find it.¡± Keryn flipped through the unbound paper and individually stapled reports, then she pulled out a thin pile, held together by a tiny file binder clip: ¡°Accident report: he touched a live wire with his bare hands, against safety protocol. ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Captain Ko and Kevin asked at the same time.


    ¡°Looks like it.¡± Keryn sighed and shook her head: ¡°The other files are - journals from the man, notes from the two detectives, a bunch of files from Thuller Group, probably a bunch of garbage anyway, and - some journal pages.¡±


    ¡°Journal? Of that worker? What¡¯s it said?¡± Kevin immediately pulled the page closer to him: ¡°¡®On day - redacted, I completed daily maintenance of the substation. I ate lunch. I fixed the broken bar on my chair.¡¯, ¡®On day redacted, I completed daily maintenance of the substation. I ate lunch. I fixed the broken bar on my chair.¡¯ ¡®On day redacted. I - ¡¯¡± Before he could even finish, chills rolled down Kevin¡¯s spine and made his back tensed for a brief moment. All the journal entries for several days, they documented the same thing. What was worse, even the handwritings were almost the exact same, the only notable difference was from the ink of the pen.


    ¡°That¡¯s - that sounds like a spirit trapped in a cycle. Yeah.¡± Captain Ko nodded at Kevin and Keryn through the rearview mirror: ¡°Look closer, see if there¡¯s any mentioning of the - the occult. Like rituals, sigils, incense, pendants, personal charms, or even just unhappy married life, kids, dogs, whatever keeps him going.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s single, divorced, only limited contact with an ex-wife. No children, no pets of any kind.¡± Keryn frowned at the profile of the dead hand written by one of the detectives: ¡°He¡¯s been living in the company provided dormitory for at least 2 years now. Some savings, a small rental warehouse to store the excess personal belongings after the divorce. And - oh, he goes to the same nameless internet cafe every weekend. He¡¯s a creature of habit, it kinda -  kinda makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Okay - but how? Don¡¯t most ghosts need a reason to stay?¡± Mick shook his head, frowning: ¡°I - I don¡¯t really get it.¡±


    ¡°Did he not know he¡¯s dead? That - that could happen too, right?¡± Keryn looked at Kevin.


    ¡°Yeah, in theory. But it¡¯s really rare. From the few stories I heard, the situations are really out of the ordinary, sometimes extreme.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°That¡¯s it - but the thing is, even in those cases, they were not able to perform complex tasks. Just live their daily lives, they could. But fix things and perform tasks? That¡¯s - a bit stretched.¡±


    ¡°Well, without the work logs it¡¯s hard to say if he really performed those tasks.¡± Mick shrugged: ¡°Any - any of that in there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid no.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Let¡¯s check when we sit down - there should at least be something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Captain Ko pulled the car into a small side road: ¡°Remember, no signal, only use the wifi in the house. ¡±


    ¡°Sure. And you¡¯ll let us know? Captain?¡± Keryn sighed and closed the folder.


    ¡°Yeah. Hopefully soon.¡± Captain Ko made a right turn, driving into a narrow underground


    driveway.

 Book 2 Chapter 164. Dots and Connections

    ¡°So, captain, how long have you been operating this safe house?¡± Kevin looked around the interior of the house around him. It was pretty nice for a safe house. The rooms were spacious, shelved with an abundance of emergency food, first aid kits and some restricted or even outright forbidden weapons, like concentrated pepper spray, stun guns and small caliber pistols. In the living room there were two very comfortable looking luxury chairs, one sofa large enough for one to sleep on, and a simple looking but sturdy coffee table.


    ¡°Several years. Doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡± Captain Ko tossed a string of keys to Keryn: ¡°Here¡¯s the key to the house and other cabinets and drawers. When I leave, you must lock the place down. There¡¯s another exit in the level below, you can drive out there or you can go into the sewer tunnels following the blue pipes over your head. There¡¯s also some talismans and incense here - just in case you need it.¡±


    ¡°Is this place - hardened?¡± Mick looked around: ¡°Like - like your house, I mean. Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Not as safe as my place - I¡¯ve spent most of my time and energy there. But in this place you still have some basic protection.¡± Captain Ko checked his phone: ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for me to go. I still need to handle the business in the precinct. You guys stay safe and stay low. I have a computer in the other room, but it¡¯s not connected to the outside world. You can read the documents I have in there, print something if you¡¯d like - just be careful not to write anything down or spread what you read around.¡±


    ¡°Thank you - captain.¡± Keryn nodded at the captain.


    ¡°No problem. Stay safe.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Oh - there¡¯s food and drink in the fridge. Nothing fancy, but better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Kevin collapsed into one of the comfortable chairs. After almost a whole day on the run and stressful conversations and the meeting in the city hall, the exhaustion was a bit too much to bear. A blanket was placed on the back, and he pulled it close to himself.


    ¡°Really, you wanna sleep? Now?¡± Keryn chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking drained, it¡¯ll just be a minute.¡± Kevin yawned and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, I¡¯ll help you look.¡± Mick also yawned, and picked up the folder marked ¡°1148¡±: ¡°1148, what is this for again?¡±


    Keryn hesitated for a moment, then exchanged looks with Kevin before answering: ¡°This is - this is actually for Marcus, or - actually, to Gloria Lee.¡±


    ¡°Gloria Lee, that consultant from the South-Eastern District?¡± Mick frowned: ¡°Why?¡±


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    ¡°This is her token, her payment for helping us.¡± Kevin answered while curling into the blanket with his eyes closed: ¡°And captain agreed to the deal. We don¡¯t know for sure why she wanted it. It¡¯s just - something she wants.¡±


    ¡°Okay - this is interesting.¡± Mick nodded and flipped open the folder: ¡°¡®... the peculiar missing, or theft of this unknown grimoire raised concerns in the city, not in the city hall itself, but in the department that interfaced with the South Eastern District. In fact, the community collective had requested several times that they take over the investigation, or at least collaborate with the city in the investigation, yet all these efforts were delayed or had faced hurdles due to various circumstances. Eventually the focus on the case dwindled, and the case was left cold.¡¯¡±


    ¡°A grimoire? What does it do? What did the community collective say about it?¡± Keryn looked up from the 1149 folder: ¡°This is - I hope this is not getting more disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see - ¡± Mick checked the notes behind a picture of the grimoire: ¡°¡®According to the investigators and ritualistic officers from the community collective, this is a grimoire documenting a series of old, forbidden and even some barely tangible ancient rituals and spells. This was found in a secret temple during the conflict between the city and the South-Eastern District. And at the request of the community collective, it was not destroyed, for it being a cultural relic. But it was held in the city, against the protest of the collective.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That sounds like trouble. That¡¯s - that¡¯s some horror movie shit! Why didn¡¯t they just burn it?¡± Keryn sighed and shook her head: ¡°Okay - but why does this - Gloria chick want it? Why does she want to know about this grimoire?¡±


    ¡°Marcus likes working with her. He told me she was friends with a watcher and a clergyman of a small temple, so she knows a lot more about this - paranormal stuff.¡± Kevin answered with his eyes still closed and his entire body curled up in the blanket: ¡°It¡¯s probably got something to do with some kind of paranormal shit that happens in the South Eastern District, right?¡±


    ¡°Well - I guess¡­¡± Mick scratched his jaw as he looked through the report: ¡°It was missing without a trace, looks like they checked the security footage, access logs to that vault and even searched through the workers¡¯ private property. They couldn¡¯t find anything - And, uh, please remind me, why is it only a South-Eastern District thing?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keryn and Kevin asked at the same time.


    ¡°Well - ever since I came to our precinct, even when I¡¯m not doing active paranormal investigation, I still hear a lot about ghosts and spirits appearing somewhere in the South-Eastern District. Sometimes it¡¯s a wandering spirit, sometimes it¡¯s a dead person appearing in their place to haunt people. I¡¯ve only heard some random story when I was back in my old precinct, ghost stories are just stories, I never thought - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we all kinda wanna know that.¡± Keryn chuckled and sighed: ¡°You may not believe this, but we haven¡¯t known everything we know now longer than you. Because - you know, the city¡¯s position on this. Come to think of it, if it weren¡¯t for that rotten Benson kid - ¡±


    A bolt of lightning struck Kevin as he was both trying to take a nap and sort through the chaotic threads in his head. He shot up from the comfortable chair, throwing the blanket on the ground: ¡°Wait - wait wait wait wait - wasn¡¯t there some - some kind of infrastructure project a few decades ago? One that involves power lines?¡±


    ¡°What? What kind of project?¡± Keryn was not sure what Kevin was talking about at first.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember that.¡± Mick scratched his nose: ¡°A new kind of transformer and circuit system. Smart grid or something, if I recall correctly. It¡¯s smart and can auto-relay power in times of outage, and it¡¯s easier to maintain, saves energy¡­ My parents know people who were involved in that project, they¡¯re mega rich now. But - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono, I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Kevin picked up the 1033 folder and opened it with his fingers trembling: ¡°Power lines, the answer is the power lines and those electric stations!¡±


    ¡°What - ¡± Mick was confused now.


    ¡°Hence the electricity. Almost all the deaths are around energy outage areas or during low energy availability time! ¡± Keryn threw the files in her hand down on the ground: ¡°Holy SHIT! Holy SHIT! You think they know!? You think they KNEW!?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 165. Hidden (Part 1)

    ¡°Anything?¡± Gloria asked Marcus as she led the way through a row of newly built and unrenovated apartments. The footsteps of those pursuing them were being gradually left behind. But it was far from enough. They would need to either find a good hiding spot, or leave these men behind far enough that they give up.


    ¡°No, still no signal.¡± Marcus shook his head, panting, being invited into and then released from the interior of the old ruins did not really alleviate the exhaustion from the fights. His bones, his muscles and his internal organs were screaming for him to take a break and a breather: ¡°I don¡¯t know - I haven¡¯t been to this area. Is the reception always this bad?¡±


    ¡°No - something¡¯s wrong. Maybe the fog messed up our phones.¡± Gloria was also panting, and her footsteps were getting heavier and slower just like Marcus: ¡°Well - anyway - I know a place we can hide. It¡¯s actually pretty neat, should be enough for the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then lead the way.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°I could use a break. I really could.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± Gloria sighed and pointed forward: ¡°Just follow me. It should be just right there. With any luck, they wouldn¡¯t notice the place.¡±


    Following Gloria¡¯s lead, Marcus saw a door with a plaque ¡°Storage¡± on it. In a normal apartment complex, this would look like a place for the property management to place lockers and individual mini storage units for the renters.


    It indeed turned out to be the kind of space he suspected. The individual storage units were simply small spaces in big metal cages separated by metal grid dividers and plates as bottoms. Judging from their size, one renter could barely put a pair of shoes in there.


    ¡°Careful, don¡¯t leave any footprints or any other marks. Because if they find us, we¡¯d have to fight in a very tight corner.¡± Gloria looked up at the ceiling - it was not painted and only had some decorative lights still being installed: ¡°Okay, up there - find me a chair, or something I could stand on - ¡±


    Marcus looked around - there was a working chair covered in slightly wet paint and saw dust, no way they were going to use it without leaving a mark. And the only viable option aside from the table would be a chair folded on the side. He knelt down to take a closer look at the folded chair: dust and paint was sprinkled on the legs. So he just turned to Gloria: ¡°Do you need long? I can give you a boost if you can be quick.¡±


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    ¡°Quick is my specialty. Boost it is. ¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°Probably at most two boosts.¡±


    With one tap on Marcus¡¯ palms, Gloria jumped up and pushed a barely noticeable spot on the ceiling. A wood panel loosened and popped to the side, revealing a tall empty space hidden behind.


    With another boost, Gloria reached her hands through the opening and grabbed onto something steady. After a count of three, she pulled herself up into the space. Then after a few seconds, she threw a nylon rope down. Marcus checked under his feet and around him to make sure they did not leave any footprints or marks behind, before grabbing the rope and jumping while Gloria pulled.


    The space above the ceiling was a wide but not so tall space with some small windows on the side. Both of them had to slouch and walk with bent knees, but at least there was enough room for both of them to lie down. There was some dust, spilled paint and spider webs in the corners, but considering the circumstances it was mostly clean.


    Gloria carefully put the panel back into its place, then let out a relaxed sigh: ¡°Okay, this ceiling should be strong enough to hold both of us for a while - I think it¡¯s a space left for vent pipes.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Good find. ¡± Marcus sat down and let out a long exhale: ¡°But why the windows, are they see through?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why there are windows, but they¡¯re not transparent, unless you get really close to them.¡± Gloria shook her head and lied down on the floor: ¡°Let¡¯s hope they won¡¯t have any more guns or the habit of shooting the ceiling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just the fact that they have guns in their hands is a serious issue.¡± Macus frowned at the pistol he got from one of the men¡¯s cars and shook his head: ¡°This is - a cheap but common one. It used to come up a lot in gang related crimes. But it had become less common now - at least it should have.¡±


    ¡°Did you recognize any of them? Any of them known criminals?¡± Gloria asked while looking up at the wooden ceiling.


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°And no known markers of criminal association either - I didn¡¯t see any recognizable tattoos or other logos. How about you? Anyone a common menace in the South-Eastern District?¡±


    ¡°No. But some of their clothing choices told me they are very likely from my district.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°So - who do you think these people are? I mean, who do you think they work for?¡±


    ¡°Some higher up people in the city. Very likely officials of the electric companies. ¡®Liquid Lightning¡¯, that¡¯s what the lady said. And who else could have unfettered access to buildings of these companies?¡±


    ¡°And all three major electric companies have government ties. ¡± Gloria took a deep breath: ¡° Our district uses Aeken¡¯s Commonwealth, the other two - what are their names?¡±


    ¡°S&S Corp and Thuller Group.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, stupid me. That¡¯s the one John Mitchell worked for right? You guys ever found him?¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°No. But we did find a lead. It¡¯s new and unconfirmed, but you might as well know - John Mitchell may have an alias, Luo Zhuge. And we¡¯ve found some traces of him, but so far nothing that could lead us to him yet.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 166. Hidden (Part 2)

    ¡°Zhuge? That¡¯s a - not so common family name.¡± Gloria thought for a moment: ¡°And I can¡¯t say I have heard of this name before. What is with him?¡±


    ¡°He was living in a relatively cheap rental place. Kept a low profile, paid for everything in cash, hadn¡¯t even shown the neighbors his face.¡± Marcus looked out from one of the windows as he recounted and organized his mental notes: ¡°He had planted a row of chrysanthemum in his place. Oh, right, most suspiciously, he had a scapegoat doll buried under a floorboard, and a small wood carving and a chisel hidden in the walls. Well, I said ¡®he had¡¯ because we presumed it¡¯s his, and not from the house owner or any of the previous tenants.¡±


    ¡°Wood carving?¡± Gloria sat up upon hearing this: ¡°What does it look like?¡±


    ¡°I - I am not entirely sure, it¡¯s not finished, and very rough.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°I can check when I get back - what kind of significance do you see?¡±


    Gloria took a deep breath, then posed a question instead: ¡°Cat Granny, what do you know about her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a - a famous urban legend, right? A cat touched an old woman¡¯s body, and then the woman woke up - ¡± Marcus searched through his memories: ¡°And - I guess that was it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the start of it, but not the whole story.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°She was the - well, you can say first known snatcher of kids. According to legends, and some actual documented history snippets, after she turned, she began roaming the streets at night, kidnapping and eating children. Eventually the community collective sent out a team and destroyed her - killed her with fire, essentially.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and the wood carving - ¡±


    ¡°She appeared again recently.¡± Gloria answered before Marcus could finish his question.


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus¡¯ eyes opened wide: ¡°How is that possible? Did someone revive her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our question as well. We don¡¯t know, we need answers, and that blue envelope case, 1148, is about a grimoire, held in a vault in the city.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°And - don¡¯t worry, that thing won¡¯t be around again, at least I hope so. My friends and I dispatched it - it was not the real Cat Granny, but some kind of manually risen shadow, projection, or risen doll, zombie, depending on how you look at it. And inside of that conjured projection, we found a small piece of wood carving - it was a three dimensional spell or talisman, created to maintain the projection.¡±


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    ¡°Projection ¡­¡± Marcus pondered the word choice, then nodded: ¡°I see - I see. And you suspect, the means to make that carving is documented in that grimoire.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And many other disturbing crap.¡± Gloria nodded, then chuckled: ¡°So, uh, you¡¯re gonna work harder on getting it now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much harder we can work on it. But I¡¯ll try.¡± Marcus also chuckled: ¡°Trust me, I want easy access to those Blue Envelopes as well. But - there¡¯s just a ton of trouble that might come with it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so I heard, from you.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°But hey, when we¡¯re outta here, you¡¯d better get it as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that. Because I have one case I wanna get as well, 1149.¡± Marcus looked out the window once more, and immediately raised his finger and did a ¡°shush¡± gesture.


    Gloria crawled over and looked out the window with him. Just in time to see two men walking along a hallway on the other side of the building with unfinished walls and exposed wires dangling from the ceiling. One of the men was carrying a black backpack. And the other had a pistol in his hand, and a knife on his waist.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re not giving up.¡± Gloria whispered, frowning: ¡°And - why the backpack?¡±


    Marcus checked his phone, still no signal.


    ¡°Signal jammer?¡± Marcus frowned and spoke his suspicion: ¡°There¡¯s no reason that we can¡¯t get a signal everywhere. This is probably the only reason. These guys don¡¯t really worry about radiation, do they?¡±


    Gloria checked his phone, then looked out the window: ¡°I think you¡¯re right, should we - should we go ambush them?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Marcus moved his arms and shoulders. His muscles were still sore, if they could speak, they¡¯d probably be screaming at him for even considering getting into another fight: ¡°I - I think I need a minute. ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well.¡± Gloria nodded, grimacing as she stretched her arms and legs: ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer then.¡±


    The two men walked and looked around for a bit, before they found a corner to sit down, light up smokes and rest.


    ¡°Holy fucking shit. What the hell!?¡± Gloria scoffed.


    ¡°Maybe we should take this chance to leave now.¡± Marcus scratched his lower jaw: ¡°Since they¡¯re not really looking.¡±


    ¡°No, we should wait a bit.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°If they¡¯re like this, it means that there are others in the area also looking.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think they¡¯re willing to look? ¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d say - at least a few more hours.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°And before we can rest up to - to maybe seventy to eighty percent strength, I¡¯d say we wait until we absolutely have to leave.¡±


    ¡°How secure do you think this corner is?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Very.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°We found this spot kind of by accident. It¡¯s an unplanned space due to a design flaw. It¡¯s not even on the blueprint. So, as long as we¡¯re careful, we¡¯d be safe. And even if they come our way, we can just go from the ceiling.¡± She pointed upwards at their ceiling, specifically at a small sunroof. ¡°That one was not hardened, last time I checked. And we can easily break through.¡±


    ¡°Okay. As long as you¡¯re certain of it.¡± Marcus sighed and laid back down.

 Book 2 Chapter 167. Hidden (Part 3)

    Marcus laid on his back for a bit while looking out the window every few minutes. Gloria did the same. Neither of them got enough rest, and those men pursuing them did not seem to be willing to go away anytime soon.


    ¡°Come on, how hardworking are you, fucking henchmen?¡± Gloria sighed and shook her head before checking her phone for a signal, only to be disappointed: ¡°You¡¯re working harder than me at my day job, come on now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe because if you pour the wrong cup of coffee, you just have to make one again. But if THEY screw up, they die, of horrible deaths.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    ¡°Meh, sometimes I deliberately screw up just so I can get a coffee on the house.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°I¡¯m sure your day job wouldn¡¯t allow that, but - ¡±


    ¡°Well, not that kind of screw up, but - ¡± Marcus smiled, nodded and shrugged: ¡°But there¡¯s some other kind of screw ups we are - we are kinda allowed. And then - ¡± He sighed, his facial expression got solemn as the name Sitch came to his mind: ¡° - and then there are cases where we are allowed chances, even if we may not think we deserve it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man, sounds like even if you don¡¯t deserve it, at least you¡¯ve been some good for the city. And I think we¡¯ve been closer to the truth than probably anyone else.¡± Gloria looked Marcus in the eye with an earnest smile: ¡°That is, of course, if we can get our hands on those Blue Envelopes.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of - what is yours about anyway?¡± Marcus scratched his nose: ¡°1148? It¡¯s just one -  I mean it¡¯s quite close to the one I¡¯m looking to get my hands on.¡±


    ¡°Well, like I told you, it¡¯s about - a spellbook - another grimoire. And it¡¯s missing, with no explanation or clues on where it could end up. I might have told you this before, I don¡¯t remember to be honest.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°But that¡¯s all I know, pretty much. A friend of mine, he left me with some notes pointing to this case. He tried to get some more information, but he - he wasn¡¯t able to, because he was - ¡± She rubbed her eyes and choked up a little.


    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah. Thank you, I¡¯m fine now. At least now I¡¯ve got a chance to make things right, huh?¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯d get more than that, I hope.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°We¡¯ve got a chance for payback - ¡±


    Just this moment, both of them heard light footsteps incoming. They stopped talking, moving and lightened their breath.


    ¡°They¡¯re not here.¡± One man¡¯s voice came from below.


    ¡°Motherfucker.¡± Another man cursed: ¡°Where could they be? It¡¯s been too long, if any longer they might be already gone!¡±


    ¡°Just continue looking man, they say we keep looking till sunrise, then we should make it past at least midnight.¡± A third man said: ¡°There are more of us around the area looking for them. They couldn¡¯t get far.¡±


    ¡°This is a newly built area, and there are many roads in and out of the site. They ditched the car, but they¡¯re mystical martial art practitioners, they still can run and go on foot.¡± The second man grunted and barked: ¡°How the hell do you know they¡¯re still around?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Just keep looking.¡± The third man sighed: ¡°It¡¯s what they ask.¡±


    ¡°Fuck this shit.¡± The second man cursed as their voice faded from their leaving the room below: ¡°If they wanted those two slippery fuckers, they should have sent more men!¡±


    Marcus and Gloria waited a few more moments before they could relax and talk again. The two men resting in that remote balcony were gone, but on the edge of their visible area, they saw some shadows walking around with flashlights in their hands.


    ¡°Time is getting late.¡± Gloria looked at the dim night sky: ¡°Looks like we¡¯re stuck here for now. If they¡¯re really looking to keep looking till midnight - ¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait. Midnight - ¡± Marcus stood straight, almost knocking his head on the wall: ¡°Check yourself again. Just to make sure there¡¯s no - no curse or anything.¡±


    ¡°What - what are you thinking?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I am thinking - because they have midnight as some kind of deadline, then they MIGHT have put a curse on us that would activate right then. ¡± Marcus looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°At least - that¡¯s how I took it.¡±


    ¡°How certain are you?¡±


    ¡°Not very. But - I¡¯d say we should check just in case.¡± Marcus sat in a meditative pose and was just about to start pushing his Qi.


    ¡°Let me.¡± Gloria stopped him with one hand on his shoulder: ¡°You - you¡¯ve spent more Qi than me. So - let me start. If I sense anything, then you¡¯d at least know what to look for.¡±


    Marcus nodded. His meridians felt somewhat dry right now, and his Qi was Yang focused. If he was to sense any negative energy, he would not be a good candidate.


    Gloria took a deep breath, nodded at Marcus before sinking into the meditative state. With her Qi coursing through her body, her body glowed in faint blue. Her hair floated and danced as if breezes blew by, and light steam came off her shoulders, the top of her head and her nostrils.


    Marcus kept his senses open and kept an eye on the outside while Gloria finished her check. It took only about half a minute before she opened her eyes: ¡°No - I don¡¯t feel anything. You want to try? I can aid you - if you need more Qi - ¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But I¡¯ve got it. Just one quick check.¡± Marcus shook his head and closed his eyes.


    He only had a very small amount of Qi left, just enough to run one cycle through all the meridians in his body. Yet, he could not sense anything.


    Something was close to his face. He opened his eyes, just to see Gloria¡¯s face almost right against his. The next moment, he felt a sweet gentle touch on his lips.

 Book 2 Chapter 168. Morning After

    No men found them. And the sun seemed to have risen earlier than usual. Or it could just be an illusion from the fact that neither Marcus nor Gloria waited for sunrise on the regular. This time, however, when everything settled and they woke from their slightly uncomfortable slumber, they caught the first ray of an early sun just in time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s - let¡¯s head back and contact our friends.¡± Marcus checked his phone, there were a number of missed calls, some voicemails and a number of text messages from Kevin. There were plenty to talk about, especially about last night, yet this was not the time.


    ¡°Yes. I agree.¡± Gloria averted her eyes as she straightened her clothes, closed her eyes to get a sense of her own Qi. She shook her head with a wry smile: ¡°Do you have somewhere you want to go? And - we¡¯d better be careful.¡±


    ¡°Chef Tang¡¯s.¡± Marcus answered after thinking for a moment: ¡°Let¡¯s go together. There¡¯s something I would like you to know as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is that?¡±


    ¡°The group of henchmen they caught, the group I fought at the docks area, they should still be in his custody.¡± Marcus took a deep breath as he pushed his Qi to course through his body, also as a means to check on his own physical state: ¡°I think - with what we heard from the Lady in White, we have just enough to trade. ¡±


    Gloria stared at Marcus¡¯ face for a short moment, then chuckled: ¡°Well, I sure hope so.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not happy with the answers?¡± Marcus turned to Gloria.


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    ¡°I am.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m just not happy with the amount and depth of answers we got. Why do all of these people in the know have to be so stingy with information?¡±


    Marcus thought for a moment, while taking in the feedback from his meridians, his muscles and even his bones and tendons. If he had to measure by quantity, he had recovered more than half of his total Qi reserves. He scratched his jaws and posed his theory: ¡°Maybe - maybe because information and intelligence is just like Qiyun - it¡¯s not something to dull out willy-nilly?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Gloria nodded, then snapped her fingers at Marcus: ¡°That¡¯s a good theory. It makes sense - ¡®The will of the heavens shall not be revealed lightly¡¯ they say - the reason fortune tellers never live very long?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. We can ask the chef about this. I mean - I still have to collect on the token, for delivering him that many henchmen from the dark circles.¡± Marcus nodded and straightened his jacket. It sure felt good sensing the presence of strong and turbulent Qi in his meridians, it gave him more confidence should they come across those men when they left this place. The reason behind this strange, almost mysterious recovery was still unclear. He just did not have the mind to dive into it right now. ¡°And - I¡¯m not sure what your plan is after this, but if we share our intel and - and connect some dots, we could have a breakthrough - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah.¡± Gloria smiled and took a look at the window, no pursuing men to be seen: ¡°Let¡¯s get going, the workers might come to work, and we don¡¯t want civilians around - ¡±


    ¡°Understood. Let me go first. ¡± Marcus knelt down by the panel and started lifting it up bit by bit, in an attempt to not make any noise or attract attention from anyone. When the panel was lifted by around half a finger length, he lowered his body to scan through the entire room below - no one was in the room, nor any other signs of concern: ¡°Okay, we¡¯re clear. No one¡¯s down there, looks safe.¡±


    ¡°Hey, before we get into the ¡®run for our lives¡¯ mode again.¡± Gloria took a deep breath: ¡°Just - just to be clear, Marcus - Detective, or - I don¡¯t know. But you don¡¯t need to be - be this extra protective. Please don¡¯t feel obligated to because of, you know, last night. ¡±


    Meeting Gloria¡¯s nervous gaze, Marcus chuckled: ¡°Yeah, but I want to. I can¡¯t get to the bottom of this without you - not if you¡¯re harmed in any way.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, then.¡± Gloria nodded, smiling: ¡°Let¡¯s go. Just be careful, they might still be waiting for us out there.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Marcus lifted the panel and dropped himself down. With his Qi recharged, it was quite easy to cushion his fall with a roll to avoid making any loud noises. He got to the door, and Gloria followed. ¡°There must be a place where they store the extra uniforms and hard hats right?¡±


    ¡°Good thinking.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°There should be another storage room along this walkway. Let¡¯s check there.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 169. Intel Run (Part 1)

    Gloria remembered right - following her lead, they found a room with a shoddy ¡°maintenance room¡± paint job on a crude wooden door. Inside this room were some temporary lockers, metal shelves and coat hangers. The lockers all had stickers with workers¡¯ names on them, while on the coat hangers were vests, thick paint and tear resistant jackets. And on the shelves, stocked hard hats with cracks and small puncture holes.


    ¡°Well - it¡¯s not spare uniforms, it¡¯s the ¡®in need of repairs¡¯ room.¡± Gloria chuckled and picked up one coat, on its left side was a dark brown stain, the size of roughly her palm. ¡°I hope this is not shit - it¡¯d better be blood.¡±


    ¡°Choose one that¡¯s not obvious.¡± Marcus passed a hard hat with a thin crack on the left side of its back to Gloria: ¡°Do you see boots here?¡±


    ¡°No boots.¡± Gloria took the hat, put it on then passed Marcus one jacket with a large piece of paint and cement stuck to the elbow area. ¡°Sorry, the others are - are kinda busted or heavily stained.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus put his own hard hat on, then put on the jacket.


    Both of them chose a relatively hidden path to the exterior of the construction site, checking their surroundings every few steps. Before long, they reached a door leading to the outside of the enclosing fences. Marcus peeked at the outside first, then stepped out after making sure no one suspicious was waiting or lingering.


    ¡°Okay. Do you really not know how to steal a car?¡± Gloria asked as they were walking down a narrow alley.


    ¡°No, not really, sorry.¡± Marcus called Kevin a couple of times, but this time it was Kevin¡¯s turn to not respond. So he decided just to text Kevin to meet him back at the precinct later, with fresh shrimp dumplings if possible. He considered only for a brief moment whether he should contact his father, but decided to do so only when he was certain he was safe: ¡°How - uh, how about you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know, ¡®cause you¡¯re a fucking cop. And neither do I.¡± Gloria took a look at a motorcycle on the side of the road, to her disappointment the key was not left on the ignition: ¡°I just know the basics - and if I see one I¡¯ll be sure to try. Unless you want to walk to Chef Tang¡¯s.¡±


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    ¡°Actually I think we¡¯re not far.¡± Marcus showed Gloria his phone with the navigation app: ¡°It¡¯s close. Probably a 30 minute walk. So it¡¯s like 10 minutes if we hurry.¡±


    ¡±I guess we¡¯d better hurry.¡° Gloria nodded, smiling under the hard hat: ¡°With all the new energy, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    Both of them walked with the highest speed they could without actually running. Their way over was mostly empty, for it was still early morning and the sun was barely up. Right around midway, just when they were about to get to a more crowded area, they ditched their disguise and sped up.


    The smell of food from street vendors was never so appealing. Marcus¡¯ stomach growled then rumbled.


    ¡°You wanna grab something to eat first?¡± Gloria asked, slowing down her steps.


    ¡°Not quite polite before going into a noodle shop, is it?¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s early, they might not be open.¡± Gloria shrugged. ¡°What if their kitchen isn¡¯t fully prepped yet?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess one bun wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Marcus took a look at a middle aged woman who was still setting up her stand, with a 8-layered steamer.


    They bought 16 buns in total, 8 for each. They pretty much cleaned the bottom two layers of the middle aged woman¡¯s steamer. All of them were gone before they even reached the entrance of the famous noodle shop.


    Gloria paced to the window near the back with the three bells and rang the yellow one.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± An impatient looking man in a dirty chef¡¯s hat looked out of the window: ¡°The Chef¡¯s not here yet.¡±


    ¡°Tell him we have some intelligence to trade.¡± Gloria answered, then she took a look at Marcus: ¡°And - we have a returning customer here to collect some - some debt.¡±


    The man looked Gloria up and down, then looked Marcus up and down, with a few extra seconds focused on his face, before grunting: ¡°Okay wait here. I¡¯ll call the Chef. Don¡¯t count on it.¡±


    Gloria sighed and stepped back. Marcus shrugged at Gloria¡¯s sight. He had no idea what to do either. He had not come to the shop at this hour of the day before.


    ¡°The chef told me to invite you in and have some tea.¡± The man opened the window again: ¡°Please come in around the back.¡±


    It was the second time Gloria came into the noodle shop from the back. The decorations and arrangements of the furniture weren¡¯t changed as far as she could tell. There was still a long table in the middle, with some smaller tea tables and wooden chairs around. They chose one by the wall and sat in the two chairs on each side.


    ¡°Ginger tea.¡± The same employee came over with a wooden tray with two china tea jars with lids.


    Marcus frowned, for he had never had this tea served to him without him asking before: ¡°The Chef has something major for us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, mister. I just serve these as the Chef said.¡± The employee bowed and exited the room.


    ¡°Shall we - shall we drink it?¡± Gloria frowned, there were many dishes in the shop with underlying meaning, she had no idea what this one meant either.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit.¡± Marcus sighed.


    It took Chef Tang around 10 minutes to get here. And the first thing he said after entering the room was: ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not fans of ginger tea?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 170. Intel Run (Part 2)

    ¡°We''re - we¡¯re just not sure if the tea means anything and worried that it would be rude to - ¡± Gloria stammered a little when answering.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just ginger tea, no other meaning behind it.¡± Chef Tang shrugged: ¡°Because - I have heard some trouble exploding in that new apartment complex. And I assumed - now I know, it is you two. So ginger tea might just be what you need after that kind of fighting - to perk you up a little.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then thank you Chef.¡± Gloria and Marcus picked up the cups at the same time and chugged the tea down their throats.


    ¡°Anything interesting you found from those who are chasing you?¡± Chef Tang leaned his waist on the table in the middle of the room, nodding: ¡°Any idea who these people are? Who they work for?¡±


    ¡°I know. At least they have a certain connection to the community collective.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°And it all kinda started with - ¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait.¡± Gloria interjected as she raised her hand at Marcus: ¡°What - uh, what¡¯s it worth to you? Chef? What¡¯s the price you¡¯d put on this piece of intel?¡±


    Chef Tang laughed out loud without answering for a few seconds, then shook his head: ¡°Oh, young Gloria, you¡¯d make a good broker here. My people will let you know when we¡¯re hiring, come in for an interview, huh?¡±


    ¡°O - okay?¡± Gloria scratched her head: ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°That information is not really worth much.¡± Chef Tang shrugged: ¡°We already know there are some - ill folks who infiltrated the city and the community collective. It¡¯s absolutely expected. And - I don¡¯t know what caused your conflict, but judging from what both of you have been looking into, I¡¯d guess that already.¡±


    ¡°How about some personal items of them? So items given to them by their superiors to help protect them from - occupational hazards.¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°I can identify and appraise them for you, and if they¡¯re interesting enough I can give you extra, otherwise it¡¯ll cost you instead.¡± Chef Tang raised an eyebrow at Marcus: ¡°But let¡¯s cut to the chase, shall we? You¡¯re not here to trade gossip. You rang that bell for a reason. You have some REAL intel to trade. So, why don¡¯t you just ask your questions first, then tell me what you know, I¡¯ll tell you what the differences are, and we can get on with our day?¡±


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    ¡°Sure, Chef. ¡± Gloria sighed and shook her head. After exchanging looks with Marcus, she pulled out a string, at the end of which was a small copper concave mirror. ¡°First of all it¡¯s this thing. We took it from a group of henchmen who were trying to attack us when we¡¯re investigating the area around the old ruins. They¡¯re using it as some kind of protection.¡±


    ¡°This is an interesting attempt at a mirror artifact. ¡± Chef Tang took the small mirror, took a quick look then set it down on the table behind him. ¡°What else do you have?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve gone inside the old ruins. And by ¡®inside¡¯, I mean inside inside, we get to the inner gar - inner sanctum.¡± Marcus nodded at Chef Tang: ¡°And we met with someone inside.¡±


    The entire room became silent when this sentence dropped. Chef Tang¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at the faces of Marcus and Gloria. None of the three in the room spoke. This uncomfortable silence lasted almost minutes.


    ¡°It¡¯s been - quite a while since that happened.¡± Chef Tang sighed and leaned back on the table¡¯s edge: ¡°Tell me this - how did you get in?¡±


    ¡°Wait - you believe us? You know someone who¡¯s gone in before?¡± Gloria raised her voice: ¡°This - this is quite big!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chef Tang shrugged: ¡°And - pardon my directness, you knew one as well, right? Ms. Lee?¡±


    ¡°I - ¡± Gloria¡¯s face dimmed.


    ¡°My apologies. ¡± Chef Tang shook his head: ¡°And I miss that stinky friend of yours too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. ¡± Gloria sighed and took a deep breath: ¡°What¡¯s it worth to you, about what we learned from the one inside the ruins?¡±


    ¡°It depends. But it¡¯s got really good potential.¡± Chef Tang chuckled: ¡°But - spare me the trailer and teaser, huh?¡±


    ¡°Before we proceed, do you know who is inside?¡± Marcus thought for a moment before asking.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Chef Tang responded with a coy smile: ¡°The Lady in White, isn¡¯t it? Someone ancient, someone magical. Someone powerful.¡±


    ¡°And do you know who she is?¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I ask, because I have a really good theory - ¡±


    ¡°Save it then. I know of that folktale as well. ¡± Chef Tang raised his hand to cut Marcus off: ¡°And folktales become fantasies, fantasies become legends, legends become myths. Much is lost in every step.¡±


    ¡°Unless there¡¯s a definitive link to what we¡¯re all facing today.¡± Gloria stepped forward: ¡°And I believe we - my friend who¡¯s not with us, found it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what is it?¡±


    ¡°Shyurak. ¡± Gloria raised her right index finger: ¡°Someone used a wood carving of Shyurak as a conduit of dark spells during that - that underground temple incident.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what of it?¡±


    ¡°In order to use wooden carvings as conduits or catalyst for spells, you need an actual connection to the things the carvings resemble. But Shyurak¡¯s been dead for god knows how long, if what the folktale is to be true.¡± Gloria took a look at Marcus, with an insinuating smile on her face: ¡°So - in order for this spell to work, you need two factors. One, the dragon actually existed; two, the dragon left enough energy or power behind. There¡¯s also the off chance that people believe in it enough to make it manifest, but I doubt it. ¡±


    ¡°I see. ¡± Chef Tang¡¯s eyes opened slightly: ¡°Good thinking, Ms. Lee.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°The detective did most of the work anyway.¡±


    Marcus looked at Gloria, just in time to catch her wink. She then did a ¡°sleeping¡± gesture while moving her mouth.

 Book 2 Chapter 171. Intel Run (Part 3)

    ¡°Okay, this is a good piece. Not that hard a connection to make if you think about it. But a good piece nonetheless.¡± Chef Tang smiled: ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°There is some kind of horrible curse dormant in the city, put in place by Shyurak him - her - itself. This is not my speculation, but from the Lady in White herself. ¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°She told us so - and even back in the day, she conducted a big ritual to suppress it. But judging from what she told us it was not very successful, not to her own fault. And later, someone in the city who had met her also tried something - a campaign, a solution of some kind, but he failed.¡±


    Chef Tang thought for a moment before responding: ¡°I think I might know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and is it connected to the power companies?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Chef Tang¡¯s attitude became more serious than what both Marcus and Gloria had ever seen before: ¡°And - it is one of those things people in the city rarely discuss, even in private and among closest friends. In many places, it¡¯s even forgotten as if it never happened. But luckily, in our district, a lot of people still do. Blood was shed, because many viewed the campaign as a disrespectful and power hungry farce.¡±


    ¡°Wait - wait wait wait, blood was shed, is it the cause of the fight between the South Eastern District and the rest of the city?¡± Marcus almost jumped from his seat.


    ¡°It was a factor, a major one, yes. ¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°As for the actual cause and reason - who could even say for sure. All I can tell you for sure is that the city was trying to forcefully deploy a new design of transformers and power transmission system. And just like you suspected, there¡¯s something to this system, might be whatever elements of that grand ritual you were speaking of. But - you work for the city, you know what would happen with things like this. Things are never simple.¡±


    ¡°And thus, arm conflicts broke out.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°The city was trying to take power from the community collective and the locals. The locals would not yield this kind of control to the city. And no agreement was reached.¡±


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    ¡°Not just that. The most offensive part of everything, is that the city was planning to build the substations, transformers and even power stations on various holy grounds, even proposing to tear down temples to do so.¡± Chef Tang scoffed: ¡°Yeah, they are so desperate for and demanding of this so-called solution, they didn¡¯t care for what the cost might be, what this cost meant for the people here. Not even one bit. They even threw money at the people, you can imagine how insulting that was.¡±


    ¡°But - the one behind it died, so everything stopped, right?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°No. Like I said, nothing¡¯s that simple.¡± Chef Tang looked out the window, reminiscing: ¡°To start, the man died of mysterious circumstances. The official conclusion of the city is that he was assassinated by radicals in our district. The official conclusion of the community collective is that he was killed by political rivals in the city because of policy differences and money. But hey, it could be both, and no one is interested in anything further.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I think this - this actually answered a lot of questions. Just because they tried to suppress the curse through this humongous project and failed. The curse is acting up again, and thus the circle began.¡±


    Chef Tang thought for a moment: ¡°By ¡®acting up again¡¯, I think you meant it had become more aggressive. Because the 15 year cycle, though obscure, is still a pattern some of us have knowledge of - and yes, that knowledge is vastly incomplete that¡¯s basically speculation upon speculation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, an elder told me about it.¡± Gloria added from the side.


    ¡°That sounds right. And it¡¯s the reason why the number of sacrifices gets bigger every cycle.¡± Marcus nodded at the conclusion they reached together. Something tingled in his mind, a buried thought bubbled up. He made a swift turn to take a look at Gloria, thousands of words stuck in his throat.


    ¡°What? ¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Nevermind - we¡¯ll talk about this later.¡± Marcus shook his head, then turned to the chef: ¡°And this ties back to my main purpose here - Chef, what have you gathered from those men? It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Before I start, let me tell you what this is.¡± Chef Tang raised the small metal mirror and sighed: ¡°I recognized this earlier, and I think I just now realized what the purpose of it would be. It¡¯s based on Bagua Mirrors. But you know how those are - they project energy outward, and they can reflect almost any paranormal energy coming their way - curses and blessings alike. But this - it¡¯s a concave, with no etchings or patterns along its edges. So it¡¯s a receiver of energy instead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes: ¡°But those people are wearing it like - like it¡¯s a protection of sorts. Seriously, they came into the Lanmian Forest wearing this shit.¡±


    ¡°It COULD serve as a protection, because it absorbs the foul energy coming your way. Technically it could absorb positive energy as well, but the effectiveness is - poor, due to many reasons.¡± Chef Tang put the mirror down again: ¡°And with this simple make and material, it¡¯ll not hold the energy for long, and instead will simply transfer the energy into the body of the wearer. It¡¯s like wearing a gas mask and keeping the filter with you at all times. You still get affected, and at a lower speed at first. Only temporarily useful.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 172. Intel Run (Part 4)

    ¡°So it means - whoever sent those men was never expecting them to live, not for long.¡± Gloria nodded at Marcus, unable to hide the disdain and what little shock she had.


    Marcus nodded back. He knew those that were willing to perform that kind of sacrificial rituals were not above this. It still gave him the chills and unease in his stomach whenever he came face to face with the evidence of their deeds.


    ¡°Smart, huh?¡± Chef Tang chuckled, then sighed: ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult a thing to do. Sloppy and crude, even, but they¡¯ve got people who believe them enough to wear these.¡±


    ¡°Wait. These are not from the - those fighters in cloaks right?¡± Gloria scratched her head while looking at Marcus: ¡°It¡¯s from one of those suckers - I mean lowly henchmen.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And they don¡¯t know how to fight either. They are pretty much doing grunt work for them. In our case they are the ones trying to flush us out, while the cloaked ones would be the ones to actually take the shots.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Their employer definitely didn¡¯t care enough about them. The cloaked assassins would have finished them off if they did get us.¡±


    ¡°Speculations, likely, but still speculations, and not that helpful to me.¡± Chef Tang raised his left eyebrow: ¡°What else do you have for me? And what else do you want?¡±


    ¡°What happened to the guy¡¯s allies, family and friends? I mean the one who got killed for trying to launch the campaign.¡± Gloria asked: ¡°We want ways to track them down, if there¡¯s any - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - you may not know about this. But this is a hefty secret to own and know. And what you have told me so far is still a long way to go to cover it.¡± Chef Tang looked Marcus straight in his eyes before turning to Gloria: ¡°But here¡¯s the thing - tell me what else you can about what the Lady in White said, and what her place is like, what her situation is, and we¡¯d call it even, how about that?¡±


    Marcus sighed and exchanged looks with Gloria. Neither of them was very willing to do this. For in some way, it felt like betraying the trust given to them.


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    ¡°We can share what we can - what is justified to.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°You mentioned her identity - her being from - from that folktale of our childhood.¡± Chef Tang scratched his jaw: ¡°Is it true? How can you be so certain?¡±


    ¡°It is true. I am fairly certain of it.¡± Marucs nodded: ¡°And we saw evidence of it - but as for what kind of evidence it is, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t just tell you, for it would be disrespectful to her and her memory. Just know that the old ruins were once their place of rest - and retirement, until things changed.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Chef Tang could not control his smile, his eyes even glimmered: ¡°And - I assume she told you a lot of secrets, and I assume she would have her eyes over the city, even if she stopped showing herself to us. So tell me - what does she know about what¡¯s going on in the city? How much does she know?¡±


    ¡°She knows enough. She saw a lot of it.¡± Gloria answered.


    ¡°Okay, now weigh your answer carefully on this one.¡± Chef Tang considered for a moment: ¡°What did she say regarding those that orchestrated and organized all of this - where are they operating from, are they still as powerful as they were in the last cycle?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Gloria almost jumped at this question, pleasantly surprised and almost unable to suppress her excitement: ¡°She said they were no longer very organized, and - and they dwell in buildings of liquid lightning, so basically - ¡±


    ¡°Power corporation buildings, yeah, just as we suspect.¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a reasonable course of action, actually, albeit somewhat - somewhat pitifully dark.¡± After this sentence, the Chef submerged in his thoughts without posting another question.


    ¡°Would this be enough?¡± Marcus asked: ¡°Chef?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my apologies.¡± Chef Tang came to, seemingly having made a decision of sorts: ¡°Just had some - some things come up.¡±


    ¡°Do you think this would be enough? ¡± Marcus nodded, not minding this at all.


    ¡°Yes. Yes. I think so.¡± Chef Tang smiled.


    ¡°You - you¡¯re not going to go after them directly, are you Chef?¡± Gloria asked, frowning and worried: ¡°Please don¡¯t - even if they¡¯re disorganized for now, they¡¯re still very powerful and we have no idea what they¡¯re capable of. They just set up a trap trying to murder a police officer, for goodness sake.¡±


    ¡°No. And what I¡¯m about to do with this information shouldn¡¯t concern you. ¡± Chef Tang shook his head, returning to his stern, kind but slightly distant state: ¡°But - thank you for your concern.¡±


    ¡°But - but if you do. Please let us know.¡± Gloria added: ¡°I have some bones to pick with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll - I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Chef Tang chuckled, before turning to Marcus: ¡°That man was single for all his life. He had some friends and allies in his campaign, most of whom either betrayed him, or disappeared. There remained only one - an extremely gifted young fighter at the time, who was only tangentially involved, but was so powerful, that even they as a whole could not do anything to him. Thus, a pact was made - for peace to remain, and for the man¡¯s efforts and legacy to remain unsullied and unruined, they would stop going after him, and devote what resources they can to keep everything in check. While he would be locked in oblivion, serving as the silent pillar of this fragile peace. You know him, Detective Cai.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 173. Untold Bind

    Gloria turned to Marcus, this time she really was surprised, a little shocked, even. Marcus never mentioned this person. If he had known already, everything would have been so much easier.


    ¡°Are you saying - Mr. Liaoran is - ¡±


    ¡°What his name was, is, is not important.¡± Chef Tang shrugged: ¡°Liaoran is but a ritualistic name, with no ties to his birth identity. It belongs to that temple he resided in. It¡¯s a temple no one has authority over and wants to be in charge of.¡±


    ¡°Wait - I heard of him as well.¡± Gloria raised her hand: ¡°He¡¯s - he¡¯s the mentor of my boss - I mean my mentor.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Chef Tang almost laughed out loud: ¡°I see - good to know that he is not locked in his position and still trying to make a difference, fragile balance be damned.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I¡¯m surprised. Those who made the deal obviously are not holding up their end of the deal - or at least not holding it as honestly as they should.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°Maybe - maybe I¡¯ll go ask him.¡±


    ¡°What else do we know about this - this Master Liaoran? ¡± Gloria scratched her head: ¡°What can you tell us about him? I mean - can he even tell us if we asked? He¡¯s a pillar, that means - there¡¯s a ton of responsibilities on his shoulders.¡±


    ¡°I trust that you already know, he was one of the most powerful mystic martial arts practitioners of his time. No one really knew what style he started with, but it¡¯s been proven that he is deeply knowledgeable and experienced in a wide variety of them.¡± Chef Tang sighed: ¡°And I guess this is for the best, because whatever he teaches you, they will have a hard time tracing back to him. And even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.¡±


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    ¡°I sure hope so.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°And there¡¯s one more thing I believe you¡¯d be interested to know.¡± Chef Tang snapped his fingers: ¡°Consider this a bonus, and a token of my gratitude and appreciation. Have you encountered watchers of sites?¡±


    Marcus and Gloria looked at each other once, then Gloria answered on behalf of them: ¡°No - I don¡¯t think we have - ¡±


    ¡°Good then. Because that would be - suboptimal.¡± Chef Tang nodded: ¡°These are remnants of the old days, we haven¡¯t had any since the last 15 year cycle - they are powerful guardians of various sites of paranormal death of burials - they are, in theory, under the control of the highest power in the community collective, or the city. They are, in principle, stationed in every site spread around the city. But they are short-handed because they haven¡¯t had any viable new candidate in a while.¡±


    ¡°But - how - ¡± Gloria wanted to follow up with a question before a staffer rushed into the room and whispered something to the Chef¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Just go get that folder.¡± Chef Tang said to the staffer with a frown: ¡°We¡¯ll deal with this later.¡±


    The staffer nodded and left the room in a hurry, just like he came in.


    ¡°Something wrong, Chef?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°A group of people of unknown loyalty attacked your precinct, Detective Cai.¡± Chef Tang looked Marcus in the eyes.


    ¡°What - what the fuck! How dare they!?¡± Marcus wanted to rush out, but was pulled back by Gloria.


    ¡°Your going back to your precinct might not do anyone any good.¡± Chef Tang also moved to block Marcus¡¯ way partially: ¡°It seemed either the city or your captain had sent in a team to deal with it. The place is in total lockdown right now, only specifically authorized personnel are allowed in. There were no casualties so far. Some officers were injured, a few of them were in critical condition. And some other officers were missing - your friends included. There¡¯s no evidence that they are subject to any harm. Just hang on a second.¡±


    ¡°But - what for?¡± Marcus wanted to bash something or throw a plate or a tea cup to the wall, it was only the fact that he was in the shop keeping him in check.


    ¡°For what you came here for. I think it¡¯s time that I deliver anyway.¡± Chef Tang sighed.


    The staffer that came in earlier came back, with a thin dark brown leather folder in his hand. Chef Tang took the folder, took a quick look at the files inside and handed it to Marcus: ¡°This is all we gathered so far from those men. Not a lot. Far from enough. We were only able to verify some of the information. So - come back for more, though don¡¯t be too hopeful. The measures put on them - they¡¯re awful but they did the job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you Chef.¡± Marcus bowed to Chef Tang, before rushing out of the noodle shop.

 Book 2 Chapter 174. Mobilization

    ¡°Marcus! Marcus!¡± Gloria caught up to Marcus and pulled him by his left elbow: ¡°What are you planning to do? Do you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°No - not really.¡± Marcus looked down at his phone, waiting for Kevin to answer his call: ¡°I need to find Kevin first. I know a place he would go to hide. If he¡¯s not there, then maybe he¡¯s at Captain Ko¡¯s place - I¡¯ll find him.¡±


    ¡°Okay, it might seem like a bad time for you, but you need to wait.¡± Gloria tightened her grip: ¡°If they would be so blazen to attack your precinct, a city police precinct, they would surely know where you would be going when you make it out of the forest alive.¡±


    ¡°... you¡¯re right.¡± Marcus took a few deep breaths before nodding at Gloria: ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t just go to the obvious places. If they dare attack our precinct, they¡¯d have some inside help. Tyler Khan, if I was him, I¡¯d bug the entire precinct and steal some personal files for backup plans.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, so we¡¯ll need a plan. Even if you made contact with Kevin, you¡¯d need to figure out if he¡¯s being held hostage as well.¡± Gloria pulled Marcus to sit on the side of the road: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°What about your friends then? Don¡¯t you need to contact them?¡± Marcus looked Gloria in her eyes.


    ¡°I told them, if I don¡¯t get back to them, they should find a place to hide. Don¡¯t worry, my mentor is there, so they should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But this place is closer to your place. Go to them when you need to.¡± Marcus stood up walking towards the side of the road, looking around and trying to see if he could catch a taxi. ¡°I¡¯ll - I¡¯ll let you know what happened. And - please be safe.¡±


    Gloria looked Marcus in his eyes, shook her head and gave him a quick hug: ¡°And you too.¡±


    ¡°Mister, Miss.¡± A staffer walked out of the noodle shop: ¡°The chef called you taxis. Please wait inside for a moment. And - he¡¯s offered you each a new change of clothes, if you are open to them.¡±


    After changing, the staffer threw their old clothes in the furnace just to assure them that nothing personal would be left behind in the store. Marcus had a hat to help cover his face, while Gloria got a pair of large sunglasses. Their rides stopped in front of the store shortly after this was done.


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    The taxis were obviously some kind of expensive reservation-only ride. Marcus had only heard about this kind of premium taxis with relatively plain exterior but clean and luxurious interior before. The driver was mostly silent. The only sentences he spoke to Marcus were to greet him, ask him if he thought the air conditioning was too cold, and to confirm with him where he wanted to go.


    Marcus chose to be dropped off at a place near the store where his father worked. After all of this, making sure that his father was safe was the first thing on his mind. If they were to act, he needed to make sure his father would be safe.


    He did not rush in directly but checked out the surroundings first. He deliberately limped while he did so to avoid being recognized.


    There were no suspicious people outside of the shop. So he came in, picking up a small pack of chips while passing by a shelf.


    Elvin was busy stocking up the racks near the cashier, while a young woman sat behind the counter scrolling through something on her phone.


    ¡°Thank you for coming, we accept credit cards only on 10 dollars and above, if below please use cash. ¡± The young woman did not even look at Marcus.


    ¡°Here.¡± Marcus threw 3 dollars on the counter before going to his father¡¯s side and whispered to his ear: ¡°Dad, don¡¯t panic, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Elvin almost jumped. He looked Marcus up and down before whispering back: ¡°What? What are you doing here? I thought you were working overtime on the big case - what happened?¡±


    ¡°Something serious happened. And I need you to leave with me.¡± Marcus whispered to his father: ¡°Do you have a car or a truck here? Or a motorcycle? And do you sell burner phones?¡±


    ¡°We - we only have a delivery moped - it won¡¯t fit us. And - we can¡¯t sell burner phones..¡± Elvin thought for a moment before answering: ¡°But - there are some abandoned cars in the back - do you need to drive?¡±


    ¡°Nonono that won¡¯t work, we need to get outta here.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Let¡¯s just go then. We need to leave right away. Do you know a safe place we can hide?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay.¡± Elvin was wise enough not to ask too many questions, he walked up to the counter: ¡°Sabrina, I¡¯ll need to check the storage in the back to see if we have any more of this -  this tiger smoke. ¡±


    ¡°Alright, have fun.¡± The young woman behind the counter did not even look up.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go around the back.¡± Elvin led the way into a narrow alleyway in the back, with litter everywhere and a foul smelling metal dumpster resting by the wall around the midway point: ¡°There¡¯s a small alley here - people sneak here to smoke and do drugs at night. Once we¡¯re outta here, we can take a taxi, or steal a bike or something - ¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Marcus cursed as he flared his nose. A faint smell of blood lingered in the air. He stepped forward and kept Elvin behind him, keeping one hand on the pistol he got from the stolen truck: ¡°Stay behind me - something¡¯s not right. I smell blood.¡±


    Marcus took a few steps forward to check behind the metal dumpster. A homeless man was curling up in the corner, snoring lightly. On his side scattered a few syringes.


    ¡°This - this is not unusual here, unfortunately.¡± Elvin explained.


    Marcus¡¯ phone rang. He answered it without even a hint of hesitation, even though it came from a strange number.


    ¡°Marcus? Are you safe?¡± It was Kevin.

 Book 2 Chapter 175. Regroup and Reevaluate (Part 1)

    ¡°Yeah - yeah, I am safe. ¡± Marcus felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders and stomach: ¡°Are YOU safe? I heard about the attack on the precinct - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m okay. So are Keryn and Mick.¡± Kevin let out a sigh of relief on the phone: ¡°How¡¯s - how¡¯s your investigation? Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t talk about it over the phone. But we really need to talk about it face to face.¡± Marcus thought for a moment: ¡°Where and when can we meet?¡±


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know where we are, exactly. We are in a safe place.¡± Kevin hesitated for a short moment: ¡°Let¡¯s see, we¡¯ll try to figure out a place to meet you. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s safe to tell you to come here either. But if you could contact the captain, he might be able to tell you where we are.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°What else happened? Can you let me know?¡±


    ¡°I presume you know it¡¯s Tyler Khan¡¯s scheme to lure you into the Lanmian Forest.¡± Kevin thought for a moment: ¡°And - you might want to know this - we figured something out, it¡¯s about - about electricity, it¡¯s the reason behind Lydia Mu and the fucking Benson kid, and it¡¯s the reason behind - the rise in incidents and power outages. But we should discuss this further face to face - ¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay. That¡¯s all I need to hear right now.¡± Sensing the gravity of what Kevin was about to say, Marcus interjected: ¡°You guys figure out a plan. I need to find a place to lay low as well. I¡¯ll go radio silent for now.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good. Remember this number - I don¡¯t know if you can call back, but at least it¡¯s worth keeping.¡±


    Just when Marcus hung up the phone and began leading his father away from the alleyway to catch a cab, another phone call came - it was Captain Ko.


    ¡°Marcus, you answered, so I assume you made it out of - whatever you were dealing with.¡± Captain Ko sounded relieved.


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    ¡°Yes. Sir. And I¡¯m glad you are okay as well. ¡± Marcus looked left and right at the exit of the alley, waving his hand at a taxi coming their way: ¡°Where are you? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Neither of us want that answer right now. But just listen to me.¡± Captain Ko coughed and dismissed Marcus¡¯ question: ¡°Just in case you didn¡¯t know, our precinct was attacked by a group of unidentified individuals, led by Tyler Khan. I am currently heading to a meeting with certain contacts I have, so I don¡¯t have long and I need you to listen, and listen carefully.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You know my place, right? And near the door to my place, there¡¯s a very ugly tree, with almost no leaves on it. If you look closely, there are symbols and runes carved on its trunk. There is a jar of wine buried under it. If I cannot make it back to my place by sundown, I¡¯ll send you a message. And if you get my message, I¡¯ll need you to go to my place, dig up that jar and spray it on my doorstep and below my bedroom window. Okay? After that, bow to my door three times and apologize to my wife on my behalf. But do not, I mean DO NOT, step inside. Okay? No matter what you see or hear.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Chills ran down Marcus¡¯ back. The taxi stopped right in front of him, and he let his father go in first: ¡°Okay, what else?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. I need you to promise me. Otherwise I¡¯m dead. You understand?¡±


    ¡°Sure, captain.¡±


    ¡°Kevin is in one of my spare places. Keryn and Mick are with him. You¡¯ve been there before, it¡¯s the same place where I almost held a house warming party, but it got canceled because of a narcotics case. Do you remember where it is?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t remember exactly - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s near that unnamed rice crepe shop. You liked the crepe but it gave Kevin the shits.¡±


    ¡°I remember now.¡± Marcus sighed, and signaled the taxi driver to start driving: ¡°I¡¯m on my way. What else do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, stay safe, okay? I¡¯ll call the place later. I hope - just get there.¡± Captain Ko did not say anything else before hanging up.


    ¡°Everything okay with the captain?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Marcus sighed and turned to the driver: ¡°Mister, I don¡¯t remember what the place is called, but I¡¯ll tell you where to drive. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, whatever you say, boss.¡±


    Before shutting his phone down completely, Marcus dialed the number of Gloria.


    The place Captain Ko referred to was a plain looking house, in a relatively uncrowded neighborhood. If one did not pay close attention, they would not have noticed that the walls, the windows and the doors were all reinforced, even the vents were connected with filtration systems.


    ¡°Stay here.¡± Marcus found a corner close to the house to hide his father: ¡°I¡¯ll go check. If anything happens, you run away, okay? I can¡¯t fight with you nearby.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Elvin nodded and knelt in the corner.


    Marcus took a deep breath. With his left hand on the pistol and his Qi coursing through his meridians, he knocked on the door with his right hand.


    One lock opened after another. The heavy door opened. Kevin jumped out and clung onto Marcus¡¯ body.


    ¡°Holy shit dude! You¡¯re here! Finally!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 176. Regroup and Reevaluate (Part 2)

    Unlike the case with Chef Tang, Marcus told his colleagues everything he could about what he and Gloria went through - minus the intimacy part. This included what the Lady in White told them while they were inside the old ruins.


    ¡°Holy shit - this is - this is crazy.¡± Kevin started pacing around the room: ¡°So we were right - there¡¯s something special about electricity. They can ward off unclean entities - ghosts and curses. In fact these - the leaders of the traffickers are actively hiding inside of buildings of power companies, where they are basically surrounded by electricity.¡±


    ¡°Yes - but it¡¯s not the same case anywhere, right? South-Eastern District still see spirits and paranormal entities regularly.¡± Elvin raised his hand and asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s because of that giant campaign to push for the electric grid and other infrastructure upgrade and replacement decades ago.¡± Kevin clapped his hands then groaned: ¡°Ugh! I cannot remember what timeline it was, but it makes perfect sense to us right now - the ¡®new¡¯ and ¡®innovative¡¯ electrical systems employed did not really contribute anything to the users of electricity or the electric companies¡¯ power efficiency. But what it did contribute to was how the Northern and South-Western Districts almost never saw paranormal incidents.¡±


    ¡° -  or they CLAIMED to never see paranormal incidents.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    ¡°Yes. Or claimed - but it is reasonable to assume that the number is low enough for the general message to stick.¡± Kevin nodded at Keryn: ¡°And it is the reason why, ever since the two districts started to have more frequent outages, incidents and even deaths of entire families from paranormal presence. The Lings, for example.¡±


    ¡°And Benson, Carl Benson.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°He slammed right into an electric substation, cutting off the power temporarily, and got stuffed into the engine space.¡±


    ¡°But that - wouldn¡¯t that mean the city just needs to install this kind of grid everywhere?¡± Mick frowned: ¡°I mean - if the South-Eastern District could implement this as well, and we have more backups - ¡±


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    ¡°Except it wouldn¡¯t work, not long term anyways. For one the infrastructure is losing its suppressing power, and that¡¯s why even with them in place, these people still need to do those sacrificial rituals to keep the curse in check.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°And - from what I get from the lady¡¯s answer: the original campaign pusher did not actually achieve what he wanted to - his plan did not complete, and it is very likely not perfect. The same thing with the ritual these traffickers are doing. In fact, something¡¯s been more and more wrong as time goes by.¡±


    ¡°So - did the Lady in White tell you what the proper ways to - to conduct the rituals are?¡± Mick asked, somewhat concerned and scared that he would get judged for the question. His worries were real, as both Kevin and Keryn stared at him before he could even finish. ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m just asking, guys. I¡¯m not - ¡±


    ¡°Nonono, I understand, Mick. I¡¯d ask the same question as well.¡± Marcus nodded and sat down on the ground, Kevin passed him a cup of tea with the tea bag still in, he accepted and took a sip: ¡°She said - basically, the ritual needs to be done - indiscriminately.¡±


    ¡°Meaning - ?¡± Keryn, Mick and Elvin asked the same question.


    ¡°Well, I - ¡± Marcus drank up almost all of the tea in his cup: ¡°When I was hiding with Gloria, she mentioned this thing that caught my attention: that the transplant community in the Northern District - basically just people who moved there, and haven¡¯t yet established connections and roots, they are seeing more of these - these kidnappings and abductions. Hell, some of them even escaped back to the South-Eastern District to get shelter and protection.¡±


    The implication behind this answer shocked everyone else in the room into silence. Only heavy breathing and steps of some of them pacing can be heard in this room. No one said a thing for a short while.


    After around five grueling minutes, Marcus wanted to say something, but before he could even get out a word, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Kevin and Mick jumped from the surprise, while Keryn rushed to the side of the door and looked out from a thick one sided window.


    ¡°It¡¯s - uh, it¡¯s a guy.¡± Keryn frowned: ¡°I can¡¯t see what he¡¯s like - he¡¯s in - in the blind spot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for doubting your ability, Marcus. But -¡± Kevin asked with a lowered voice: ¡°Who - who followed you? ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure no one is.¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°We took a taxi, I watched for all the signs of being followed. We got off a few blocks away from here, we walked the rest of the way.¡±


    The person outside of the door knocked again.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a delivery person?¡± Mick asked, as he tried to look outside through the other one sided window: ¡°Shit, I can¡¯t see him clearly either, some kind of tree branch is blocking the way!¡±


    The person outside the door knocked again, before kneeling down and slipping a small piece of paper through the tiny gap under the door.


    ¡°This door is not air-tight.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°I guess it¡¯s a relief - considering that we might be locked in here for a while.¡±


    The piece of paper poked out by a small corner from under the door. Marcus rushed over. With Qi concentrated on his fingers, he pulled it up.


    ¡°Open the door. I don¡¯t want trouble - Luo Zhuge¡± This paper read.

 Book 2 Chapter 177. Cruel Dealings (Part 1)

    ¡°What the - how the hell did he find us?!¡± Kevin¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    Marcus thought for a brief moment, then cursed: ¡°Fuck, that scapegoat doll. In that rental house.¡±


    ¡°That - how is that possible?¡± Kevin asked: ¡°You were so careful - and I thought your Qi would burn off any curse laid upon you - FUCK! Is it me!? How?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but that¡¯s the only explanation. And - I¡¯m not sure how he did that.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°Okay, we should meet him. Kevin, Mick, you are civilians, you go to the inner room and hide with my father. Find anything that could work to - to conceal yourselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet him with you. ¡± Keryn nodded at Marcus, then she turned to Kevin and Mick: ¡°Be careful, alright?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Marcus handed the pistol he got from the truck to Kevin: ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°No worries. ¡± Kevin nodded at Marcus and patted Mick on the shoulder.


    ¡°Be careful, son. ¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°Your father cannot help you here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve got this. ¡± Marcus answered with a smile: ¡°I¡¯ve got a feeling he¡¯s not hostile.¡±


    ¡°Well, that took a while.¡± Luo Zhuge was a thin man in a pair of sunglasses, seemingly at a similar age to Marcus. He came into the safe house with a limp, and showed no concern at all when Keryn slammed the door behind him.


    ¡°It¡¯s brazen of you to come here and find us.¡± Marcus asked: ¡°How did you find us? And what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I think you knew that already. If not it¡¯ll be a waste of both our time.¡± Luo Zhuge chuckled and sat down on the sofa: ¡°It¡¯s that doll you told my greedy landlady to exorcize. No worries on that though, because it¡¯s not really a scapegoat doll, though it looks like one. Pretty neat, huh? You¡¯d think that you just got cursed, while in fact you got a tracing spell on you, allowing me to track you down.¡±


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    ¡°So that¡¯s what it is.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°What do you want? And - did you kill those men?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Luo Zhuge¡¯s smile disappeared: ¡°They were my colleagues. I don¡¯t like them, but I harbor them no ill will. I tried to warn them. Tthey just wouldn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that you tried to warn them about? What did you know that your colleague didn¡¯t?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple.¡± Luo Zhuge pointed at the lights above on the ceiling: ¡°When you¡¯ve tuned in enough, and when you¡¯ve gone through what I¡¯ve gone through, you¡¯d learned to notice the signs early on as well. Very - very early on.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Whispers in the substations, cries and moans coming from transformers, and terrifying haunting incidents and rumors spreading around areas with poor grid quality. ¡± Luo Zhuge chuckled: ¡°And initially, it was just haunting incidents, sightings of horrifying visions and past events. But then, it escalated to actual murders and freak suicides.¡±


    ¡°How long has this been happening?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°Not so fast - you¡¯d better tell me something in exchange for this kind of information.¡± Luo Zhuge picked up Marcus¡¯ tea cup: ¡°And - maybe a cup of tea? You¡¯d help a man suffering from thirst, right? Detectives?¡±


    Marcus narrowed his eyes, took the tea cup and headed to the kitchen. The water boiler was still hot, so he just wiped the cup around its mouth and poured more water into it, without adding any more precious tea leaves.


    ¡°Tea.¡± Marcus thrust the tea cup before Luo Zhuge: ¡°Now spill. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious - since you have been looking into me, ¡®they¡¯ are looking into me, that means ¡®they¡¯ are desperate.¡± Luo Zhuge did not even flinch, as he took the cup and drank half of it: ¡°Which then means, it is my chance to act as well. So - this is a really long-winded way of me asking: what are they up to?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®they¡¯?¡± Marcus and Keryn asked at the same time.


    Luo Zhuge shrugged, raising his eyebrows: ¡°Who the fuck knows for sure. It¡¯s basically - a group of people who are not above hurting children. Would this be enough to convince you to give me an honest answer?¡±


    Marcus exchanged looks with Keryn, then nodded: ¡°They¡¯re possibly planning another food festival.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s expected. Doesn¡¯t count.¡± Luo Zhuge put the tea cup back on the table: ¡°Detectives, please, we¡¯re all smart people here. Let¡¯s have proper respect for each other, no?¡±


    ¡°You are aware that they are going to perform sacrificial rituals?¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Well yeah. Because - I¡¯ll let you know later.¡± Luo Zhuge laid back on the sofa: ¡°Tell me something new, will you?¡±


    ¡°They are targeting transplants.¡± Keryn answered: ¡°And we think - the transplants in the Northern District are the most victimized group.¡±


    ¡°I know that already too.¡± Luo Zhuge scoffed and sat straight, appearing ready to leave: ¡°Next! I¡¯ll give you one more chance. If you are still this incompetent or dishonest, then I¡¯m outta here.¡±


    ¡°Electricity.¡± Marcus immediately raised his hand to stop the uninvited guest from actually leaving: ¡°Electricity is the warding power that keeps the paranormal at bay for the Northern and South-Western District. It is the very reason the incident at that substation happened. The driver knocked out the electricity, and the girl he killed came back for revenge.¡±


    Luo Zhuge narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment: ¡°This - this doesn¡¯t make too much sense, how is this possible?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 178. Cruel Dealings (Part 2)

    Marcus let out a sigh of relief, but also of concern. He took a look at Keryn, who shook her head and shrugged at him, he looked Luo Zhuge in his eyes and added to his earlier answer: ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure yet. But MY current theory, or speculation is - that some kind of technology was invented with ritualistic power in mind that could serve as a general area of effect suppressor of paranormal energy. But this effect, this power is diluting, waning and losing its effect.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, if it ever worked. No shit.¡± Luo Zhuge shook his head. He scratched his: ¡°But - I think it makes sense now - all of this - ¡± He scoffed, at himself this time: ¡°I guess I was just too - too buried in everything to actually see it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°It - it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Luo Zhuge shook his head.


    ¡°Well it kinda does.¡± Keryn insisted: ¡°You mentioned murmurs and cries, is that what you hear when you¡¯re working at the power corporation? What else do you see when you work there?¡±


    ¡°Shadows, spirits, voices that are both distant and terrifying. At first I thought it was just me, because I came into the power company with the intention of looking into it. At first I could not find anything, and then people started seeing things. People became haunted, work stations became haunted. My investigation also hit a dead end. So even though I got something, I was still stuck on others. Then the company told us to take a night shift. ¡± Luo Zhuge sighed before he proceeded to explain: ¡°I tried to talk them out of it. But - you know what happened.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in the company for a while, right? You ever find anything - suspicious?¡± Keryn took a look at Marcus before asking.


    ¡°Not as long as I¡¯d like. But also, too long for me to take anyway.¡± Luo Zhuge sighed: ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of my time navigating the place. I don¡¯t know about other companies, but S&S Corp is really a stickler for the rules and processes. They did not even let me touch a circuit box on-prem. And I¡¯ve finally worked my way up to - a senior engineer. And even in that position, I have limited vision of what is going on.¡±


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    ¡°But - you surely have seen something? Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have tried to warn your colleagues. Besides basic instinct and hunches, and those things you¡¯ve seen, what else do you know? What made you leave? Why did you choose to hide?¡± Marcus asked. ¡°For example, we figured out that the power companies are a part of the whole ritual in keeping the appearance of the unclean entities in check in the two districts. You seem to know things before we told you that - ¡±


    ¡°You caught that, huh?¡± Luo Zhuge shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°I guess - might as well - do you know that there was a grimoire stored in an underground facility in the city? It was sort of a bounty of the city forces when they invaded the South-Eastern District during that conflict.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Keryn nodded and looked: ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Judging by the fact that you¡¯re not surprised or confused at all, I¡¯d assume you both know that it is missing, no?¡± Luo Zhuge gave Marcus a side eye, then chuckled at Keryn.


    Neither Keryn nor Marcus wanted to respond right away. Luo Zhuge just sat there, relaxed and laid back in his seat, still chuckling.


    ¡°Alright, this is no fun if you¡¯re not gonna participate. But I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± Luo Zhuge finally budged and waved his hands: ¡°Now - what is it that you guys called it? Secret Folder? No - its name¡¯s got a color in it - purple folder?¡±


    ¡°Blue Envelope.¡± Keryn and Marcus answered at the same time, through their teeth.


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, Blue Envelope.¡± Luo Zhuge clapped his hand and sat straight: ¡°And - the dirty secret to the Blue Envelope cases is - they can be just cover ups for certain powerful and well connected people who want to dabble in dark rituals. And the fact that the grimoire was missing, and that the city had no updates on its case, is because there is a group of people - powerful people, possibly connected to the ones who have been doing all of this shit around the city, have had the actual copy of it all along.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kevin and Mick let out an audible gasp from the other room.


    Luo Zhuge chuckled and squeezed his nose bridge: ¡°It¡¯s okay, officers. I know there are more people here, because the spell I put on that doll, I can see one trace leading up to the inner room. Please feel no obligation to come out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? A group of people have had it?¡± Kevin did not even hesitate before coming out: ¡°How long have they had it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say - at least two decades.¡± Luo Zhuge shrugged: ¡°And it was only reported because a scholar from the South-Eastern District made a request to take a look at the grimoire. Honest folks, they were only trying to do research.¡±


    ¡°How did you know this? ¡± Kevin narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Well. Long story short.¡± Luo Zhuge adjusted his posture, ready to drop a major bombshell. His eyebrows twitched, his voice was shaking and his shoulders were trembling: ¡°Because my family is among these people. Our parents performed the rituals with them.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 179. Cruel Dealings (Part 3)

    The room was stunned silent for a brief moment, before Kevin let out a question, almost shrieking: ¡°You what? You are?¡±


    ¡°I was. Or, to be more accurate, my family was.¡± Luo Zhuge shrugged again: ¡°I was still young when I first witnessed my parents participating in one of these rituals. I didn¡¯t know what it was for - hell, I still don¡¯t know what it was for. But what I did and do know, is that it¡¯s a dark ritual. A dark spell, of unknown purpose and nature. And when things like that repeated, they inflicted a bind on my parents, my brother and my - my younger sister. Later I found out that my family were not just silent followers or participants in these rituals. We were actually among the leading members. We were, as a matter of fact, what they once called ¡®Carriers of Notes¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Marcus frowned.


    ¡°It basically means - the same, thick and ominous grimoire, its original copy was broken off into different smaller sections and thus kept by families that took part in those rituals.¡± Luo Zhuge sighed and raised his cup: ¡°Can I get some more tea? ¡±


    ¡°Sure. Keep talking.¡± Marcus picked the cup up and ran into the kitchen.


    ¡°What happened then?¡± Keryn asked: ¡°Something must have happened for you to be here. Something forced you to abandon your family. You are here - talking to us, instead of doing - whatever it is they are doing.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m not too keen on sharing the details, if you don¡¯t mind. ¡± Luo Zhuge shook his head: ¡°But - know this - these people you¡¯re looking into, they are my enemies as well. And there¡¯s nothing - almost nothing that would delight me more, if you could put an end to this.¡±


    ¡°Why help us? And why the dodgy answers?¡± Marcus immediately asked, just as Kevin scratched his head and ran back into the back room: ¡°What do you want from us, actually? And what kind of cards are in your hand? Why don¡¯t you just tell us before we can make a decision?¡±


    ¡°Nice. A wise decision and smart questions, detective. It¡¯s pretty simple.¡± Luo Zhuge smiled: ¡°We¡¯re all smart people. And I ask for one simple thing: when you decide to move on them, and I am urging you nicely that you DO, you will let me know when, so I can make a move on my end. Because otherwise, more innocent people are gonna die.¡±


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    ¡°What did you do?¡± Keryn¡¯s eyes opened wide, almost charging at Luo Zhuge: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, if you think you can threaten us like this - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not threatening you.¡± Luo Zhuge chuckled and backed off, raising his hands: ¡°At least not yet. What I CAN tell you is - and yes this is the actual threatening part: if I don¡¯t leave here in time, or I am delayed or harmed in any way. Two associates of mine would leak the location of this safe house of yours, and other information I found out about you, to certain unpleasant people. And they may get a reward, or they may die. But hey, sometimes a better life¡¯s worth the risk. Wouldn¡¯t you agree? Officers?¡±


    ¡°You have associates?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes and looked Luo Zhuge straight in the eyes. ¡°Are they - those who suffered the same fate as you?¡±


    ¡°No - some of the old ones were, but they died.¡± Luo Zhuge pointed his finger at Marcus, shaking it up and down in approval: ¡°Like I said many times today, you¡¯re smart, detective. My current associates included two - two young women, who once worked with that poor girl in Emerald Starlight.¡±


    ¡°Tanya Su and Eve Kim? They are with you?¡± Marcus asked, his frown deepened.


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe.¡± Luo Zhuge nodded. ¡°Or - maybe more of them, you know? Because it¡¯s not just them that got harassed and approached. The night shift manager? He took a big payday but OD-ed a week later.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do with them?¡± Keryn asked, her tone was cold and stern.


    ¡°None of your business. ¡± Luo Zhuge shot back, but immediately decided to ease the tension a little: ¡°But I have no intention of hurting them or putting them in harm¡¯s way, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. If they are lucky, they might get stable and safe lives after this, if they lay low.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to leave the city, aren¡¯t you?¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Well, I might¡¯ve tried something before. And this might be the last chance.¡± Luo Zhuge sighed: ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that the spells my family performed, the rituals they got involved in, they put a bind on us? I was not exaggerating. I was not lying. It is indeed a hell of a bind. One that needs very specific things in order to break - or just simply avoid.¡±


    ¡°Basically - you want a timing for our move, and the disruption in the city would help you escape.¡± Keryn took a deep breath and softened her tone.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But how would this disruption at the center of the city disturb the customs? They are not in the same system. They¡¯re not even in the vicinity of each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your concern. In fact, it should ease your mind, would it not? You just let me know, give me a window, even give or take a few hours. So we can prepare to act.¡±


    ¡°How do I know we are not aiding and abetting some fugitives in order to leave the city?¡± Marcus interjected from the side.


    Luo Zhuge looked deeply into Marcus¡¯ eyes, then almost laughed out loud: ¡°If I told you yes, then so what? I am also a fugitive. And you, Detective Cai, and Detective Lance, you are technically fugitives as well. If not today, not tomorrow, then possibly soon. Are you really gonna lecture me and hold me against the laws that are swords against the poor street vendors when they¡¯re not paying enough fines, but mere paper when those sick people are taking children away from families?¡±


    ¡°Alex Pearson.¡± Kevin¡¯s voice came from the side as he walked into the living room with a folder in his hands.

 Book 2 Chapter 180. Cruel Dealings (Part 4)

    A name Marcus had not heard before, but apparently Luo Zhuge had. His facial expression changed, and he almost shot out of the sofa at Kevin. Marcus and Keryn rushed to Kevin¡¯s side at the same time, just in case he wanted to do something.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Keryn and Marcus barked at the same time as they raised their hands at Luo Zhuge, displaying their willingness to fight.


    ¡°How did you know that name!? HOW!?¡± Luo Zhuge¡¯s eyes were almost ready to pop out of his head, veins pulsated on his forehead. It was quite a dramatic change, if not for the fact that Luo Zhuge claimed his presence had other people on the line.


    ¡°What - ¡± Marcus was both confused and perturbed by this question.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Keryn asked, not Luo Zhuge, but Kevin: ¡°Why¡¯d you bring that name up, I - oh! OH!¡± She stopped halfway before fixing her eyes on Luo Zhuge: ¡°What happened to your family - what happened to your parents again?¡±


    Luo Zhuge fell back onto the sofa, deflated and distraught.


    ¡°What - what does that mean?¡± Marcus turned to Keryn and Kevin.


    ¡°Blue Envelope 1149.¡± Kevin handed the folder to Marcus: ¡°THE case Captain Ko wanted us to look into. But only now did we get a chance to read it, in full.¡±


    Marcus took the folder and immediately started skimming through it. Kevin and Keryn added notes on the inside as well.


    A family of three, father, mother and an older teenage son. The entire family was murdered in ways that were beyond brutal and cruel. The photos were included in the folder, and even a quick look made his stomach rumble - blood was everywhere, seemingly intentionally spilled all over the wall and the ground; random pieces of the body parts were scattered in every corner, while more recognizable parts like hands, feet and legs were nailed onto the wall, along with what remained of the victims¡¯ skeletons. And the family¡¯s names: John Pearson, the father; Marie Pearson, the mother; and Chris Pearson, the older teenage son.


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    ¡°There¡¯s no mention of an ¡®Alex¡¯ here.¡± Marcus frowned as he looked up from the folder at Kevin, then he took a look at Luo Zhuge: ¡°Not in the official files anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But - in the back.¡± Kevin extended his hand and flipped the files to the last few pages - photocopies of handwritten notes: ¡°You recognized this handwriting, they¡¯re from - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know.¡± Marcus interrupted Kevin. He knew who wrote these notes the moment he saw them, he just did not want to let Luo Zhuge know that their captain handled this very case many years back. ¡°So, there¡¯s two survivors, Alex Pearson, and - ¡±


    ¡°And Lia, my little sister.¡± Luo Zhuge laughed. There was no fun or joy behind his laughs, though. They were dry, cold, desperate and even a little insane.


    Chills ran down Marcus¡¯ back. There was nothing really that scary, but it was more than ominous in this small little house with bad lightning. Everyone present except waited with bated breath for Luo Zhuge, or Alex Pearson to finish what he was about to say. Though it seemed he may not have much more he was willing to let out.


    ¡°... and if you¡¯re curious about where she is, I can¡¯t tell you that. ¡± Luo Zhuge scoffed: ¡°So - did that pathetic little file change your mind? Did my - my family¡¯s tragedy make my proposition wiser and more relatable now?¡±


    Marcus exchanged looks with both Keryn and Kevin: ¡°It kinda does, actually. But since you know about all of this - ¡±


    ¡°- we¡¯re wondering if you could answer some questions for us.¡± Keryn finished Marcus¡¯ sentence: ¡°And it is vitally important, your answers could solve a lot of mysteries. I guess - this would be important to you as well.¡±


    ¡°And I have some really useful information for you as well.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°For example, the old ruins, and someone who lives in that place.¡±


    ¡°... that sounds - interesting enough.¡± Luo Zhuge grimaced and considered for a moment: ¡°What do you wanna know? Bear in mind I¡¯ll choose not to answer if you - ¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Kevin asked directly: ¡°Why¡¯d they choose to do that to your family? Like you said, your family were ¡®Carriers of Notes¡¯, what would bring about such a drastic measure? Murder is - is one thing, but the brutality - ¡±


    ¡°Because my family was chosen for a ritual.¡± Luo Zhuge¡¯s fingers sunk into the armrests of the sofa. Words flowed out of him one at a time through his teeth: ¡°That¡¯s it. There was a ritual the group used, in order to choose the most suitable sacrifice. They had been using that for a while, and the group had always succeeded. But the power of the ritual went up to people¡¯s heads, and a family that¡¯s been eyeing my family¡¯s notes did something and make that ritual target my family.¡±


    ¡°Was that - was what they did a sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°Sorta, but it¡¯s also a message.¡± Luo Zhuge coughed and stood up, stretching his arms and gritting his teeth as he did so: ¡°They did it that way because my family decided to run and not willfully offer us¡­ And - the secret contact my family trusted betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Really.¡± Kevyn shook his head.


    ¡°Meh. I don¡¯t fuss over it any more.¡± Luo Zhuge shrugged: ¡°So, about that information you offered - I have a question for you as well.¡±


    ¡°Please, shoot. But no promises on actually giving you an answer though.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°Try us.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do about this?¡± Luo Zhuge rubbed his nose bridge: ¡°I guess - the fact that you¡¯re hiding in here means that they came for you, right? Or at least their henchmen did.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 181. Deal

    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know.¡± Marcus shrugged then looked at Kevin and Keryn: ¡°You? Do you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. ¡± Keryn shrugged as well.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve gotta figure it out soon.¡± Luo Zhuge let out a very long sigh and shook his head, looking disappointed and tired: ¡°You should know. When they have their eyes on you, they won''t stop until they confirm - or they believe you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll come for us like that?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m kinda surprised they haven¡¯t done so earlier.¡± Luo Zhuge chuckled: ¡°After what I¡¯ve had - never mind. The thing is they¡¯re likely to do so now. If they are so brazen as to attack your precinct, then they are willing to do much worse.¡±


    The room fell silent for a moment.


    ¡°So - I guess, we have a deal?¡± Luo Zhuge rubbed his legs before heading towards the door: ¡°When you move against them - and I hope - I trust that you will, I will be receiving your message.¡±


    ¡°But how do we contact you?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡± Luo Zhuge threw a small wooden plaque at Marcus. Marcus caught it with his one hand: ¡°When you¡¯re ready to move. Break this. Be careful with it. If you¡¯re not careful, or you¡¯re trying to fool me somehow. Things will get really ugly for all of us. I hope you understand that. Deal?¡±


    ¡°... deal.¡± Marcus sighed. The moment his words dropped. Something tingled his senses, as if an invisible line of energy had wrapped around his left wrist. He looked Luo Zhuge in the eye: ¡°What the fuck is this?¡±


    ¡°Being Carriers of Notes has its benefits.¡± Luo Zhuge grinned: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a tracking spell linked to that plaque, not that dissimilar to the one I used to find you here. It won¡¯t bring you any harm. In fact, you break the plaque, or you break this ¡®ribbon¡¯, either way I¡¯ll know you moved.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Marcus took a look at Kevin and Keryn, Keryn was looking at her and Kevin¡¯s left wrists - she felt it too.


    ¡°Before you leave, I would like you to tell me one thing.¡± Marcus sighed and said when Luo Zhuge had his hand on the door¡¯s handle. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be a trade, as it¡¯s mutually beneficial for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is that?¡±


    ¡°If we are to move on them. IF - we are to strike them where it hurts. ¡± Marcus¡¯ voice was calm but it made Kevin and Keryn both stiffen up slightly: ¡°How do we find them? How do we know where to hit? We will only have one opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Northern District.¡± Luo Zhuge shrugged: ¡°I suggest you do some retcon before you go. Because for sure the place would be heavily guarded. And - just like you would expect, the place would be energy dense.¡±


    ¡°Energy dense? So - some kind of power plant? That¡¯s not - we don¡¯t have power plants in the Northern District, they¡¯re only on the borders between districts - ¡± Keryn scratched his jaw.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not my problem now, is it?¡± Luo Zhuge shrugged: ¡°You figure it out. And tell me when you¡¯re about to act. ¡± He twisted the door handle, but turned back one more time before he opened it: ¡°I know you don¡¯t trust me. I wouldn¡¯t, and hell, I have a ton of doubt about you, how prepared you are and your integrity as well. But Let me just reiterate this, without any intention to convince you, or threaten you, that your timing and your action can and will decide the fate of at least a few people, not just me.¡±


    ¡°I have one more question!¡± Kevin raised his hand and called out.


    ¡°What!?¡± Luo Zhuge almost bolted out the door already.


    ¡°Do you know anything about Blood Rainbows? Or - how to detect, or avoid them?¡± Kevin threw this question out without any hesitation.


    ¡°Not more than what you already do. Just hide when you see it, and be careful at night. ¡± Luo Zhuge opened the door and stepped out. Yet before he closed the door, his voice came through the gap: ¡°Just pay attention to the temperature and street lights.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I think we¡¯re gonna need a new place to stay.¡± Marcus immediately said: ¡°DO you know any?¡±


    ¡°Shit, Marcus, let¡¯s take a break first.¡± Keryn sighed and shook her head: ¡°You look tired. Just take a moment.¡±


    ¡°No - no, we can¡¯t trust him.¡± Marcus paced in the living room: ¡°I know - I know he gave us the really important intelligence. But since he¡¯s out of his hiding place, that means those after him would probably find his traces as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But take a moment. ¡± Keryn came over and pulled Marcus down on a sofa: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, we will keep an eye on the surroundings, you take a moment. Meditate, take a nap, eat, whatever you do. Then we will contact Captain Ko and tell him we¡¯ll search for a new place to hide. You see, we don¡¯t know any other place to hide. This place is the last of the captain¡¯s. So to find another - easier said than done.¡±


    ¡°Plus, if he¡¯s really Alex Pearson, then I really doubt he would be that careless.¡± Kevin sighed and sat down on the floor, rubbing his temples: ¡°We¡¯ve been at this for what, a few months? He¡¯s been hiding for years, decades, almost.¡±


    ¡°So this - Alex Pearson, Luo Zhuge, what have you found out about him?¡± Marcus yawned before he leaned back on the sofa.

 Book 2 Chapter 182. Decisions Made (Part 1)

    ¡°Nothing in depth, except he¡¯s been everywhere.¡± Mick stepped out from the inner room, holding Elvin by his elbow: ¡°I helped Detective Sai and Pahaik gather traces of him before - he was not THAT hard to find. But his every routine seemed very - ordinary. No one would have found out about him, if - if we¡¯re not aware of his actual identity, being Alex Pearson.¡±


    ¡°So he faked his death and wanted to live a little. Maybe make some money to keep up with - whatever he has going on? Maybe send what¡¯s left of his bags to his younger sister?¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Or - if she¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I think she¡¯s still alive.¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°If she¡¯s dead, she wouldn¡¯t react the way he did when you mentioned his family. So I guess you¡¯re right, Mr. Loo, his younger sister is still alive. And very possibly, she¡¯s out of the city already.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - very insightful, dad.¡± Marcus snapped his fingers: ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s really good. That means - that means he won¡¯t stab us in the back - not right now, at least. And - if he¡¯s planning on leaving the city and meeting his sister, he would be very careful with what he does.¡±


    ¡°Yet, that would also mean he would absolutely jam it in our heart and gladly twist it, if he somehow thinks we¡¯re in his way.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°For example - if they caught him, and threatened, tortured him. He would no doubt sell us out for a chance to live and escape.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re both right. Which means we need to prepare for both.¡± Kevin shook his head and his hands: ¡°So - Marcus, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think I might have an idea on where they might be hiding.¡± Mick raised his hand all of a sudden: ¡°I know we don¡¯t really - we don¡¯t really have power plants in the Northern District. But we have one - one thing that¡¯s really energy intensive, and that¡¯s data centers.¡±


    ¡°Uh data - what?¡± Elvin scratched his head.


    ¡°Data centers. Basically server farms, large clusters of computers.¡± Kevin drew the shape of a square-shaped building in the air with his two index fingers: ¡°You know? There is a very old one in the Northern District, in a - in a tall building as well because they didn¡¯t zone it very well - ¡±


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    ¡°Wait - say that again.¡± Keryn interrupted: ¡°A data center is energy intensive? And they have one in the Northern District?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Mick nodded: ¡°You can imagine - they have thousands of giant high grade computers, hard disks and routers, and a 24/7 cooling systems keeping everything running. Hell yeah it¡¯s energy intensive. That¡¯s why they built it near the lake to have easy access to water - ¡±


    ¡°They built one over the water!?¡± Kevin almost screamed.


    ¡°Yeah. I know, from what you¡¯ve told me it¡¯s a really bad choice.¡± Mick shook his head: ¡°Or - is it a really good choice? I - I don¡¯t know. If you wanna leave, I mean - can I contact my parents? I want to use the landline again - ¡±


    ¡°We should do it before we leave.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°Dammit. Just when you thought we could take a moment to rest.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any place in mind. I - I think I have someone to ask.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about Gloria Lee?¡± Mick asked: ¡°I mean - do you trust her?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because - I am thinking that since none of us have a very good idea on where to hide, the next best choice would be the common criminal hideout district. And no one we know, whom we can trust, knows more about the district more than her.¡± Marcus shrugged.


    ¡°Well - I - ¡± Elvin raised his hand, but immediately put it down: ¡°Yeah - it¡¯s been a while for me as well. But I can help.¡±


    ¡°Of course, dad. We¡¯d need your help getting there, since we - we kinda just escaped there.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Okay - so - how soon can we go?¡±


    ¡°Not before you take a break.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°We insist. Your Qi is still weak. I bet you could use more to eat. And take a nap if you feel like doing so.¡±


    ¡°You should do it, son. ¡± Elvin nodded and urged Marcus as well: ¡°It¡¯s like we always say, sharpening the ax is also a part of the work.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Marcus turned his body and lied on the sofa: ¡°I¡¯ll take a moment here. Can someone fill me in on the new information. Looks like you guys have figured out a lot more than I have. So - please spare no detail, tell me a bedtime story, or ten.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got the Blue Envelope cases. 1148, 1149 and 1033.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Let¡¯s start with 1033 before we get into the nitty gritty and questions, as well as questionable things.¡±


    ¡°Alright, prologue. Don¡¯t you love it.¡± Marcus chuckled and adjusted the positions of his shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s about a worker from Thuller Group. He was - he was electrocuted during a field operation, due to unknown reasons. But then he came back to work. He kept on working, but seemingly stuck in some kind of loop. This lasted for a week, nobody was able to tell at first. And when people found out, he - or his spirit, was already close to dissipation or crumbling.¡±


    ¡°This is - this is not that horrible a story. ¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°What happened next? Did they find his body? What made it a Blue Envelope?¡±


    ¡°The investigation stopped after a while. Since nobody was hurt they did not spend any more time on it. But the reason for its status, we figured, is that it¡¯s because it¡¯s electric power related.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 183. Decisions Made (Part 2)

    ¡°This sounds like - like a cover up attempt.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°One thing that caught our - I mean Keryn¡¯s eyes, is that the description of the body. It was charred, like you would expect. Interestingly according to the forensics report, it showed signs of halted or slowed decay, which could not be explained by soil or weather conditions.¡± Kevin added from the side: ¡°And - there is no mention of Blood Rainbow occurrence during the time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s still minor. ¡± Keryn gave Kevin an appreciative look but sighed: ¡°Or - it could be an issue with the timing? It might have happened a few months before the cruise ship incident. Mick made the connection that the oldest electric-power-company-ran personnel dormitory dated back at most 20 something years. So it would make sense that it was a prelude to the cruise ship incident. They like to ramp things up before the big ritual, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s a good reason.¡± Marcus nodded.


    Just this moment, the water boiler clicked, signaling the water was heated to maximum. Elvin rushed into the kitchen and poured the hot water into an open noodle cup. The smell of instant mushroom and chicken soup filled the air.


    ¡°Come to think of it, this might be the first ever case on record that indicated the connection between electricity and paranormality. ¡± Keryn signed: ¡°Hey, at least we have confirmation now.¡±


    ¡°And then there¡¯s 1148, the one requested by Ms. Gloria Lee.¡± Kevin stretched while fixing his eyes on Marcus, just in time to see him tense slightly.


    ¡°What of it? It¡¯s just before the one we need, about the Pearson family right?¡± Marcus soothed his breath before asking.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s about a grimoire. The very grimoire Luo Zhuge just mentioned.¡± Kevin coughed to clear his throat and continued: ¡°It was a bounty of the city from the conflict between the city and the South-Eastern District, kept in a ¡®secure¡¯ vault managed by the city. Which - well, you know, turned out far from well managed and secured.¡±


    ¡°And - what justified its status?¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Cover up? ¡± Kevin sounded uncertain.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh, please, it¡¯s a fucking cover-up¡± Keryn almost laughed out loud: ¡°We kinda knew already. And what Luo Zhuge said pretty much proved it. So yeah, Marcus, I¡¯m afraid your lady friend is gonna be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Lady friend?¡± Marcus tensed again: ¡°She¡¯s not - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s okay.¡± Keryn waved her hand. ¡°We know - ¡±


    ¡°- to get back to the case.¡± Kevin coughed again, trying his hardest to suppress his smile: ¡°I guess Luo Zhuge had already said a lot. Half of the case notes are basically pages of excuses and official jargon. The city¡¯s position was that, they had done the best and paid due respect for the importance of the grimoire and maintained the proper containment protocol suggested by the community collective. After they discovered that the grimoire was replaced, they checked the security tapes and found no obscurity - ¡±


    ¡°Which means, what Luo Zhuge said was true.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°The grimoire probably was never in the vault. They replaced it very early on, and cut the book into many different smaller bits. So they have some kind of communion - ¡±


    ¡°Oh wait. ¡± Marcus almost sat straight up, before he laid back down from the sore in his muscles: ¡°Who handled the case? I mean - who put the case under Blue Envelopes?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really say. I guess we need to get into the city archive or records library to see it.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    ¡°What are you thinking, Marcus?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°I am thinking - whoever handled the whole process must be in cahoots, right? Or at least, under their employment.¡± Marcus rubbed his temples: ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve thought of this earlier. Ask him about the names!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he can tell us even if he knew.¡± Kevin pulled out another folder: ¡°This is something we found here - or should I say. Something the captain wanted us to find.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Marcus turned and looked at the folder. It was made of old parchments with a lot of folding lines and stains: ¡°Another Blue Envelope?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And one that is very - very early on.¡± Kevin chuckled: ¡°And maybe because it¡¯s early on, or maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s so secretive, it¡¯s very heavily redacted. It¡¯s 097.¡±


    ¡°Woah. What year was it?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, but - I suspect it¡¯s at least two cycles ago.¡± Kevin shrugged.


    ¡°I thought it¡¯s around 30 years ago.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°So - that¡¯s two cycles ago - I guess.¡±


    ¡°What is it about?¡±


    ¡°A spell, a dark ritual.¡± Kevin shivered even just mentioning it: ¡°Something called ¡®Borrowed Fate of Three Spirits¡¯. It¡¯s uh - it¡¯s a spell that uses your blood, a piece of your finger, and some other body parts along with some materials used only in dark rituals. It basically sacrifices your own future, and your offspring¡¯s future, in order to gain riches for now.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± This time Marcus actually sat up straight on the sofa: ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s basically - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s basically what is happening now.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Just - just slightly different and much - much bigger.¡±


    ¡°Are you - are you sure?¡± Elvin asked, his voice was trembling.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid. Pretty sure.¡± Keryn sighed and took a look at Marcus. Marcus nodded at Keryn, and then his father. What he heard from the Lady in White pretty much said the exact same thing already.


    ¡°So - what - what can we even do? That kind of ritual must take a lot of sacrifice, and it takes a lot of - a lot of preparations to do.¡± Elvin scratched his head: ¡°And - can we even stop it? Or escape it?¡±


    ¡°We also need preparations, of course.¡± Marcus grunted: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we will have to take too much time. Alright - alright - ¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 184. Decisions Made (Part 3)

    ¡°Do you have a telephone here?¡± Marcus stretched and shot up, defying the expectation of everyone: ¡°I need to make a call. Gloria and her friends would need to know this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a landline in there.¡± Kevin pointed at the inner room: ¡°Also, keep the conversation short. It¡¯s supposed to be a secure line, but the technology is kinda old and the masking may get noticed if the connection is maintained for too long - ¡±


    ¡°Yes and avoid redialing too many times or too fast if you can¡¯t get through.¡± Mick added from the side: ¡°These kinds of calls may draw attention to your connection.¡±


    ¡°Got it, anything else that could help us?¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Ask her about any concentrated electrical place or ¡®sanctuary¡¯ from the paranormal.¡± Keryn snapped her fingers: ¡°It¡¯s a long shot but those people might be there, or at least, they may have a safe house of their own there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Marcus went inside: ¡°But no promise though, she might still be offline. We can only plug in once we¡¯re safe.¡±


    The others followed and kept their ears peeled for the conversation. Marcus sensed their doing so, but did not feel like objecting. The more information to share, the better the clarity.


    He dialed the number while looking at his phone. He had not had her number memorized. Maybe he should.


    The phone rang for a few times before she finally picked up: ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Gloria, this is Marcus.¡±


    ¡°What? Why are you using this phone number!?¡±


    ¡°Complicated, I can only call you on this secure line. Are you safe?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, I am safe now. ¡± Gloria let out a breath of relief but was still tense: ¡°Wait, answer me this: how many people did we see in the ruins?¡±


    ¡°One.¡± Marcus responded without a doubt: ¡°How many questions did we ask each?¡±


    ¡°Two questions.¡± Gloria finally relaxed: ¡°Okay. Good. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°First of all I have some intelligence to share with you. Just know that we are not a hundred percent sure of the authenticity and accuracy.¡± Marcus sighed, then proceeded to give Gloria a summarized rundown of almost everything they discussed, mainly Blue Envelope 1148 and their conversation with Luo Zhuge about it.


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s helpful. Thank you.¡± Gloria took this information surprisingly well: ¡°And I guess it¡¯s actually somewhat reassuring that you have two sides to the story. And - I am coming to the conclusion that your surprised visitor was telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Really? He was telling the truth?¡± Marcus deliberately asked with his voice slightly raised: ¡°What made you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because we have tried to dig into the sources in our district, and according to the records of the collective, the city has been behaving in a very suspicious way. But - thank you for telling me about this - this Borrowed Fate of Three Spirits spell. We can finally put a name on it, and it helps.¡±


    ¡°Okay, glad to know. ¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°What are you planning on doing next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go look into some things before we head out. I mean, your data center idea is good. But - there¡¯s still an issue of - ¡± She talked to someone on her side, a slightly distant and faint female voice Marcus could not make out: ¡° - sorry, there¡¯s still an issue of how we could even fight or repair this situation. So - now we know - what we know, we still need to know how to properly fix the situation.¡±


    ¡°Good choice. I¡¯ll be going to the master I told you about for advice. Will you be coming along?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid no. I¡¯ll need to go with my friends to check on some clues.¡± Gloria answered: ¡°Call me or come find me when you¡¯re done, huh? I imagine we¡¯d have plenty of things to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I also have one more thing - more of a favor to ask, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a place where my colleagues and family could hide?¡± Marcus asked, nervous about what Gloria would say.


    ¡°A place to hide? Don¡¯t you - ¡± Gloria sounded surprised: ¡°Oh! Luo Zhuge? He found you in your safe house?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And through some - disturbing means as well. ¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Okay, do you have a way to avoid being tracked?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately no, I only have some idea on how to minimize the effectiveness. ¡±


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± Gloria might have covered the phone with her hand to discuss with those around her.


    It only took her around ten to fifteen seconds before she came back with an answer: ¡°Yeah sure, for a short moment anyways. Go to the same cafe shop we met earlier. The owner would leave an address for you. Change clothes and take a shower there. Anything he might have left a tracking mark on, you lock it in the safe. How many of you will be there?¡±


    Marcus thought for a moment: ¡°Five of us will be going, but only 4 of us will stay. I will come back later after handling things - and seeking advice.¡±


    ¡°I want to go - ¡± Kevin wanted to interject but was shushed by Marcus with a raised finger.


    ¡°Perfect, you¡¯ll have 5 suits of peasant clothes. Change everything. And don¡¯t forget to tip.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 185. Sprung into action (Part 1)

    ¡°This is a - the coffee shop? ¡± Elvin asked as they approached Zishan Cafe¡¯.


    ¡°Yes. This is the coffee shop. I know. Keep looking around the doormat or the rocks, there should be a key somewhere.¡± Marcus looked around the back entrance and told everyone around him.


    ¡°Here.¡± Kevin found it first - it was hidden under a coffee-colored rock near the doorstep.


    The coffee shop was empty. The window blinds were on, and the ¡°Sorry We¡¯re closed¡± sign was dangling on the front glass door. The door made of metal bars and the inner windows were pulled down, providing barriers against theft or vandalism. Along the corners and beams of the coffee shop interior were lines drawn with dark red paint and various metal linings.


    In the back of the coffee shop was a small bathroom, on a shelf near the entrance were the clothes the owner prepared for them. Near the cashier stand stood the multi-door safe bolted into the ground. In the drawer was one shiny metal key.


    ¡°I actually - I actually came to this place before.¡± Elvin looked around while waiting for his turn to take a shower: ¡°Yeah, yeah - I think I remember this place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really - kinda coincidental, when did you come here?¡± Marcus asked with a smile with a cup of warm milk in his hand. It was from the fridge and warmed using the microwave, he wanted to leave a hefty tip for this.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, actually not long after the cruise ship, and we¡¯re freshly moved to this district.¡± Elvin pointed at the cashier¡¯s desk: ¡°I remember this desk, god it¡¯s almost 15 years already. I bought a coffee here and some cake for you, because you were sick one day and I wanted to buy you something nice so you¡¯d feel better. Turns out the cupcakes here are the only thing I could afford. The owner gave me a small donut on the house. Yeah - I remember this place.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? Do you know the owner?¡±


    ¡°No - not really. I just remember she¡¯s a kind old woman.¡± Elvin shook his head: ¡°I haven¡¯t been here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not the current owner.¡± Marcus shook his head with a smile: ¡°At least I hope.¡±


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    ¡°Alright I¡¯m done. You guys¡¯ turn now.¡± Keryn came out with baggy clothes on, while actively trying to dry her hair with a towel: ¡°Be quick. I don¡¯t wanna bring trouble to a civilian¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°Go, Mick.¡± Kevin waved his hand: ¡°And be quick.¡±


    ¡°Is this the place you come to get in touch with Gloria Lee?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Not really. We maintain contact through phone, we don¡¯t meet in person outside of work very often, mostly just to share the intelligence we have.¡± Marcus chuckled and shook his head once again: ¡°I guess this is her place of hang-outs, or she knows the owner very well. ¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about her?¡±


    ¡°Not much - but way more than before - ¡± Marcus shrugged, before pausing for a short moment and throwing the question back at his father: ¡°What? Why the questions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just - ¡± Elvin waved his hands around for a moment: ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make sure that you know - you know this person you¡¯re entrusting a lot of things with.¡±


    ¡°She saved my life, so I guess that¡¯s plenty - ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that! Not JUST that!¡± Elvin shook his head and hands: ¡°Nonono, I¡¯m talking about - what she¡¯s like, what she does, if she¡¯s okay with your being a cop - ¡±


    ¡°Dad, she¡¯s not - ¡± Marcus shook his head even harder: ¡° - just don¡¯t overthink this, okay?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, son. You know I can¡¯t.¡± Elvin laughed out loud: ¡°Hey, I know - I know. I¡¯m not in any position to talk this out with you, but - when I was your age, I already had you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - I know your love story - or friendly setup story. Things are different now, you know?¡± Marcus stretched and looked up at the ceiling: ¡°Also - I don¡¯t really have the time, or luck, okay? Maybe when things are over I''ll give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s always the next big business or the big thing, huh? ¡± Elvin patted Marcus on his wrists: ¡°When this is done, what are you going to have - you¡¯re up for promotion, you¡¯re needed to testify, you¡¯re gonna go track some of the bad guys down, and you¡¯re gonna finish all the wrap ups, visiting victims, continue investigating cases previously unsolved, protecting witnesses - there¡¯s always another thing! At some point, you just need to take a moment to breathe, and take some time out of your busy life to enjoy the things that make your life worth living. Believe me, I¡¯ve wallowed in sadness for decades, and only recently did I know how much time I¡¯ve wasted - ¡±


    ¡°NEXT!¡± Elvin¡¯s voice grew lower and lower, and was easily interrupted by Mick¡¯s call after his shower.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Dad, I understand.¡± Marcus patted his father on the wrists as well: ¡°I will definitely think about it. But you shouldn¡¯t - ¡±


    ¡°Got it - got it.¡± Elvin chuckled and backed his arms off: ¡°I¡¯ll start asking for grandkids when you¡¯re half ready.¡±


    ¡°Yo, I got the address.¡± Kevin raised his hand up from behind the counter: ¡°It¡¯s - what? A garden?¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Keryn went over and took the piece of paper with a handwritten address on it: ¡°Oh, I think I know this place - it¡¯s a - a gated community! And it¡¯s new as well.¡±


    ¡°They have gated communities here?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Yes, and apparently quite new.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°Because some people who left and got good lives in the other districts decided to give back.¡±


    ¡°Dude, seriously, whose turn is it?¡± Mick came out with a head full of wet hair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Elvin stood up: ¡°Could use a shower anyway. My shop¡¯s a fucking hot dump.¡±


    When his father was in the shower, Marcus took out the wooden plaque from Luo Zhuge and put it inside the safe.

 Book 2 Chapter 186. Sprung into action (Part 2)

    ¡°Well - this is not good. ¡± Marcus whispered to everyone as they approached the address on the slip of paper on foot.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Elvin asked: ¡°Looks like a nice enough community? Very tall buildings, very new, and they have security guard booths as well - they must be kinda safe right? We don¡¯t even have fences like this.¡±


    ¡°No - it¡¯s just - it¡¯s too close to the unfinished apartments where I hid.¡± Marcus shook his head, and pushed the cheap looking sunglasses up his face: ¡°But - yeah, I guess we should really keep an eye out.¡±


    The community was indeed new. Elvin went up to the security guard booth to show them the keys to prove that they¡¯re actually legit residents. He did not need to say too much, just a few greetings, a smile and an attitude like he had always lived there.


    The apartment had obviously been cleaned, thoroughly as well. Before they even got to the door Marcus could smell the smell of detergent. Mixed in the chemical smell was also a touch of ashes and candles.


    At the feet of some of the interior walls, littered dark burn marks on the tiles, carpet and drywall. Marcus slowed down a bit to take a closer look - they seemed to come from chemical burns instead of simple fire, for the surrounding area did not show any discoloration from heat. When he focused his Qi on his eyes, nothing suspicious appeared in his vision around these burns. This was not enough to lighten his alert or concern, but at least it won¡¯t raise any more alarms.


    He looked around the living room once more, with his vision at full force. To his relief, there was nothing worrisome. The only thing that was somewhat strange was the inexplicable glowing spots on the walls and the ceilings. It was as if some kind of sporadic blessing ritual happened here.


    Between the living room and the balcony was a set of glass door-to-ceiling windows, and outside of which was another set of metal fences. Keryn was already examining them, for they appeared to be quite out of place. And judging from the welding marks on the side, they definitely did not come with the apartment but were installed by the landlord.


    ¡°So - what do you think?¡± Kevin asked Marcus.


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    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, the door¡¯s hardened as well.¡± Mick chuckled, pointing at the metal frame of the main door and metal plants in the corner.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus checked his phone, it was already late in the afternoon. His appointment with Master Liaoran was in the evening. This left him one crucial thing to do next: he needed to handle whatever Captain Ko left for him, since the captain still had not made contact with them, or even answered their call from the landline.


    The apartment looked clean, two already furnished bedrooms, one spare room with one inflatable mattress stashed in the closet. The original owner stocked the apartment with enough blankets, duvets and even an emergency medical kit. The fridge was not full but had some snacks and drinks inside. It was as if the owner already knew that people would be coming here to stay for short periods of time.


    ¡°Remember, keep an eye on the entrance of the community.¡± Before he walked out the door, carrying nothing but a kitchen knife, Marcus cautioned everyone: ¡°They may search for us in this area. And they just might be looking for me in the area. So - please be safe. And also, don¡¯t forget to call me if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Kshiti Temple out there, should we try to check them out?¡± Mick asked while pointing at the balcony.


    ¡°No - don¡¯t - it¡¯s too risky.¡± Marcus immediately shook his head: ¡°Just follow your own advice, okay? Lay low, rest and wait. And try to memorize where the escape routes can be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check those out. Since I¡¯m the most forgettable one here.¡± Elvin mumbled.


    ¡°Dad, be careful.¡± Marcus nodded, before closing the door and waving at them: ¡°Also, don¡¯t hesitate to use the gun.¡±


    Walking down the stairs, out of the community gate and into the street was as smooth as it could be. He would still have less than three hours before the sun would set, which meant he needed to go to the captain¡¯s place right away, and maybe pray that no one would be scouting around the area.


    It took him around ten minutes before he caught a taxi. Lucky for him, the driver preferred taking cash and would happily drive to the South-Western District.


    Barely a moment after he sat down, a small pile of fliers at the back of the passenger¡¯s seat caught Marcus¡¯ attention.


    ¡°Revitalized Food Festival of Poison City - Come Pick YOUR POISON!¡± in bold, red letters, and fiery patterns around the edges.


    ¡°Sir, is this new?¡± Marcus asked the driver.


    ¡°The food festival fliers? Yeah, they¡¯re new.¡± The driver chuckled: ¡°Some guy paid me to have them in there, it¡¯s like - next week, right? ¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Next week.¡± Marcus checked the date, it would be just five days from today, and the area - he could not recognize it: ¡°Do you know where this will be? I don¡¯t really recognize this address.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yeah, it¡¯s going to be in the Northern District, they opened up some rich guy¡¯s mansion. I heard they are going to have raffles there as well, you can even win a new car! Pretty exciting, huh?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Marcus mumbled under his breath before looking up at the rearview mirror: ¡°Can I take one?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Take all of it for all I care.¡± The driver chuckled: ¡°If the guy comes again and see I¡¯m out, he might pay me again, huh? Man¡¯s gotta eat!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Marcus took two fliers and put them into his pocket.

 Book 2 Chapter 187. Apologies (Part 1)

    The taxi ride took around half an hour. The sun was inching closer to the skyline and the clouds were turning orange and golden. Marcus asked to be dropped off several blocks away from Captain Ko¡¯s place while checking his phone constantly. Because according to what the captain told him, he would receive a message before he would proceed with performing the ritual. But so far, he did not even hear one word from him. Judging from what Kevin told him about the house, and the situation with Captain Ko¡¯s wife, it would still be cautious to at least check around.


    He bought a cheap cup of coffee and held it in his hand. The coffee was way too hot for a normal person, he had to pretend to hiss a few moments before getting on his way.


    The area was relatively quiet. The houses and stores looked like they were on the higher end. And from the designs of the house as well as the decoration choices, he would say this was a place for the richer South-Western Residents - just like he remembered many years ago when he came here.


    The wind was chilly. No suspicious people in sight. His random stroller persona seemed to be working, as no one he passed by even batted an eye. He took a few chances to look behind him as well as checking out higher ground, no one suspicious was around him or following him.


    The captain¡¯s place was just down the road. From afar, he could already see the door, the front yard, the blinded windows, hardened doors and finally, the very ugly tree at the far side of the front yard, with contorted, twisted and completely bare branches. And for some reason, something about that tree seemed to make it very easy to ignore. If he did not know about its existence or was looking for it, he might not have noticed it at all.


    One step at a time, and the cup of coffee was more than half gone when he reached the house. No neighbors were watching him. The sun was further down, from where he was the sun was only a few notches away from the skyline. So he checked his phone one last time, before concentrating his Qi on his fingers and got ready to dig.


    The earth below the tree was hard, wet, cold and reeking of rot and decay. Every handful of soil was shrouded by a thin cloud of gray mist. The deeper he reached, the wetter the earth became and stronger and more unpleasant the smell grew. He needed to push his Qi harder in order to ward off any potentially harmful effect the mist could have on him. His sleeves and his shirt were not as fortunate - they began to tarnish and gray with continuous exposure.


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    He got to about an arm¡¯s length deep before he reached the jars - not one jar, but two clay ones, identical in appearance. Since Captain Ko said ¡°jar¡±, it would seem reasonable that either of it should be fine. The two jars were similar in weight as well, so he chose the heavier one - not by a lot, maybe just a hair.


    As he pulled the clay jar, it let out a slightly fragrant smell instead of the same rotten smell from the soil. It was an alcoholic smell, presumably from the wine in them. Probably the same kind of rice wine made for special rituals and ceremonies.


    The mouth of the jar was sealed using a piece of stained and tarnished red paper, with an arcane symbol drawn on it. After placing it firmly on the ground, while the sun was still visible on the horizon.


    With careful fingers, he lifted the paper up. A gust of rich, sweet smell rushed out. It was no simple rice wine, for with even a quick whiff he could tell it was high in alcoholic content. The wine itself was blurry yellow with a light brown hue. Something was at the bottom, he just could not see it right now.


    With haste, he lifted the jar and began spilling it. It was a big and heavy jar, with enough wine in it to cover a broad area. Captain Ko did not leave him with any instructions on the excess wine, or how thick he needed to lay it on his doorstep and below his bedroom window, so he should probably just use the entire jar and use it evenly on the positions.


    First was the doorstep. The light yellow wine spilled and almost instantly began sizzling and smoking. For anyone else this would be a confusing and even horrifying sight. For Marcus, though, it was actually expected and not all that surprising.


    He splashed two layers of wine on the doorstep. Then he proceeded to the position of the Captain¡¯s bedroom windows. As it turned out, there were two windows, both were blocked out from inside by thick yellow paper - the same kind of yellow paper commonly used to make talismans.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Someone or something bashed the first window from the inside just as he spilled the wine below the window. A hand-shaped dent was left on the yellow paper. Just as Marcus was about to spill another layer, the hand print on the paper began to darken - not simply like it would from getting in contact with heat, but also from dirty liquid.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Marcus cursed as he took a look at the sun - it was gradually becoming blocked by some high rise buildings. He did not have too much time, so he just headed to another window. The wine sizzled and smoked, just like it was at the doorstep, only in a much fiercer manner.


    ¡°Bang bang bang!¡± More invisible hands slammed the window from inside as he spilled the wine on the last window. Before he could finish the second layer, the hands began scratching the paper, leaving long and dark nail marks on the paper.


    ¡°Where - are you?!¡± A gurgling female voice wept. It did not come from behind the window, not JUST from there, but seemed to be coming from the air around Marcus as well.

 Book 2 Chapter 188. Apologies (Part 2)

    There was still some wine in the jar. So Marcus just tilted the jar a little harder and spilled more below this final bedroom window. The hard objects in the jar bounced as they slid to the side of the jar, making a few rubbery collision sounds.


    ¡°Where - are you?!¡± The female voice crept in on him again, this time louder, stronger and more demanding in tone: ¡°Where are you? WHERE ARE YOU!?¡± This cry came at the same time as the hands slamming the windows. The yellow paper was covered in more and more dark hand prints and scratches. Whatever was inside the captain¡¯s bedroom appeared to be more agitated and more eager to come out.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Marcus cursed as he tilted the jar more and tried to spill the wine below the final window. A lot of the droplets did not even touch the ground and were simply vaporized in mid air. The hard objects in the jar tumbled out and bounced on the ground - there were five objects, all pale, semi-transparent on the outer layer and showed a rubbery or jelly like texture. A hoof, the black wall still mostly intact, hard and wet, presumably that from a donkey with black fur; A large eyeball, the black and white of which were still clearly separated, probably from a cow, or better yet an ox; a heart, whose muscle elasticity was mostly gone and collapsed on the ground; two severed fingers, the flesh on which was almost like it was made of gelatin, and the bones inside were visible.


    Whatever wine it was, it sure seemed to be doing just the right thing - maybe the thing was to piss off the clearly angry unclean entity inside, maybe there was a little protective quantity that would ward the window off. But clearly not enough. And that was where his next step came in. He dropped the clay jar on the soft earth ground, bolted to the door and got on his knees. Captain Ko said he needed to bow, but he decided he needed to be more apologetic. It was not the time for ego or pride.


    He kowtowed, three times. Each time, he said to the door with a calm, soft but clear voice: ¡°I apologize to you, Mrs. Ko, on behalf of your husband.¡±


    ¡°Where are you!? WHERE ARE YOU!¡± Now the door and both the bedroom windows were being banged from inside, the single female voice became many, crying in unison.


    ¡°I apologize to you, Mrs. Ko. On behalf of Captain Ko. He needed to handle something and he can¡¯t come back in time. So he sent me to apologize to you, on his behalf, heartfelt.¡± Marcus said to the door, his Qi already coursing through his meridians - if anything should come out, he would fight, even though through a warded door that thing was already making all the hairs on his body stand up: ¡°Please forgive him. And please forgive me. I hope - I hope you can accept this sacrifice and wait for him to come back tomorrow.¡±


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    ¡°Where are you - where are you - ¡± The pounding lightened, but the question continued.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know - I wish I knew.¡± Marcus kowtowed once more. After this, he should ask for a raise, a big fucking raise it needed to be.


    Just when he hesitated as to whether he should do it a few more times, two hands grabbed onto his collar.


    Two men, in dark clothes covered in bloody scratches and cuts with their eyes gouged out, nose ripped off and tongues torn. Their fingernails were splintered, their fingers were crooked, twisted and some had sections severed and missing.


    ¡°Help me - ¡± One of the men croaked and mumbled to Marcus, his face covered in cracks, dark veins and twitching. Dark ethereal tar seeped from his fingertips and sores onto his clothes, rendering it brittle and burning holes in several spots. ¡°Help me - it¡¯s so dark - ¡±


    He shot back up instantly, his clothes were torn and ashes were left in the hands of those men. Their lower bodies were still submerged in the earth, their chest cavities were open, with broken ribs, tendons and ripped internal organs dangling out.


    Malevolent spirits, unclear whether controlled by the unclean entity inside the house or something else. The slamming on the door and windows continued, her pleas and questions did not stop either.


    The two men growled and gurgled, their hands dug in the ground and pulled, launching them towards Marcus.


    Qi rushed into his right leg. Two swift kicks landed right on the two entities¡¯ heads. His Qi burst and blasted the two spirits, along with the physical impact from his kicks, exploded them into smithereens.


    The two entities let out a deafening, lingering screech before the raining pieces of their being turned into ashes and smoke.


    The earth around the house started crawling. Some other things were trying to crawl out of the soil.


    ¡°Mrs. Ko. I implore you. Please wait for your husband with patience. He¡¯s going to come back to you soon.¡± Marcus bowed towards the door - he simply did not have the time to kowtow.


    ¡°Where - where are you?¡± The female voice seemed to have grown softer. And somehow, he began feeling a bit warmer as well.


    ¡°Fucking stupid. Arrogant prick.¡± Marcus cursed at himself before bowing once again: ¡°I apologize to you, Mrs. Ko. The captain is handling something really important right now. And he will be back really soon. Please, be patient.¡±


    Cracks burst open on the ground around the house. Heads covered in dirt and dirty cloth, with wooden nails going through the tops and temples popped out. Marcus looked around, just in time to meet the gaze of one head - though this head¡¯s eyelids were sewn shut.


    ¡°I apologize to you, Mrs. Ko, on behalf of Captain Ko. He is handling something really important. He will come back as soon as possible. ¡± Marcus bowed once more.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± The female voice faded, almost into a whisper: ¡°Where are you? Come back to me - ¡±


    A lot of warmth returned to Marcus. The heads sunk back into the earth.


    ¡°Fucking stupid.¡± Marcus slapped himself on the face. Everything seemed to have settled down for now. Only the handprints and scratch marks on the yellow paper remained.

 Book 2 Chapter 189. Unexpected Visitors

    ¡°What¡¯d he say?¡± In the back alley of the shoddy internet cafe near the docks, Sue and Luoshan Zi were looking right at Gloria while she was on the phone with Marcus.


    ¡°He said he will go to the cafe with his friends. And then he¡¯ll go to your apartment.¡± Gloria sighed and turned to Luoshan Zi: ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t imagine you¡¯d have another secret apartment to hide?¡±


    ¡°No. But we¡¯re not gonna need it anyway, right?¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not gonna wait for us?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°No - I¡¯m going to go ask some of my old friends for help. I think - ¡± Luoshan Zi paused, sighed, then shook her head: ¡°I am not entirely sure how many of them would be willing or able to, since - well, since they¡¯re all kinda old, much older than us. But hey, I¡¯ve gotta try. I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°Then - be safe and stay in contact - we¡¯ll be right back. And we¡¯ll - go meet in this internet cafe¡¯?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded.


    It was only a brief pause for them. They were here to collect things from Gloria¡¯s temporary hideout, and to clean it up, if possible.


    The landlord wanted to ask some questions when he saw the three of them coming in, but he retreated back into his own place after receiving a warning look from both Gloria and Luoshan Zi - instinctually, he knew that this was not the best time to put his nose where it probably didn¡¯t belong.


    Small knives, a few daggers, a taser, some pepper spray and a baton. Even Gloria herself did not remember she had so many stashed weapons. And they took some cash out of one of her easier to find safeboxes - they might need it, they might not. But it¡¯s always better to have it and not need it.


    They split on their way into the street where street vendors congregate. Luoshan Zi was heading to the border between the South-Western and South-Eastern Districts to find her contacts; and Gloria would be going to the closest community archive with Sue, to have an emergency meeting with Turner Ouyang.


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    The community archive was at least 40 minutes away on foot, which meant walking would not be the optimal option. For a taxi, it took them 20 dollars and 10 minutes.


    The community archive was less crowded than it normally was. No one was near the entrance, only a few old folks hanging by the gate and parking area. And when they walked through the front door, no one was standing behind the reception¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. ¡± Gloria sniffed the air a few times, before pushing her Qi through her meridians: ¡°Find a corner to hide. I¡¯ll go forward and take a look.¡±


    ¡°You are here.¡± Just this moment, four men walked out from the book shelves in the open space immediately past the entrance and reception¡¯s desk. Three of the men were in black jackets and somewhat rugged looking. They looked like thugs, or worse, skilled fighters. Another man was skinny, weak looking, had his hands tied behind his back and had a cloth sack over his head. The man in the middle, ironically the shortest one, with a vertical scar under his left eye: ¡°Look, I am so glad we didn¡¯t come here in vain. I¡¯m sure this poor chap thinks so.¡± He said as he pulled the cloth sack away from the one held by him - it was Turner Ouyang, with tapes over his mouth and bruises on his face.


    ¡°Who are you? ¡± Gloria took a deep breath and asked: ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a weird question, isn¡¯t it?¡± The man in the middle chuckled: ¡°Because we¡¯re wondering the same thing. What the hell do you want? Why are you looking into things that shouldn¡¯t concern you, huh? Why do you, and your scared friend hiding back there, come here and dig your noses into places where they don¡¯t belong?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just casual scholars, looking into the city¡¯s history.¡± Gloria answered.


    ¡°STOP LYING!¡± The man in the middle pulled out a knife with saw teeths on the spine and grunted: ¡°What do you want? Tell me now or I¡¯ll spill his fucking guts right here in this fucking dump of a library! What do you know!?¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait!¡± Sue burst out and raised her voice along with Gloria: ¡°Please! Please don¡¯t hurt him!¡±


    ¡°How fucking rom-com. How fucking touching.¡± The man grunted: ¡°Answer the fucking question! What do you want?! What do you know!?¡±


    Gloria had to stall and wait for a chance to strike. The two men on the side were coming in, flanking them on both sides. Lucky for them no one was coming in from behind. And upon closer inspection, some kind of black mist shrouded all three men¡¯s shoulders and foreheads.


    ¡°What the hell are you looking at!? Tell us, NOW!¡±


    ¡°We just wanna know about the infrastructure project that went on decades ago!¡± Sue screamed her answer.


    ¡°What?!¡± The man in the middle seemed surprised. ¡°WHY?¡±


    ¡°Because my parents died in that project - or - in that conflict.¡± Sue wiped her eyes: ¡°No one told me at the time. I knew by accident, so now I want to know - I need to know. I MUST know.¡±


    ¡°Who told you?¡± The man¡¯s voice was cold, he was ready to kill.


    ¡°Some - some guy in the city. He¡¯s dead now.¡± Sue sniffled.


    The man on the left, with a nose ring and piercings on his brows, lunged at Sue, a short sword in hand. Gloria shot in front of Sue and blocked the man¡¯s way. Two of them collided.


    Blood dripped on the floor.

 Book 2 Chapter 190. Unexpected Assistance (Part 1)

    The edge of the short sword was sharp. The man had a lot of physical strength. But lucky for Gloria, he did not use any Qi. The two edges sunk into the skin on her left hand fingers and her palm, but they were not able to get any deeper. While at the same time, her right hand fingers sunk into the man¡¯s chest, her Qi concentrated on her fingertips punctured through skin, muscles even injured some of his rib bones.


    ¡°Ah!¡± The man moaned and yelled as he was sent flying backwards from Gloria¡¯s kick.


    Right after the kick, a sharp throwing dagger left Gloria¡¯s grasp and shot right at the head of the man who was holding Turner Ouyang hostage. The man gasped, ducked lower and pushed his poor hostage forward. Gloria lunged forward, grabbed Turner Ouyang by the front of his shirt and threw him backwards in Sue¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Sue! Get outta here!¡± Gloria yelled, as she sidestepped in front of the last man standing. The man was lunging at Turner Ouyang, but had to redirect his hands at Gloria.


    This man was wielding a pair of spiked brass knuckles and was in a black studded leather jacket. Gloria had to push the man¡¯s arm to the side in order to not get hurt by the metal spikes. Before she could do anything else, the man took advantage of his forward momentum and slammed his body, especially his shoulder with various metal nails into Gloria¡¯s chest.


    The nails left two lines of bloody spots and round marks on Gloria¡¯s right chest. It was quite a forceful tackle, but Gloria¡¯s Qi protection and her riding the impact lessened the blow. Before she landed on her feet, she pulled out another throwing dagger and shot it at his man. Her Qi was concentrated on the tip, and combined with the speed in which she threw it would be able to strike a giant hole in the man¡¯s chest if it was only protected by the jacket.


    ¡°Thump¡± The dagger made only a dull impact noise upon contact and bounced off. Something caved in on his chest, but not a piercing wound. The man stumbled a few steps backwards before he fell on his back.


    ¡°Get ¡®em!¡± The leader of the three men yelled as he leapt forward with his body lowered in an attempt to grapple Gloria by her waist.


    Gloria shifted to her side as she took a quick glance at Sue and Turner Ouyang. They were holding each other and rushing at the entrance of the archive. But at the same time, two more men appeared right outside of the door and rushed in.


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    ¡°No!¡± Gloria called out, as Sue pulled out a knife and a can of pepper spray. ¡°Run!¡±


    Sue sprayed one man, making him flinch and yell. But her hand holding the knife was instantly grabbed by the other. Turner Ouyang tried to tackle the man, but was sent onto the ground by a kick in the chest.


    Just when she turned back, a fist was already swinging right at Gloria¡¯s face. She had to arch her body backwards while taking a few steps to avoid being struck directly. The Qi infused in this man¡¯s fist left a long red scratch on her face and her nose.


    Before she could do anything else, the man¡¯s idle left hand formed a fist and jabbed at Gloria¡¯s stomach. Her two hands overlapped before the strike. The man¡¯s Qi was explosive and fierce, even more so than Marcus¡¯.


    Gloria glided backwards from the momentum. The man shot forward and threw his right fist at Gloria. With her Qi concentrated on both her arms, Gloria swung her left hand in a chopping motion at the man¡¯s right wrist while poking at the man¡¯s throat with her right index and middle fingers.


    The man¡¯s fist was pushed to the side, joint snapping sounds exploded from his wrist. The man thrust his left forearm up and pushed Gloria¡¯s right hand upward and to his left. The sharp stream of Qi shooting from Gloria¡¯s fingertips slashed through the left side of his face.


    As the man gasped from a sudden lightness on the left side of his face, Gloria¡¯s right shin made contact with his soft parts between his legs.


    The leader felt down, gasping and vomiting from the intense anguish. Gloria turned back to catch up with Sue and Turner Ouyang, yet just in time to see them captured and held by the two men.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The man who held Sue yelled, at Gloria and seemingly at the three men behind her as the same time.


    ¡°Bitch broke my hand and cut my ear off!¡± The leader of the three men growled from behind: ¡°I¡¯m gonna slash her to pieces!¡±


    ¡°No! We need them alive. You know someone higher up wants to know this.¡± The man holding Turner Ouyang narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll cut her fucking hears off! She doesn¡¯t need those!¡± The leader of the men came in closer from behind, twiddling Gloria¡¯s own throwing dagger: ¡°I¡¯ll cook her fucking ears, and I¡¯ll fucking eat them!¡±


    A sudden female cry echoed in the empty building. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± All of the men started looking around.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s you!¡± The voice was horse and shaking, and it originated without any definitive direction - it was coming from everywhere, like an echo bouncing between wall to wall, beam to beam, door to door.


    ¡°Ah!¡± One of the men behind Gloria gasped and fell on the ground. Following his sight, the other saw two women¡¯s heads conjoined together at the cheeks rose from behind the reception¡¯s desk.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s you!¡± The two heads spoke at the same time, emitting one voice. Their eyes were wide open, their faces were pale, their mouths stretching into wide, gaping smiles revealing their dark, crooked teeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s you!¡± More of these conjoined heads popped up from different corners of the room. It was not just the heads coming from certain patches of shadows. It was also their upper bodies, conjoined at the shoulders that began emerging as well.

 Book 2 Chapter 191. Unexpected Assistance (Part 2)

    Book 2 Chapter 191. Unexpected Assistance (Part 2)


    ¡°What - where did they come from?! What the - ¡± One of the men knocked down by Gloria earlier cried. Before anyone could do or say anything, he bolted and ran into the archive, in search of the backdoor.


    Another man screamed and ran with the first, leaving only three men against Gloria and her friends.


    ¡°We should go.¡± The two men holding Sue and Turner Ouyang held on their hostages tighter and tried to back out of the main entrance.


    The now one-eared man yelled and lunged at Gloria from behind, with a short sword in his hand aiming at Gloria¡¯s waist.


    Gloria shot forward and turned. A sweeping kick cut through the air and slammed the one-eared man right in the hole where his ear once was. The man tumbled into the reception¡¯s desk, while she leapt right at the remaining two opponents.


    A bamboo stick burst in the back of the man holding Sue. He groaned and looked right, just in time for the broken bamboo sticks to strike him on his left forehead.


    Sue swung her left fist backward from below. Her forearm and wrist made contact with the man¡¯s soft area between the legs. The man cried out and fell backwards in pain. Gloria shifted her attention at the last of the men - the one holding Turner Ouyang.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± A two-headed woman with conjoined faces, chests and a shared, contorted body emerged from the shadows below the final man and crawled up the side of his body with the eyes opened so wide her corners of eyes might rip. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    The final man let out a terrified scream, his grip on Turner Ouyang loosened and eventually relented. He turned back and began running away, not even realizing that the woman on his body already faded.


    ¡°Thump!¡± Tae Kuo swung his bamboo stick once again at the men on the ground, completely knocking him out.


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    ¡°Thank you, Sifu Kuo.¡± Gloria panted and took a moment to soothe her Qi: ¡°I thought you left the city already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I thought so.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head, dimming the candle in a red and yellow lantern with talismans stuck on the outside and dangling below. Gloria recognized it - it was an artifact that could conjure up illusions within a range. Tae Kuo folded the lantern up and put it in his handbag: ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave without taking a final look at my coffin home, and wrapping up some other business. Come on, follow me.¡±


    Sue kicked the unconscious man on the head once more before catching up to the rest of the team.


    Tae Kuo brought a very old looking jeep covered in mud and dirt. Even the license plate was bent, scratched and barely held onto the vehicle by a few bolts.


    ¡°Damn, where¡¯d you pull that from?¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°My old friend¡¯s garage, he left it there when he left. Didn¡¯t expect that to come in handy. ¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°And - let¡¯s go to his place to hide for the moment. Word on the street is you have a lot of people looking for you. Whoever those guys are, they¡¯re getting desperate. REALLY desperate.¡±


    ¡°Yay us.¡± Sue helped Turner Ouyang sit straight, for he seemed to have got heavily beaten up before they even got to the archive: ¡°What should we do next? They knew to intercept us at the archives and ask us what we wanted, so they would be expecting us at other places where we can get access to city records.¡±


    ¡°So stay away from city records. ¡± Tae Kuo sighed and shook his head: ¡°To be honest - I might know a little something about - about what you¡¯re looking into. You¡¯re looking at the city infrastructure project, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - you know something? Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Fucking hell - my family was still in here!¡± Tae Kuo whined: ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything that sensitive? Do you know how many people are still rotting in jail because they are involved? If the community collective OR the city knows you¡¯ve been talking about it, good fucking luck getting a job anywhere or even travelling.¡±


    ¡°So - what¡¯d you know? And how did you know?¡± Sue asked from the backseat.


    ¡°I was still a young apprentice once, and I listened when my elders were talking gossip from their old days.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°Some of them even got in trouble for just daily chit chat. So - I don¡¯t know IF you or how much you know this kind of trouble, but you¡¯d better be ready for it.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, believe me, we know.¡± Sue shook her head.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tae Kuo took a look at the rearview mirror: ¡°We lost them. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The old jeep finally went on its intended way instead of circling and taking detours. The place was an old apartment building near a small but well kept temple.


    ¡°What is this temple?¡± Sue asked as she looked at the gate, there was no name on there.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a full temple, it¡¯s a small place of rituals and prayers from the Kshiti Temple. Also the temporary residence for the elders or scholars.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°The temple purchased the entire area around here, which is why my friend could afford to leave. But they never really started their intended plan of expansion.¡±


    ¡°Nice. So it¡¯s a good place to hide.¡± Sue nodded: ¡°Do you have a medical kit in there? I think Ouyang needs to go to the doctor - ¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look inside.¡± Tae Kuo led them to the third floor, room 303.

 Book 2 Chapter 192. Gossip and Tunnel (Part 1)

    ¡°So - I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve already figured out - but - the infrastructure project, it has something to do with Fengshui and electric substations.¡± Tae Kuo sighed as he sipped on a bottle of beer: ¡°The city - some genius working for the city invented a new configuration of wiring electricity, said they could form some kind of giant, city-wide array. It could serve as a shield, or seal, to suppress all paranormal occurrences, and if - IF, the community collective could convince some highly cultivated scholars or monks to cooperate with them, it would have a much higher chance of success. That¡¯s a fucking big ask, right? What they¡¯re also asking is that the South-Eastern District make room for these new type of substations in certain special Fengshui meridian spots.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s - no way that could happen, is there?¡± Sue frowned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that could happen. And it didn¡¯t.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°So, naturally, the city would just say: ¡®well, screw you superstitious idiots, we¡¯re gonna build these substations in our place. Enjoy your temples and incense air pollution.¡¯¡±


    ¡°But - that¡¯s gonna be bad - that sounds like it¡¯s gonna be bad for the South-Eastern District.¡± Sue raised her hand: ¡°If they installed all the substations all over the other two districts, and only left out the South-Eastern, that would squeeze the paranormal entities from their districts to here, wouldn¡¯t it? ¡±


    ¡°Right, right, exactly. That¡¯s why the fight broke out.¡± Tae Kuo chugged half his bottle before looking into the medical kit: ¡°We started the fight, because - how can ANYONE let that happen? ¡±


    No one responded for a moment, Turner Ouyang was breathing but seemed to be in pain. His cheeks were swollen and he could only make unintelligible sounds when he tried to speak.


    ¡°Okay, here it is.¡± Tae Kuo found a small bottle of rice wine wine, a jar of ointment and a stethoscope and came to Turner Ouyang: ¡°Here - let me take a look - ¡± He listened to the heartbeats and breathing of the young man before nodding at them: ¡°His lung and hearts are clear. Looks like they beat him but not too bad. We¡¯ve gotta do something with the swelling though.¡± Right after this, he opened the, mixed it with some ointment and extended his ointment-covered finger at Turner Ouyang¡¯s cheek: ¡°This is gonna sting a little.¡±


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    Turner Ouyang gasped and sucked through his teeth when Tae Kuo dabbed and rubbed the ointment on his face. After this, he took out a few long thin acupuncture needles, heated them with a lighter and poked him on some of his acupuncture points.


    Gloria placed her fingers around Turner Ouyang¡¯s lower jaws and pushed a little of her Qi in to help with the healing process.


    ¡°So - to get back to what I was saying - ¡± Tae Kuo went back to pick up the bottle and finished it: ¡°As I was saying - WE started the fight. It started with protests, and then sabotage, then full-on armed conflict between the forces of the community collective and the city law enforcement. The official story is that the fight took a few weeks. But in fact it was months from start to end. And when the city law enforcement broke into some temples and places of prayer and worship, they set loose certain - things. And from what I heard, this is the driving force behind the city¡¯s willingness to negotiate instead of steamrolling us.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What kind of things?¡± Sue and Gloria leaned in.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I doubt anyone outside of the immediate circle knows. But apparently it killed enough of the city¡¯s higher ups to make them worry.¡±


    ¡°And then what happened?¡± Sue took a look at Turner Ouyang in her laps, the swelling on his face was less purple.


    ¡°Well, I am not entirely sure. All I know is that after that the city made some kind of deal with the community collective, and they went with a less aggressive design, so that the squeeze will not happen like a flood, but more like a trickle. And the community collective will have dedicated folks to deal with the overflow.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, leave this city while you can.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re essentially using electricity energy in an array?¡± Sue looked at Turner Ouyang and then Gloria: ¡°But - they can¡¯t just do that, right? Electricity is not lightning, where it comes with anti-paranormal energy. It¡¯s just - it just doesn¡¯t sound very plausible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s also a medium.¡± Gloria scratched her jaw and went into her thought: ¡°I suppose - if they figure out a way to mimic the energy we use for talismans and exorcism rituals, it¡¯s possible - ¡±


    ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s also blasphemous.¡± Tae Kuo scoffed and shook his head: ¡°In talismans and arrays, we actually use spells that call out to higher powers and deities. How the hell will they do that with electricity, huh?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter at this point.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling better and ready, there¡¯s a place I¡¯d like to take you. ¡± Tae Kuo opened up another bottle of beer.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Fuman Coffin Home. Or should I say, under it.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 193. Gossip and Tunnel (Part 2)

    ¡°Woah, this is the first time I see this. ¡± Standing in front of the entrance under three layers of wooden floorboard: ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°This is because it¡¯s a secret for official watchers of the coffin home. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good secret to keep any way.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°This is why your friends shouldn¡¯t come. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to keep them out of it, it¡¯s - things are pretty unclean down there.¡±


    Gloria flared her nostrils and nodded, faint dark mist lingered around this entrance, and an unpleasant smell crept up on her. Both she and Tae Kuo were trained to handle things like this, but it won¡¯t be good for either Sue or Turner Ouyang, not to mention the fact that poor Turner Ouyang was injured.


    ¡°Where does this lead to?¡± Walking along the long, winding and narrow tunnel, Gloria asked.


    ¡°To a deserted neighborhood.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°And I suspect the reason the neighborhood was deserted was because it¡¯s a hot spot for paranormal phenomena. And what¡¯s worse for them, there¡¯s no temple nearby. The community collective used to send out harmony enforcers with special training to do cleansing and even exorcism. But they might have stopped doing it for certain places.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what might be the reason for it being a hotspot?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for. I¡¯ve never dared to venture far enough inside. But judging by the things I heard, they have some kind of burial site in a not-so-close proximity. It¡¯s not very clear how that came to be, and I never tried to find out.¡± Tae Kuo stopped and looked down at the road before continuing on his way: ¡°I try not to know too much. As you understand, knowing too much can be dangerous. ¡±


    ¡°Is that because in order to know you¡¯ll need to ask? Or is knowing it in and of itself dangerous?¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s the difference? There¡¯s no difference. You either have to be there or you¡¯re gonna know it from somewhere. And those who can tell you may lie, or they may turn you in for just asking.¡± Tae Kuo grunted as he pulled open an ajar door in front of them, behind which was the remainder of the tunnel: ¡°Trust me, I wish I learned that when I was younger. You know, I thought I was so cool, that I was such a rebel by asking all of these questions openly and unashamedly.¡±


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    ¡°What - did you get blackballed?¡±


    ¡°Almost. I was expelled from the college I was in. My scholarship to attend the city university got revoked, and for a while I could only find day jobs that paid measly cash. And then my mother got sick, and I had to resort to all kinds of gray area gigs ¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°Why¡¯d you think I got into this kind of job, huh? ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sifu.¡± Gloria shook her head. This was the first time she heard of this. Maybe she just did not know enough about the Sifu¡¯s personal history.


    ¡°Meh, it¡¯s in the past already. Who cares anymore?¡± Tae Kuo stopped while they were in the midpoint of the second section of the tunnel: ¡°Okay - here¡¯s the furthest I¡¯ve gone. You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going back.¡± Gloria took a deep breath.


    Black mist filled the air before them. Traces of condensed smoke floated and intertwined in the air, like tendrils and tentacles. Along the walls, tree root like marks crawled out from the other end of the tunnel.


    And in vast contrast was the floor, there was barely any signs of corruption from the same energy.


    ¡°Why - ¡± Gloria pointed at the ground in front of her, but was not sure how to ask.


    ¡°Salted ground with carbon and lime layered on top, splashed with blessed oil and wine.¡± Tae Kuo took out a small dark brown bottle of wine and chugged it down, leaving a few droplets left and smeared them on his forehead: ¡°It only works on the ground - it¡¯s kinda amazing how it¡¯s been working for all these years with no one maintaining it. You want this wine? I still have one bottle.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good for now. Maybe later. How are you sure no one¡¯s maintaining it?¡± Gloria activated her Qi.


    ¡°I wish I had Qi like that.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°Only when in need did one realize they haven¡¯t been working hard enough.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s overrated.¡± Gloria took a step forward. The dark mist and tendrils of smoke dissipated around her.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Tae Kuo cautioned: ¡°I only know about what lies ahead from maps.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gloria took one step at a time.


    Nothing out of the ordinary came from the rest of the way. And out of the exit, they found themselves in the backyard of another house. The house was similar in structure and interior design to Fuman Coffin Home. The only difference is that the house was completely empty, no furniture of any kind, no decorations or even doors and windows.


    ¡°Do you know of this place? Looks like another coffin home.¡± Gloria walked through the rectangular hole where the door should be and looked around. The walls were darkened and covered in cracks.


    ¡°No. The map only said about an abandoned neighborhood, no description of anything.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head.

 Book 2 Chapter 194. Watchers, Binds and Curses (Part 1)

    At least from what they could tell, there were no other hidden doors or secret artifacts hiding in the walls. The entire house was stripped clean with only walls and bricks remaining. Even the places for wooden beams or frames were barren.


    The back wall in the main room had some dark marks on it. If it was the Fuman Coffin Home, this wall would be the one to which the altar and incense burners would be placed.


    ¡°Burn mark?¡± Gloria asked as Tae Kuo leaned in on the wall and studied it.


    ¡°Burn mark, very old, but still burn mark. A big fire happened here - even the bricks and cement are charred. I sense nothing supernatural or paranormal though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same.¡± Gloria nodded - she focused her eyes on the wall for a moment, and there was neither the dark mist or fog from the tunnel. It was as if whatever power lingered in this very house had been keeping it clean.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go further. ¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°The burial site - that¡¯s where we should be going.¡± Tae Kuo nodded and began walking toward the front door: ¡°And - I¡¯ve never dared go there, but if you want to know about something behind the infrastructure project, that is one place you¡¯ve gotta check out.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s so special about it?¡±


    ¡°It is one of the destinations for a proposed substation. Not a big one, but relatively small and - less equipped. And I happen to know someone who¡¯s - uh - dabbled in the art of Fengshui. And he told me that place was a minor auspicious spot, linked to Water-affinity Qiyun Meridians.¡±


    ¡°A what? What?¡± To Gloria that was a bunch of familiar words arranged in a very strange way.


    ¡°Well, a minor auspicious spot means it¡¯s a location where the Qiyun or energy flow could lead to fortune in those who reside there. Or if a burial site or cemetery was established in the area, it could bring fortune to the relatives and heirs of the dead.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°And as you can imagine, people competed to have their dead buried there. A community was built as a result.¡±


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    ¡°And then what happened? Why is this place deserted?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°Hauntings, disturbing paranormal phenomena and crime.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°At least that¡¯s what people gossiped about. The official statement is this place was no longer inhabitable. No detailed explanation was given.¡±


    ¡°Care to elaborate on the gossip you heard? Since this is a ¡®minor auspicious spot¡¯, the appearance of unclean entities would be really weird and even dangerous, right?¡± As they walked on a cracked and crumbled cement road with weeds growing out of the cracks, Gloria asked: ¡°What do they say caused this change?¡±


    ¡°Can I borrow a light?¡± Just this moment, a light, almost ethereal voice came to Gloria.


    It was a woman in a green dress, with the left side of her pale face covered up by her draping brown hair. Her right pupil was light brown, and with the right eye wide open she stared right at Gloria and Tae Kuo with a wide smile of only her mouth and barely other parts of her face.


    Gloria grabbed Tae Kuo and was about to walk away, but Tae Kuo just looked at her with a confused look on his face: ¡°What? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Just go with me - something¡¯s wrong with this place.¡± Gloria focused her Qi and glanced at the woman¡¯s general area - the pale woman in green was still there, still staring at them, only her smile was widened. Gloria pretended not to see her without making any eye contact.


    ¡°Can I borrow a light? Just one light.¡± The woman asked once again, with the same ethereal voice.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Tae Kuo whispered.


    ¡°A woman in green, asking us for a light.¡± Gloria shook her head as she gradually accelerated: ¡°This place is not right. How can spirits appear just out in the open like this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything.¡± Tae Kuo looked right and left turning only his eyes: ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure if it was other unclean entities I would be able to. So - ¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? This is some kind of illusion?¡±


    ¡°Probably. The energy surrounding the entire area is unusual. So be careful.¡± Tae Kuo frowned: ¡°But it could also be something special - let me know if you see her or anything else anywhere. We¡¯ll retreat if things are too - too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Can I borrow a light?¡± The woman in green appeared in another spot, sitting under the eaves of a two-storey building with broken windows and ripped tiles. ¡°Just one light.¡±


    ¡°There she is again.¡± Gloria tried to pull Tae Kuo away from the woman¡¯s general direction, only to sense Tae Kuo tense up and his steps stop: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I just saw a man asking for a light. Also wearing green.¡± Tae Kuo lowered his head: ¡°Let¡¯s just run ahead. I¡¯ve got supplies with me if we have to fight.¡±


    Both of them started running forward. After three not so sharp turns, they reached what looked like a major street with tall residential buildings on both sides. Some of the stores at the ground floors of these buildings still had their billboards on - something something deli, something something mart, and something something grocery store.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Just as they hesitated on which way to go, a very human female voice came from somewhere higher up on their right. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 195. Watchers, Binds and Curses (Part 2)

    This female voice was not loud, but very powerful and did not seem to be faded at all from a distance. Gloria looked to the tops of the buildings on their right, but just in time to catch a shooting shadow with a light purple glow.


    A sense of danger exploded from Gloria¡¯s stomach. Without delay or hesitation, she pushed Tae Kuo¡¯s body down and lowered her own. The tail end of a wooden staff glided through the space above their heads.


    ¡°No man should just come here. You are treading into dangerous territory.¡± A male voice echoed between the buildings and across the sky. Chills shot down Gloria¡¯s spine, for this very phenomenon signaled a very powerful and meticulous grasp of certain kinds of mystic martial arts.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Gloria tried to lock on the one who just tried to ambush them, but the figure just shot into the shadows leaving a string of light purple after images.


    ¡°Not important. ¡± The female voice answered Gloria: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here. Leave, before we make you.¡±


    ¡°No, we have answers to seek. You can¡¯t stop us.¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes and backed closer to Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Are you the Watchers of this place?¡± Tae Kuo raised his voice.


    ¡°You do know us.¡± The male voice echoed: ¡°Then you should be wise to leave. This is no place for civilians. Even as trained martial artists, you will only find misery and misfortune here.¡±


    ¡°If you can answer some of our questions then maybe we can leave early.¡± Gloria looked left and right trying to catch the light purple shadow, presumably the one with the female voice, and the man who was hiding somewhere.


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    ¡°Only strength can promise you answers here. ¡± The female voice giggled: ¡°Do you have what it takes? Little girl?¡±


    Gloria pushed his Qi and lowered her body. Her body began glowing in light blue, and a lot of her Qi concentrated on the tips of her fingers. Before she could say anything in return, the light purple figure came at her from behind, the sharp end of the wooden staff aiming right at her back.


    Gloria leapt to her right and flipped her body in the air. Two light blue claw marks shot at the light purple shadow. The claw marks crashed into the long wooden staff and exploded, pushing the light purple shadow back.


    Before the shadow could land, Gloria kicked the ground and launched herself at it. Her two rapid kicks were enough to shatter bricks or marble sheets, but they were blocked by a palm and the wooden staff.


    The shadow was an old woman of almost the same height as Gloria, in a suit of old gray robe. The old woman¡¯s Qi felt familiar - it bore some familiarity with the Qi of Luoshan Zi.


    ¡°Spirit Cat Style.¡± The old woman chuckled. Despite her looks her voice was still like that of a young woman: ¡°My my, never imagine there¡¯s still people out there practicing it. Who taught you, young lady?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡± Gloria grunted. She looked back at Tae Kuo, and was shocked to see him being held down on the ground by an old man in a gray blue robe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash, young lady, or I don¡¯t know what will happen to your friend.¡± The old woman grinned.


    ¡°Go! Gloria! Just leave!¡± Tae Kuo yelled, but was immediately shut up by the old man.


    ¡°If only it was that simple.¡± The old woman raised her wooden staff and pointed at Gloria: ¡°It¡¯s indeed been a while since we last had intruders here. It¡¯s time for me to get some - another sparring partner.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Gloria asked through her teeth.


    ¡°Sparring partner. Just like I said.¡± The old woman gently swung the wooden staff across the space in front of her and activated her Qi: ¡°Come now. If you can defeat me, maybe we¡¯ll let your friend live. And maybe we¡¯ll tell you whatever answer you seek.¡±


    Gloria took a look at Tae Kuo, then faced the old woman with a fighting pose: ¡°Fine.¡±


    She shot at the old woman before her opponent would have a chance to say or do anything. Her hands were both in claw shape, and within a blink of an eye two claw marks were unleashed at the old woman.


    The old woman swung her wooden staff, exploded the two claw marks and glided backwards. Just as Gloria made another lunge forward, the old woman thrust her wooden staff forward, a blade of light purple Qi shot from the wooden tip.


    The blade slashed a shallow cut on Gloria¡¯s left shoulder as she shifted right and lowered her body. In return, Gloria¡¯s right hand swung at the old woman¡¯s left shoulder in chopping motion.


    Her hand collided with the wooden staff. Metal crashing sound exploded from the impact.

 Book 2 Chapter 196. Watchers, Binds and Curses (Part 3)

    Gloria whipped her right leg at the old woman¡¯s waist, but her opponent just turned the wooden staff and shoved it in the way of the kick. Another metal clashing sound exploded, and both of them bounced backwards from the impact.


    ¡°You are good. Young woman. Much better than I expected.¡± The old woman chuckled: ¡°It reminds me of my younger years, and some of my old friends. Who did you say you learn all your skills from again?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Gloria panted: ¡°What kind of style are you using? Why don¡¯t you tell me who trained you?¡±


    ¡°I might as well tell you, since as Watchers, we are not allowed or able to leave here.¡± The old woman stretched her arms and shoulders slightly: ¡°My style is called Spirit Crane Style, I don¡¯t know if anyone is still practicing it. And I learned it from a Watcher before me - before us. She had served the community as well as the city for three decades.¡±


    ¡°I was trained by my - basically my adopted family.¡± Gloria let out her answer in a way that was as plain as possible: ¡°I chose my style since I could learn it the fastest.¡±


    ¡°Wise choice. And no wonder you caught my call outs to you so early.¡± The old woman chuckled as she twirled the wooden staff.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out - when you¡¯re ready.¡± The old woman let out a loud and high-pitched cackle before she stomped the cement ground beneath her feet and launched herself at Gloria. The sharp tail of her wooden staff thrust at Gloria, unleashing a flurry of purple Qi blades and spikes at her.


    Gloria shot left and right to evade the attacks, while taking all opportunities she could to shoot claw marks at the old woman. The old woman tapped her right feet on a protruding brick corner on the ground to shift her direction. The dull end of her wooden staff left a long, winding purple trail of light as it shot through the air.


    Cement pebbles and shattered bricks flew in all directions, as the hunk of wood gauged from what looked like a sturdy tree knot crashed into the ground. Gloria flipped in the air and swung her leg down at the woman¡¯s shoulder. Her ankle was met with the old woman¡¯s palm. Their Qi pushed against each other. And after a brief moment both of them had to back away.


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    As Gloria adjusted her position in the air, she slashed the air between the old woman and her with her left hand and unleashed a crescent-shaped Qi blade. It was once again blocked by the old woman¡¯s wooden staff.


    Gloria¡¯s fingers sunk into the ground just when she touched down. With a quick raise of her arm, splinters of rocks blasted at the old woman like a wide-spread shotgun.


    A Qi shield appeared in front of the old woman. Most of the rock splinters were ground to dust in midair. Three of them, however, were especially resilient with Gloria¡¯s Qi infused, and the old woman had to lower her body in order to not get hit. But still one of the splinters left a gash on her robe.


    Gloria broke through the lingering dust between them and unleashed two consecutive kicks at the old woman. The first one was blocked by the staff, and the second ripped the staff right out of the old woman¡¯s fingers.


    The old woman gasped and could not help but look back at the weapon. Just when she turned around, the tips of Gloria¡¯s middle and index fingers were already pointing right at her throat. If there was any Qi on her finger it would have left a mark, or way worse.


    ¡°Very good. Young lady.¡± The old woman chuckled.


    ¡°Let my friend go.¡± Gloria demanded.


    ¡°Already did.¡± The old man answered behind her.


    ¡°Now. As tradition would dictate, would you like to become the new Watchers?¡± The old woman waved her right hand and the wooden staff just flew into her arm.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Gloria refused without even a hint of hesitation.


    ¡°Just like I would expect. Good on you.¡± The old woman sighed, then gestured to the old man: ¡°Let¡¯s head to the burial site then. That is what you came here for, right?¡±


    ¡°What is in the burial site?¡± Tae Kuo caught up to them along with the old man.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. And from it - you will understand why this entire community was abandoned.¡± The old man sighed.


    ¡°This is a minor auspicious spot right? What could have turned things this way?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°For one, whatever¡¯s going on in the city and possibly the lake.¡± The old woman shook her head: ¡°And one day, I¡¯m afraid soon, whatever lies here will spread to other areas, through underground meridians of water and the natural flow of Qiyun.¡±


    Just as Gloria was about to follow up with a question, she saw the ghostly woman in a green dress approaching. The old woman extended a hand at the ghostly woman, and the ghostly woman¡¯s figure turned transparent, before going into the old woman¡¯s body.


    ¡°This is a part of my soul. The cost of being a Watcher, and the very reason we cannot leave. Our bind, and our curse.¡± The old woman looked up at the sky: ¡°Unless a very powerful spell breaks this bind and mends our souls, we are to remain here until we die.¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be good for anyone, not you, or the one who did the bind.¡± Tae Kuo narrowed his eyes: ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    ¡°They work for the city and the community collective.¡± The old man answered: ¡°And they have loyalty to neither. It¡¯s just - layers and layers of temporary measures to keep things from falling apart. But I¡¯m afraid things are coming to an end soon.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 197. Watchers, Binds and Curses (Part 4)

    If it wasn¡¯t for the occasion today, Gloria would have never thought an actual community would be established this close to a burial site. Even for a civilian with no martial arts mastery whatsoever, it would take them less than twenty minutes for them to enter the site from where they were.


    The burial site looked planned, but not very well: rows and rows of gravesites arranged in arcs, layered on top of each other. The inner the row the shorter the row, the more expensive the sites looked and lower the rise. At the center of the arcs was an obelisk of two stories high with two wooden pillars on each side. Ropes and ribbons were wrapped around the obelisk as well as the two wooden pillars. One bronze incense burner with the diameter of a truck tire sat at the foot of the obelisk. It was only half full.


    The tombstones located in the outer rows were crude and most of them didn¡¯t even have pictures on them. The ones in the inner rows, on the other hand, had their own incense burners and even mini altars. But all were deserted, even the embedded pictures of the dead had faded. Standing on the opposite side of the obelisk was a tree, a pagoda tree.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Tae Kuo fixed his eyes on the obelisk and the two wooden pillars: ¡°This is not - this is not the right way to set up a blessed graveyard. Who the fuck set this up?¡±


    ¡°So this is the first thing we can answer for you. ¡± The old man walking by Tae Kuo¡¯s side chuckled: ¡°What do you see, young man?¡±


    Gloria shook her head first and scoffed: ¡°I gotta say, even if I¡¯m not an expert in Fengshui practices, I know it¡¯s a really bad idea to plant a pagoda tree in a graveyard or burial site. It¡¯s too Yin-attuned, and it could attract unclean energy from the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± Tae Kuo took a look at the obelisk and the two wooden pillars: ¡°That tree -  I don¡¯t think that tree was originally there, right? It must be one of those special trees from the community collective. I think it¡¯s some other kind of tree grafted onto a peach tree - anyways, using a pagoda tree is not impossible, but you¡¯ve gotta do something about the obelisk and prep the pagoda tree as well. But even then it¡¯s not the best substitute.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± The old woman gave Tae Kuo a look of approval: ¡°Maybe - maybe if you knew, we can wrap up our duty happy.¡±


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    ¡°The obelisk is a pillar - is one of those most commonly used pillars. One that¡¯s basically a lightning rod standing taller than most of the buildings around here. In places of not so much sunlight. They will absorb the Yang energy from the lightning, shoot it across the entire graveyard into the tree, in order to cleanse the energy of death from the ashes or dead bodies.¡± Tae Kuo pointed from the obelisk to the tree: ¡°This pillar is the spot of concentrated Yang energy, while the tree over there should be roughly slightly Yin-attuned. With the dead and ashes being Yin-concentrated, this creates a - a circuit of energy to purge negative energy from all the graves and keep the flow of - of Qiyun clean, if I may use that word.¡±


    ¡°You may. No one¡¯s listening here.¡± The old woman sighed: ¡°So I take it that, since the pagoda tree is very Yin-attuned, enough to be called ¡®Tree of Ghost¡¯, it being planted here corrupts the flow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°But - I can¡¯t be sure - because even so, it shouldn¡¯t be this - this devastating. And this is a minor auspicious spot as well, so - ¡±


    ¡°The first few years when this place was newly built, they had a tree from the community collective.¡± The old man shook his head: ¡°The community leader at the time, he pulled a lot of strings to get a good one here. But it only took five years before someone set fire to it. ¡±


    ¡°Someone burnt the original tree down?¡± Gloria and Tae Kuo asked at the same time.


    ¡°Yeah, along with many of the gravesites.¡± The old woman nodded: ¡°It was almost thirty years ago. So not many remembered what happened. We weren''t even watchers then.¡±


    ¡°What is this spot called? Do you remember? The name of this minor auspicious spot?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°The spot of - Rising Green Dragon. ¡± The old man thought for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s a - a big name. Is it really a minor auspicious spot?¡± Gloria fixed her eyes on Tae Kuo.


    ¡°True spots of Rising Green Dragon are extremely hard to find. This one probably just resembles its rough shape.¡± Tae Kuo looked around: ¡°But nonetheless, green dragons are wood-attuned, which means this spot itself is wood-attuned. And destroying a blessed tree like that with fire - it¡¯s really bad.¡±


    ¡°Bad enough to justify killing the guy and his entire family?¡± The old man asked, looking straight into Tae Kuo¡¯s eyes.


    Tae Kuo hesitated, then with a soft tone responded: ¡°I - I wouldn¡¯t do that. But if I¡¯m really into Fengshui, I¡¯d be genuinely furious.¡±


    ¡°Well, that tracks.¡± The old woman sighed: ¡°What else do you see here? What about the tree over there? What should we do with it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to go in closer - ¡±


    ¡°No, DON¡¯T!¡± Gloria yelled and pulled Tae Kuo by his arms.


    She just took a look at the tree with her Qi focused on her eyes, purely due to the tree appearing somewhat creepy and even ominous. Her hunches were right - the surface of the tree, when she turned on her Qi vision, appeared to be covered in a layer of black tar; what was worse, was that on what were knots on the tree bark, became pale twisted human faces in her vision.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with that tree - it¡¯s corrupted, and - it might¡¯ve turned into some kind of monster.¡± Gloria warned as she pulled Tae Kuo back: ¡°I don¡¯t think we can do anything about it now - what the fuck happened to it?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 198. Watchers, Binds and Curses (Part 5)

    ¡°Smart girl.¡± The old woman chuckled: ¡°Yeah I wouldn¡¯t advise anyone to get close to it either. One of the previous Watchers tried to burn this tree. He didn¡¯t make it. The tree was barely charred.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened. But - this thing¡¯s safe - safER when there¡¯s daylight. And when it¡¯s night, especially when the moon is out - it¡¯ll begin howling. Only that empty coffin home is keeping us safe, for now. Its cleansed, oiled and blessed walls are our only shelter in these parts.¡±


    ¡°What did you mean ¡®he didn¡¯t make it¡¯?¡± Tae Kuo turned back to ask the old woman.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t survive the attempt.¡± The old man answered on the old woman¡¯s behalf: ¡°He prepared wood, gasoline and talismans he bought from the temples. The attempt was futile and he escaped gravely injured by some kind of creature. He didn¡¯t even live long enough to tell his partner what happened.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible. What did the community collective do with that?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. All we know is that they got a team here and did something to temporarily suppress its presence and its power. ¡± The old woman sighed as she walked towards the exit of the burial site: ¡°Now, we should leave, we¡¯re supposed to check on this place once every few days and we don¡¯t really overstay. ¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you leave?¡± Gloria asked as she accompanied the two Watchers out of the burial site: ¡°And why is this - this cost of being Watchers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we can tell you, since you¡¯ve already declined to become one.¡± The old woman shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s not worth telling anyone in the first place, really.¡±


    ¡°Where will we go next, then?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°To the spot where the city proposed to build one of the electric stations.¡± The old woman answered: ¡°That¡¯s the main purpose of your venture here, isn¡¯t it?¡±


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    ¡°Yes - ¡± Gloria nodded then immediately fixed her eyes on the old woman: ¡°How did you know? How - ¡±


    ¡°The benefits of having our souls tethered to this place, is that we can see, hear and feel anything in the area, even in that dreaded tunnel.¡± The old woman answered: ¡°It¡¯s given us more pain and suffering than pleasure. But it¡¯s good to see and hear living humans in this area again after that long while.¡±


    ¡°Why help us?¡± Tae Kuo took a deep breath and finally posed this question: ¡°Why - ?¡±


    ¡°Because this life and cycle needs to end, somehow. And finding the next round of watchers is just not going to cut it for us.¡± The old man sighed, shaking his head as he led the way: ¡°Also - do you know our ages?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria and Tae Kuo were both confused.


    ¡°Do you know how old we are?¡± The old woman asked from the side.


    ¡°Um - no - ¡± Gloria shook her head.


    ¡°Fifty something? Sixty?¡± Tae Kuo guessed.


    ¡°We¡¯re barely over forty, at least if we¡¯re counting our days right.¡± The old man let out a hoarse laugh.


    ¡°How?¡± Tae Kuo opened his eyes wide: ¡°Is it - is it the soul? There¡¯s gotta be a way - ¡±


    ¡°Partially, yeah.¡± The old woman chuckled: ¡°You¡¯re sweet. But like we told you, there¡¯s really no way. This is not like you¡¯re possessed by a malevolent spirit, or got a really bad scare, or - or suffered from some kind of head trauma that a part of your soul got split. No - this is a ritual of our own commitment. It¡¯s binding, breaking it means death to us, or worse.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Tae Kuo and Gloria asked at the same time. For her, there did not seem to be any benefit of taking on this duty and identity.


    ¡°There are things worth splitting your soul for, even though there¡¯s gonna be torment down the road.¡± The old man chuckled, but his face was solemn and showed a bit of regret. ¡°Or, so we thought at the time. ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a stall. ¡± The old woman sighed as they reached a patch of tall grass and dried up bushes: ¡°Here, this is the spot.¡±


    It would be an understatement to say this spot was plain or unimpressive. It was just like any other deserted and unused plot of land. Cracked cement scattered around the surrounding areas with gravel mixed in. The entire spot was covered in overgrown grass and unpruned wild flowers. A few slender ferns stood out, but did not appear special in any way.


    ¡°Why this spot?¡± Gloria asked, before turning to look at Tae Kuo, then the two Watchers: ¡°There¡¯s nothing here?¡±


    ¡°No - it¡¯s - it¡¯s a ¡®gate¡¯ of the minor auspicious spot. It¡¯s the - the Northern Gate, a gate of intellect, artistry and wisdom. But it¡¯s also a gate of Yin energy.¡± Tae Kuo narrowed his eyes, then measured the respective location of the spot and the distance it stood from the burial site: ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a bagua position. Whoever planned that burial site didn¡¯t happen to own this spot, did they?¡±


    ¡°He did own this spot. He built a mini garden here. But after the fire he ordered it to be torn down.¡± The old man answered: ¡°No one knows what happened later, it just became unkempt like this.¡±


    Gloria turned on her Qi vision. Trails of black smoke rose from the spot, forming into what looked like a swaying pillar of smoke.


    ¡°Is someone buried under there?¡± Gloria thought her question was already serious enough, she just did not expect it to make all three other people gasp at the same time.

 Book 2 Chapter 199. Rod, Pillar and Light

    ¡°What? Why?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°How did you tell?¡± The Watchers looked confused: ¡°We - we can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, what¡¯d you see?¡± Gloria asked with a heavy frown: ¡°Do you see - smoke, over there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, we see smoke.¡± The old man narrowed his eyes at the space above the spot: ¡°It¡¯s just - I see a lot of smoke, not that different from the same kind of smoke above the graves. It¡¯s - it¡¯s a - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a screen of smoke, some parts are thicker, some thinner. But nothing really stood out.¡± The old woman shook her head: ¡°And - one other thing that you may or may not be interested to know, when you¡¯ve become a Watcher for long enough, your world loses color.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re really not selling you on the Watcher responsibility.¡± The old man chuckled: ¡°But even if you were willing to, this is something we¡¯re gonna have to tell you as well. So no - in our sight, we don¡¯t really see anything obvious - it¡¯s all just - smoke. What do you see?¡±


    ¡°A pillar of black smoke.¡± Gloria pointed in front of her: ¡°There - it¡¯s - it¡¯s a really thick pillar, like - like a mini tornado or something. And - it¡¯s actually not moving that much - it¡¯s just there, and slowly twirling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - I can¡¯t see anything either, and I used cow tears already.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°This is - unusual.¡±


    ¡°I have heard that the practitioners of some variant branches of the Spirit Cat Style could awaken this special ability of seeing energy flows that are hidden from regular means of detection.¡± The old man scratched his jaw as he nodded: ¡°It¡¯s only a rumor, of course. But it seems that it could be true.¡±


    ¡°And if there is indeed someone buried inside, that would - that would explain how this degradation of the entire community came to be.¡± The old woman nodded along: ¡°This spot is a critical turn of the flow of Qiyun in this spot and the surrounding areas. It¡¯s like throwing a dead body in the drinking water stream.¡±


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    ¡°Who would do that? ¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°Someone with a grudge against the founders of this community, or some of the founders of the community themselves? Or, if you wanna go there - people from the city?¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t - I don¡¯t know. But maybe we should take a look some day - or -  maybe confirm what I¡¯m seeing?¡±


    ¡°I have some talisman paper, but I¡¯m not sure if it will work.¡± Tae Kuo looked into his bag, then took out two pieces of yellow talisman paper, cut into just the right shape ready to turn into actual talismans.


    ¡°You want to use her blood?¡± The old woman asked.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m okay with that.¡± Gloria nodded and was about to cut a slit on her right index finger in order to make a couple of blood talismans.


    ¡°No - you¡¯ll just curse her with that. ¡± The old man pushed down Tae Kuo¡¯s arms: ¡°With any luck, you¡¯ll borrow her sight, yes. But you¡¯ll also expose her Qiyun to the very curse that dwells in this land.¡±


    ¡°So - what do we do?¡± Gloria retracted her finger and asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t really do anything.¡± The Watchers sighed, and the old man shook his head: ¡°But it¡¯s good - to know, finally.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The old woman fell onto the ground on her behind: ¡°Yeah - who knew? It¡¯s right under our noses. And it¡¯s just - so simple, really.¡±


    ¡°You should leave now.¡± The old man sat on the ground and got into a meditative pose: ¡°You¡¯ve found out all you come here for, right? Go. It may not be much, but hopefully with it you can achieve whatever you want to achieve.¡±


    ¡°What about you? ¡± Tae Kuo asked: ¡°This just - this just raises more questions for us, right?¡±


    ¡°Asking you young people to untangle our mess is really not a tradition either of us would like to pass on.¡± The old woman coughed and got into a meditative pose: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. If you really - really made a difference using this information, then you would have helped us. Greatly.¡±


    ¡°Go. Before the day gets any dimmer, and before your young lives are subjected to any more of this filth and corruption.¡± The old man shooed them: ¡°Go. There¡¯s nothing else we can show you. ¡±


    Gloria and Tae Kuo exchanged looks, before giving the Watchers a deep bow together: ¡°Our deepest, sincerest gratitude, Watchers.¡±


    By the feet of the walls around the abandoned coffin home, buried two fine porcelain bottles wrapped in red cloth, talismans and strings of prayer beads.


    The two Watchers each opened up a bottle and poured all the clear, light brown liquor down their throat.


    They stood on the edge of the abandoned spot, where the supposed pillar of black smoke was, and said two short chants of spells and prayers. Golden fire emerged from the tops of their heads and their shoulders, before engulfing them both.


    With glowing eyes, they took one final look at each other, nodded, before charging at the position of the pillar of smoke at the same time.


    Four flaming palms struck the air, the previously invisible pillar of smoke was turned into a tornado of flames. Screams, screeches, cries and moans exploded from every corner of the community. Buildings collapsed, roads crumbled, the tombstones in the burial site exploded like firecrackers.


    Cracks and fissures in the ground shot through the entire community. Golden cinders floated into the sky. The two Watchers were no more, only two statues of human-shaped ashes lingered for less than one second after impact, and were blown away by breezes of wind.

 Book 2 Chapter 200. Sword Plate

    ¡°Something¡¯s happening. We¡¯ve gotta go.¡± Tae Kuo took a look back while they were speeding towards the abandoned coffin home: ¡°This whole area¡¯s gonna burn soon, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Burn? What do you mean?¡± Gloria felt the answer was already at her throat just moments after her question: ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°The same way the people tried to poison the entire area.¡± Tae Kuo sighed as he lifted up the trap door: ¡°You know - come to think of it, whoever that person who ruined the Qiyun here was, I could more and more understand how furious the leader of the community was, and why he would want to kill that guy. But to be honest, I am not entirely sure that anyone from the community did it. Very likely it¡¯s some enemies of the leader, or worse, maybe the city.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate, please.¡± Gloria looked left and right before following Tae Kuo into the tunnel. The dark tendrils and smoke began rumbling on her way here, and with the wind came that shifted directions rapidly, screams and curses flooded her ears. All of that was suppressed the moment they set foot in the walls of the abandoned coffin home, and when she entered the tunnel almost all of them went away. ¡°Is it something to do with - with the dead guy buried there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s just a start.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head as he led the way: ¡°Normal dead bodies wouldn¡¯t be able to do that much damage. In fact, I believe there had been stories about people burying their ancestors¡¯ ashes in that spot just so that they could get blessed. Nonono - something else needed to be done in order for things to turn out that way. Maybe a specific kind of curse or ritual intended to poison the flow of Qiyun. And to plan it along with the burning of the blessed tree? That¡¯s some deep, dark knowledge. I noticed that all the weeds that had been growing on the gate of the spot - wild chrysanthemum flowers and red spider lilies - all Yin-leaning flowers - ¡±


    ¡°Dark ritual? What kind of dark ritual?¡± Gloria could not help but ask.


    ¡°Rituals that would make a death full of poison. So possibly torture, desecration and other curse-generating arts and crafts.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know - I don¡¯t - I don¡¯t even have any idea on how to do that even if I want to. ¡±


    The trip back was faster than the way around. As they closed up the entrance to the secret tunnel, something in the air changed. Gloria felt it, and Tae Kuo felt it. It came from the direction of the deserted community. Or, to be more precise, the direction of the ¡°gate¡± of the minor auspicious spot.


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    Light flashed. A golden pillar of light shot up into the sky, pushing all the gloomy clouds in the distance away. Rumbling vibrations spread to the ground below their feet, and gusts of wind escaped from the gaps of the trap door, spraying dust all over their pants and shirts, and throwing pebbles on their shoes. Before they even had a moment to complain, a blinding flash of lightning shot through the distant sky. Then many bolts rained down. Gloria and Tae Kuo were still behind walls and they could not see what the lightning struck on the ground, so Gloria just grabbed Tae Kuo and hopped onto the roof. It was still far away so they still could not see much of anything. But the flurries of lightning strikes sure did light things up - a lot of things up. Flames rose from the position of the desserted community, red, orange, some blue, some golden.


    Golden cinders and sparks filled the distant sky over the abandoned community. A breath of the smell of warm wine blew over to them from the entrance of the tunnel. The community would likely be destroyed by the lightning storm. It was probably well deserved.


    ¡°They actually did it.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°I mean - I had a thought they might want to do it, but - man, I don¡¯t know if I can ever do that if I¡¯ve ever become a pillar.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re - they¡¯re pillars?¡± Gloria frowned and asked: ¡°I - I didn¡¯t really - what are pillars anyway? And why are they called that?¡±


    ¡°Well, in one sense it¡¯s - it¡¯s slightly literal, and the way most understand it - that they are the very people holding things together - whether it¡¯s a household, a community, or in our case, a ritual, an array, a managed area surrounding a Fengshui spot. But in another - it¡¯s a reference to an old, superstitious ritual involving building of - things. During the old times, when people were putting up foundations for buildings or actual pillars for bridges, some of them actually put people in the foundations or cement pillars, as a means of sacrifice, and as a ritual to utilize their grudge to keep the buildings steady.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah - using dead people¡¯s life force and their grudge to hold buildings together.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged and shook his head.


    ¡°Boom!¡± A shockwave blasted the Fuman Coffin Home through all the distance. Gloria had to grab Tae Kuo by his shoulder so that they could land on the ground without falling. The ground in the backyard cracked. And on the wall at the back of the coffin home, the very wall the main altar and the many incense burners were put against, showed a crack. And through it, some strange light came through.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Gloria pointed at the glowing crack.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never looked into that wall before.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head.


    ¡°This is the wall with the burn marks.¡± Gloria nodded at Tae Kuo: ¡°I mean - the wall at the same position of that - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. But I¡¯ve never been told about this.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged.


    Gloria jumped onto the altar and looked at the widest part of the crack. Behind this wall was some kind of large stone artifact. The glow was only visible when she turned on her Qi vision, and was not visible to a naked eye.


    Tae Kuo thought for a while, then spoke through his teeth, grimacing: ¡°Open it up then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gloria pried open the wall with Qi concentrated on her fingers. It was a long piece of stone that was shaped like a straight sword. It was very crude, and the edge was dull. Some unfinished symbols were etched on the sides.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Tae Kuo narrowed his eyes as he ran his fingers along the crude stone blade and the symbols: ¡°Talk about pillars. This - this - No wonder they closed us up for so long.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 201. Secrets and Dumpster

    The infamous secret dumpster of the South-Western and South-Eastern District. There was no official declaration of which district it belonged to, even though it sat on the border of the two. Neither district was willing to claim it, and for good reasons. It was a dumpster that would not be moved, and one that could not be filled. Everytime it was moved it just came back to where it was, and every time someone tried to put anything in it, they would get horrible nightmares and even paranormal injuries like scratches on their arms and handprints on their calves.


    But right now, Captain Ko was standing in front of it, contemplating how to move it only so slightly that he could get something buried underneath without angering the spirit. It was already late in the afternoon, so the best time had already passed. There was still some time before the sun would set, so he still had some time.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the best time, you know.¡± Just this moment, a man in a heavy coat and with a wooden leg came limping over with a walking stick.


    ¡°Oh hi, you¡¯ve come. I thought I lost contact with all of ya.¡± Captain Ko took one quick look at the slightly older, one legged man: ¡°How are you doing, Bob?¡±


    ¡°Living life one step at a time. ¡± The man sighed. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Not good.¡± Captain Ko rubbed his temples: ¡°My wife¡¯s gonna kill me. And I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m losing my precinct.¡±


    ¡°Good thing that those tickets of ours still work, and after I got your ping I¡¯ve made arrangements. We should be good to go next shipment.¡± The one-legged man sighed: ¡°So - you¡¯re gonna do it? You know there¡¯s no turning back after this.¡±


    ¡°Good thing we still have those tickets then.¡± Captain Ko took a deep breath before glancing at the sun: ¡°Looks like we still have some sun. So the best moment will be right now.¡±


    ¡°You need my help?¡± The one-legged man reached into his expensive looking coat.


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    ¡°Sure. The more the better.¡± Captain Ko took a deep breath.


    The one-legged man pulled out two small vials. One vial was filled with condensed light yellow liquid, and the other was filled with a light pink liquid. A vial of blessed wine, and a vial of distilled blood of an uncastrated rooster.


    Two streams of liquid mixed in midair and splashed on the ground in front of the cursed dumpster, while Captain Ko just laid his talismans out and stuck them onto a rope made of rice straw.


    The rope was just enough for the captain to wrap around the dumpster and tie a knot to keep it fastened. The rope had already begun to turn yellow the moment he finished the knot.


    ¡°Okay, now or never, Captain.¡± The one-legged man pulled out some paper coins and began throwing it into the air: ¡°Big Sister Zhu. Big Sister Zhu, we are sorry to have disturbed your slumber. Please take these monies as our tokens of apologies, and harm us not. Big Sister Zhu Big Sister Zhu, your grudge¡¯s not with us. Please take this offering and leave us in peace.¡±


    Captain Ko grunted as he exerted his entire body¡¯s strength onto the dumpster. The rusty wheels would not budge at first, but only needed a little convincing. On the ground below was a spot that was spray painted silvery gray. This was their doing. Seeing that the surface of the paint was not broken, it would be safe for him to start digging.


    The earth was hardened and wet. Even with his gloves and Qi protecting his hands, a sticky, slimy and numbing chillingness still crept into his fingers, his palms and even his bones. Dark smoke invisible to the naked eye arose from the hole the deeper he dug. And eventually, before the smoke would block his sight completely and the edge of the hole reached his elbows, a silvery gray box revealed itself.


    A heavy lead box, with a blessed wooden frame inside and meticulously crafted edges that made sure the tightness of the seal would not be easily compromised. And sitting on a red threaded cushion was a plastic bag, inside of which was a thin, torn book without a cover. Through the transparent plastic one could easily see arcane symbols and drawings of arrays.


    Voices whispered in Captain Ko¡¯s ears as he opened the led box to check the condition of the torn book. It was a piece of evidence they made disappear many years ago in a brutal familial murder case in the Northern District. A cursed case with cult-like ritualistic brutalism. A case, curiously to the young Captain Ko back then, powerful people in the city were pressuring him and his then partner to close and drop. And just by chance, the piece of evidence made it back in his hands.


    ¡°After this many years - you¡¯ve finally made this decision?¡± The one-legged man sighed.


    ¡°Yes. Maybe.¡± Captain Ko sighed: ¡°Too bad - Brooklyn is not gonna be able to help here.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has other preoccupations, and he¡¯s making his own way outta here.¡± The one legged man chuckled: ¡°I¡¯d assume you would understand, right?¡±


    ¡°I do. And I still disagree, wholeheartedly.¡± Captain Ko locked the lead box and wrapped a belts around it before putting it inside a plain looking satchel: ¡°But I guess, we all deal with loss and grief differently.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re made.¡± The one legged man turned and shook his head: ¡°You better have a better escape plan.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 202. Impromptu Escape

    Two groups of men were closing in on them from behind, and one group of them was approaching from their front. And judging from their stature and composure, they were surely armed.


    ¡°Now. My car¡¯s there on the left. So let¡¯s go there.¡± Captain Ko whispered to the one-legged man.


    ¡°No. They must have bugged your car already. Or worse.¡± The one-legged man shook his head: ¡°My car as well. But you know - I happened to have the man¡¯s car key next to mine, so we¡¯ll use that.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Follow me to the right. And also - run when I open fire.¡± The one legged man patted Captain Ko on the shoulder and led the way rightward. His left hand reached into the depth of his coat and pulled out a short wooden shaft connected with two metal pipes. A short double barrel shotgun, with some disguise and customizations placed added onto it.


    One group of three men behind them came close as they tried to move to their escape car¡¯s position. Something metal glimmered the last bit of light from the sun. Before they could get within dashing range, the one-legged man pulled out his double barrel shotgun and opened fire.


    A full blast of pellets were unleashed from one barrel. The man in the middle was sent into midair. Even with a tactical vest under his shirt, his entire upper body was almost entirely rendered to minced meat. The man on his left was also struck by a few pellets and lost the ability to use his right arm. The man on the right froze and ducked behind a light pole.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± The one-legged man waved his shotgun around at all the men in black coming around them, temporarily stalling their moves: ¡°I still have a full barrel, enough to make some dumpling stuffing out of everyone of you. One more step and you¡¯ll get it!¡± He threw the car key he lifted at Captain Ko.


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    Captain Ko found the car through a quick click and started it without a moment of hesitation. He floored the gas the moment the one-legged man went into the backseat. The men in black behind them started firing. The car¡¯s back window and trunk took a few hits. Lucky for both of them they were only scratched by the glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the Northern District. You know a place we can hide?¡± Captain Ko asked as he made a sharp turn at a crossroads.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any place like that in the Northern District. Why can¡¯t we just find somewhere in the South-Eastern or South-Western?¡±


    ¡°They must have more people waiting for us in those areas. The only place we can run to is in the north.¡± Captain Ko immediately shut the proposal down: ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll have to go into a - a neighborhood easier to hide in.¡±


    ¡°Why the transplants? Don¡¯t you know anywhere else?¡± The one-legged man grunted.


    ¡°If you know, just tell me! I only know one neighborhood kinda well to hide.¡± Captain Ko barked: ¡°We¡¯ve gotta find a place to lay low and see if we can handle plan for everything. I don¡¯t think we can stay in the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that serious, huh?¡± The one-legged man sighed.


    ¡°You still have some business left, Bob?¡± Captain Ko asked as he made another swift turn into a tunnel.


    ¡°Nah, what do you take me for? Some fucking newbie?¡± The one-legged man scoffed: ¡°All my arrangements are made already. My people will be taken care of, and their fate will be fully on them.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Good. ¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I thought I had, but unfortunately some messes I¡¯ll have to leave to my detectives to solve.¡± Captain Ko sighed and shook his head. This tunnel was long, going right underneath a section of the rails running across the city and along the border of South-Eastern and South-Western District. The lighting was dim, if not for the reflective road studs and markers on the road, many vehicles would have collided into each other.


    ¡°Well then, did you at least leave them enough resources and information for them?¡± The one-legged man sighed: ¡°And, uh - good luck, genuinely. They¡¯re gonna need it. A lot of it.¡±


    ¡°Do you happen to know - those traffickers - I mean usherers, if they have extra seats?¡± Captain Ko asked as he took a quick right turn when he got out of the exit and went into a path parallel to the railway, towards the Northern District.


    Several black cars followed them out of the tunnel, keeping on their tail.


    ¡°They are fast, these fuckers.¡± Captain Ko took a look at the rearview mirror and cursed through his teeth.


    ¡°Sorry, this is a bad car. But I actually did not expect us to be using it.¡± The one legged man grunted.

 Book 2 Chapter 203. Destination (Part 1)

    Captain Ko and the one-legged man were beginning to lose their advantage of leaving the scene early. Their pursuers were driving obviously new and well-maintained SUVs and trucks, while they were driving an older model of a common brand sedan. Even when Captain Ko floored their gas pedals a couple of times, the rumbling of the engine still did not match the acceleration and speed they were getting.


    ¡°Fuck this car. The owner probably loves it being stolen.¡± Captain Ko cursed once again as he made an illegal sharp right turn at a crossroad, through explosive honkings from other cars, to get into a narrow single lane road.


    ¡°I still know how to hotwire a car, if you can find a spot with lots of cars I can try to do it. ¡± The one-legged man grunted: ¡°But no promises, thanks to the South-Westerners the cars are getting harder to steal without getting the keys.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know. And we¡¯re not exactly in areas with easy cars to do that.¡± Captain Ko looked around him.


    The road was narrow, and only slightly winding. On both sides were mostly grass and dirt, with some dirty ponds sprinkled around. They were in the cross section area between the Southern Districts and the Northern District, and soon they would cross the edge around Lake Aqiu and into the general area of the Northern District.


    This maneuver worked, the pursuing cars did not expect them to take this sharp a turn, and only three cars managed to follow, the rest of them were either left in their way or even crashed into the sides of the original road. Of the three cars that managed to follow, one of them crashed into an incoming car and was thrown in the ditch.


    ¡°How long is this road?¡± The one legged man looked through the back window.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just make another quick turn soon, hold on.¡± Captain Ko shook his head: ¡°Just keep an eye out for anything, okay?¡±


    Before the one-legged man could respond, Captain Ko already made the turn. It was a fork in the road where he turned left, and headed into a narrow path with less lights than the others.


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    Dirt walls piled on both sides of the road, crooked trees swayed from the night wind. For most of the road the only light sources were the moon and the headlights. There were no other cars in front of them, so Captain Ko could just push his speed way past the legal limit. The only concern he might have would be if there were any police cars hiding in corners trying to ding the speeders.


    ¡°They¡¯re catching up.¡± The one-legged man looked back and said. ¡°It¡¯s dark all around, maybe we should ditch a car and find a place to hide?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop now, we¡¯re almost at another turn anyway.¡± Captain Ko took a swift look at the rearview mirror. The Headlights of two cars could be seen from a great distance in the dark. No doubt the pursuers were still on their tail. They needed more time and more distance to actually hide.


    If his memories would serve, there was another fork in front of them - a small detour one could take when heading toward the central areas of the Northern District. This was a new path carved from the previously somewhat deserted plain, to connect to some new apartment complexes and communities in the area.


    ¡°Okay, do you have any other plans besides getting away from them and sending all the related dirt out?¡± The one-legged man asked as he counted the shells he carried: ¡°I don¡¯t know who you¡¯ve entrusted those files to, but I wouldn¡¯t count on any of them. It would be a better case if they just threw your shit into the garbage.¡±


    ¡°No worries, I am not counting on any of them.¡± Captain Ko chuckled: ¡°I just want their enemies to have more arrows in their quivers.¡±


    ¡°And even if those arrows may point to ordinary people one day?¡±


    ¡° - my friend, you know we don¡¯t have that luxury.¡± Captain Ko sighed.


    Newly established, but still somewhat cheap looking single family houses and townhouses of similar designs began appearing on both sides of the road. New neighborhoods, transplant neighborhoods. A few light posts stood on the outer range of the neighborhood. Out of five or six of them, only three were lit up, while the rest did not even have bulbs. At least from the looks of everything this neighborhood was very sparsely populated.


    The rumbling of engines exploded from the left side. A black SUV burst through the dirt and grass piles from on their left. Captain Ko plunged his feet on the brake but it was still too late - the nose of the SUV rammed right into the head of their car. Their simple old sedan was in no way built for this kind of impact, and within the span of seconds they were derailed, thrown into an empty townhouse building on the side of the road.


    The moment their car got diverted from their original direction, Captain Ko had activated his Qi to protect himself while clutching the lead box tightly to his chest. The one-legged man activated his Qi as well, though his was considerably weaker.


    The entire car tumbled on the ground and went through the side of the building, into the kitchen area. The moment the car stopped moving, Captain Ko coughed and cut the seatbelt with his fingertips and kicked open the car door.


    The one-legged man coughed, unfastened himself and tried his best to push the door open. But he was too weak to do so. Captain Ko pulled the door open for him, carried him out of the car and tried to head into a different building.


    ¡°No - I can¡¯t. Just go without me.¡± The one-legged man touched his left waist then took a look at his fingers - they were covered in blood.

 Book 2 Chapter 204. Destination (Part 2)

    ¡°Stop with the bullshit. Let¡¯s go.¡± Captain Ko held his palm at the wound on the one-legged man¡¯s waist and used his Qi to scorch the wound. This made the one-legged man grimace and gasp in pain, but it managed to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fucking fool. You need to stay alive so that all you did won¡¯t be in vain.¡± The one-legged man pleaded: ¡°Please, just - just leave me here - ¡±


    Before the man could even finish his sentence, two men in black barged into the kitchen through the backdoor of the building. Captain Ko swung the one-legged man¡¯s double barrel shotgun and fired both shots in a matter of half a second. Blood, brains and body parts splashed all over the ground outside of the window.


    Footsteps enclosed from other corners of the house, Captain Ko had no choice but to go upstairs - in the hopes that there would be other ways to escape through the second floor or third floor windows.


    ¡°Shells¡­ Shells ¡­¡± The one legged man reached into his pocket and pulled out three shells and gave it to Captain Ko: ¡°I - I don¡¯t have many more¡­ Might still have some in my other pockets¡­ Please, just stay alive¡­¡±


    Captain Ko took the shells, but at the same time felt the weight of the one-legged man entirely falling in his arms. He checked the heartbeat and the breathing pattern of his friend - he was gone. More blood went through the one-legged man¡¯s clothes and trousers, soaking up Captain Ko¡¯s sleeves and pants.


    ¡°Dammit, Bob.¡± Captain Ko sighed and set the one-legged man down in a relatively hidden corner: ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you. I promise.¡±


    Without having to carry his friend, Captain Ko easily hopped to a neighboring building through the second floor window, carrying the double barrel shotgun and the remainder of the shells.


    ¡°Only one of them¡¯s here. Where¡¯s the other one!¡± The barks of the pursuers came from the first building.


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    ¡°Look around! Look around!¡± ¡°He can¡¯t be far!¡±


    Carefully loading two shells into the shotgun, Captain Ko placed the lead box on the floor in front of him. After a short moment of consideration, he took out another slender wooden box from inside of his jacket. Inside of it rested a long, hollow bronze needle with arcane symbols engraved on the inside. Contained within the needle was some kind of special ink, made meticulously with a few dozen materials.


    Dark power and energy was ingrained in almost every page of the torn book. After it had come back into his custody, he had tried numerous ways to destroy it. But just like the dumpster who wouldn¡¯t move, it was impervious to any of his attempts. That was, hopefully until now.


    The thought of sending the book to someone in a position of power as evidence against ¡°them¡± flashed through his mind. But just like what he and his friend discussed earlier: it was not the same time as when they first got a hold of it. The people who would have been willing to try had already, and almost none of them had met a generous fate.


    That would leave them with only one choice. To destroy it once and for all. As for the other parts of the book he simply had not the time nor energy to worry about them. One Pearson family was quite enough for an ordinary person like him.


    ¡°Wise, powerful Taoist Masters watching over me from the heavens. Please lend me thy power, for I am about to tie my fate to the destruction of this construct evil.¡± Captain Ko chanted the spell in a low voice and raised the needle up high.


    A loud screech exploded from the book and along with it blasted out a chilling energy shockwave. Captain Ko took the blast, barely flinching as he infused all of his Qi into the needle before jamming it right at the torn book.


    Scales and shells like those from a giant lizard made of black smoke appeared between the tip of the needle and the paper. In an instant the needle glowed orange and was engulfed in a golden flame. Captain Ko¡¯s life force gushed from his fingers into the needle, almost drying his hands and arms up in less than a second.


    Dark scales and shells splintered and burst everywhere before they were swallowed by the fire. The tip of the hollow needle penetrated the protection of the black smoke and made its way onto the top page. A ring of char and burn expanded from the point of contact. With each inch the tiny ring of ember and dark flame crawled through, the book itself shook, dark smoke and foul, thick tar seeped from between its pages.


    Footsteps approached as Captain Ko roared and pushed his Qi into the needle while pressing the needle down bit by bit. The cursing and screeching voices grew desperate and furious, in the background one could even hear the low roars from some kind of beast.


    Blood dripped from the corners of Captain Ko¡¯s eyes, his mouth and his nostrils. The inside of his lungs and bones kept alternating between being scorched by fire and being frozen in the deepest tundra.


    ¡°He¡¯s here! Come!¡± More voices and footsteps converged into Captain Ko¡¯s position. The men tasked with following and tracking the hidden saboteurs from decades ago charged into this empty building, armed with knives, swords and guns. If there was no one else in this building, great; if there were, then too bad for them.


    ¡°Boom!¡± The door was kicked down, two men charged in.


    On the ground sprinkled a few droplets of blood, a mangled and twisted metal needle, and a pile of burned paper ashes, with barely a few page corners left intact.

 Book 2 Chapter 205. Destination (Part 3)

    ¡°What. The¡­¡± The leader of the pursuers knelt down by the pile of ash. His fingers hesitantly reached for the few corners left on the floor dancing from the wind coming through the broken window: ¡°How is this possible - ¡±


    ¡°They just saw him - he¡¯s getting into another building.¡± Another man reported via the handheld radio: ¡°Should we pursue?¡±


    ¡°Get him. Dead or alive. We¡¯ve gotta bring him back otherwise we¡¯re dead.¡± The leader responded: ¡°Tell me where he is heading.¡±


    ¡°To the north of the house. ¡± The other man responded: ¡°He¡¯s injured, and we¡¯ll keep tailing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush till we flank him. If we can, I want him alive.¡± The leader spoke through his teeth: ¡°As alive as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! You, you, come with me.¡± The leader of the pursuers pointed at two men in black behind him, then pointed at others: ¡°All the rest of you, circle around the house and flank the son of a bitch. Keep your positions known.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡±


    But just when they exited this house where the burnt book was, two shotgun blasts broke the silence of the night once again. One man ran out from the backdoor of the house on the north. But his back was struck by a kitchen knife before he could get very far, which brought him down on the ground.


    ¡°Fuck! Surround the house! Surround the house!¡± The leader almost panicked and barked at all of his men.


    ¡°Bang! Bang!¡± Two shots fired from behind the backdoor, one bullet struck one man¡¯s left shoulder, and the second shot landed on his left arm.


    ¡°Fire! Fire!¡± The men outside armed with guns immediately fired back. Bullets tore apart the wooden walls, the door itself and the windows in the back.


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    Everyone kept firing until their current magazines and clips were empty. They did not coordinate their reload, but it seemed there was no need, for no shot was fired back in their direction.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Tread carefully.¡± The leader waved at all the other men around him: ¡°Block all entrances and keep your eyes sharp. Those with guns, follow me.¡±


    Three men followed their leader. Only one had a shotgun like the leader, and the other two only had very crude handguns. The other men, with their knives, swords and makeshift flails, gathered around the doors and windows.


    The leader stepped through the backdoor and checked the ground, there was no blood or any other sign of injuries. After another look around, he waved at the three men behind him and gestured them to come in and search with him.


    No one was on the first floor, so the leader commanded the one with a shotgun to lead the way, while the two other men with handguns would follow him. It was quiet, maybe even too quiet.


    ¡°Quiet, careful.¡± The leader used gestures to tell the first man, before raising the shotgun up and pointing ahead.


    The first man swallowed, then took a few small steps up the stairs. He gasped and almost opened fire when he made it past a turn. After confirming no one was waiting to ambush him, he walked upwards with slightly hastened footsteps.


    ¡°Sir - there¡¯s blood up here.¡± The first man reported: ¡°I think he¡¯s hurt, so we¡¯d better - ¡± A gunshot shut him up. Blood splashed from his chest, shoulder and back. It was one single shotgun blast at a close range, he did not stand a chance.


    The leader ducked back, and the two men with handguns began firing upwards at the thin wall around the corner of the staircase. The hail of bullets tore up the wall. And to the leader¡¯s relief, he heard a grunt from their target.


    After the two men expended their magazines, the leader took a deep breath and leapt upwards out of the staircase. There were a few pools of blood on the empty space, and some droplets leading into a room. He did not want to take a chance, so he just gestured to the two men behind him and commanded them to get ready to fire.


    But before all of them could pull their triggers. A man broke through the wall with a double barrel shotgun, firing one loaded barrel. The man on the leader¡¯s right was blasted in the chest and thrown back into the staircase. Before the leader or the man on his left could react, their target¡¯s body already slammed into him.


    The impact of a Qi-infused tackle shocked the leader and almost squeezed the air out of his lungs. Lucky for him he had his Qi defense activated this whole time, and the target was not in his prime fighting state from his injuries, he only got the wind knocked out of him, and he could still fight.


    A knee in the chest was enough for the leader of the pursuers to knock his target back. He tried to point his shotgun at his target, but the target just clawed the gun off his hand.


    ¡°Bang bang!¡± The man with a handgun fired, the target was struck on his back. His movements stopped. This might just be the last bit of damage needed to bring him down.


    The leader jumped back up, took a deep breath before looking down at his target. The man was shot in the abdomen, left leg and right shoulder. But his eyes were still open. His breathing was slowing down. Unfortunately, there was no way to bring him back alive.


    ¡°Captain Ko, right?¡± The leader knelt down by his target: ¡°You fucker. You¡¯ve got me in a lot of trouble now. Good-fucking-bye.¡±


    The room dimmed all of a sudden. Everything was already dark, only the light posts outside and the moon were providing lighting, and none of them was blocked or dimmed. The darkness came from inside the room.

 Book 2 Chapter 206. Smoke

    ¡°Where are you?¡± A female whisper came in the dark, weeping, croaking and breaking her voice.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± The leader of the pursuers took out his flashlight and tried to light up the area around him. But the same flashlight that could usually reach five or six car lanes away could now only light up a few steps¡¯ distance in a narrow line, outside of this very immediate range everything was still dark.


    ¡°Boss - I think we need to go. ¡± One of the pursuers said with a trembling voice: ¡°Somethings now right here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s completely dark out there! It¡¯s completely dark out there!¡± Another pursuer freaked and tried to run downstairs: ¡°Oh my god! This is happening! This is happening!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t panic, you fucking moron!¡± The leader tried to call this pursuer, but this henchman of his already made it out of the staircase, and gone were his cries for help and his terrified whining.


    ¡°Boss?¡± The only other pursuer remaining by the leader¡¯s side asked, his voice was shaking beyond his control, he had more words but they were stuck in his throat. He had to swallow a few times before he could finally get a half complete sentence out: ¡°What - what should we - ¡±


    ¡°Calm down! ¡± The leader raised his voice: ¡°It¡¯s just the lights. Let¡¯s get outta here.¡±


    ¡°Where - where is he?¡± The same female voice crept in again, this time seeming from different corners around them.


    ¡°Help me! Help me!¡± Just this moment, the voice of the pursuer who ran away earlier came back - it was from behind the leader and the other man. ¡°Where the fuck am I !? Oh god! Where the fuck am I!?¡±


    Aside from the leader, the other two pursuers screamed and bumped into the walls behind them. And within a mere moment, both of them had their guns pointed at each other. The man who ran away had the shotgun, while the man who stayed by the leader¡¯s side had the pistol.


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    ¡°Wait! WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE!¡± The leader tried to calm the two men down.


    But he was too late. For in a moment of panic, both of them squeezed their triggers. The man who held a shotgun blasted his shot. The pellets covered a dangerously wide arc in this narrow staircase. The man with a pistol instantly lost most of his left chest from the majority of the pellets. The leader¡¯s right arm was grazed and he fell to the side. And the man wielding a pistol fired two shots before his gun jammed. The man with a shotgun was thus struck, in the right chest and in the abdomen.


    ¡°God dammit! God dammit!¡± The leader cursed and cried out, trying to hold his right arm and stop the bleeding. But that was until he saw the face of a pale woman, with bloodshot eyes, no nose and a mouthful of bloody teeth.


    Pain radiated from his chest and his abdomen. He looked down and touched where he hurt. Blood was left on the finger. Yet, the other henchman of his was already dead, killed by the police captain, he should have had only one man by his side just now.


    The darkness faded. Two more bodies were left in the staircase.


    The pale face of the woman remained. A long wound slashed across her face. This was no mere flesh wound. It cut through her entire head, separating the top part of her head from the lower half, across her nose. With any swift movement, her upper head would drift, only corrected by dark smoke pulling the halves together.


    ¡°Please - please.¡± A few breaths remained in Captain Ko. His Qi halted his profuse bleeding, only for a moment and for his wife to manifest: ¡°Don¡¯t - don¡¯t fall further. There¡¯s - there¡¯s no more hope for me. There just might be - for - you.¡± His eyes dimmed. His Qi stopped circulating, and his bleeding finally took the toll on him.


    A deafening scream exploded from the house. The men outside guarding the entrances were instantly paralyzed. It was not just the surprise factor, it was not just fear. It was a bone-chilling hold on their entire bodies. They wanted to move, they wanted to speak with each other. But they could not even lift a finger or utter a sound. All they could do was shallow breathing and moving their eyes.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± Countless voices came pouring out of the house, along with waves and waves of dark smoke, inside of which countless hands with red fingernails could be seen.


    The men screamed on the inside. Panic and horror shook their bodies. But in a short moment¡¯s time, they were swallowed by the smoke, and pulled into invisible pockets and holes where they would not be seen ever again.


    A painful cry shocked the entire neighborhood. Electric sparks shot out of the light posts, the wires and the electric substation. A blood rainbow appeared high up in the sky. Many unsightly, creepy shadows manifested in different corners of the community. But before they could do anything, streams of dark smoke shot at them and devoured them. After a brief moment, even the entire blood rainbow was swallowed whole.


    The blood rainbow dissipated after a few short moments, and the dark smoke rose up into the sky, taking the shape of a cloud, and began floating north - the direction where the energy aura suppressing the cloud''s power was coming from.

 Book 2 Chapter 207. Fire

    Black cars and SUVs sped through the streets of Poison City, in all three districts. Some of the cars had sirens on them, while others did not. Agents and special police from the city, acting under the order from the Poison City Security Council, the de facto center of power in the city¡¯s law enforcement institution.


    And the very reason for this broadcast blast was very simple. For the first time in quite a while, the council issued an order of a city-wide manhunt.


    ¡°All units be on the lookout, there is a city-wide manhunt ongoing. All units be on the lookout, there is a city-wide manhunt ongoing. ¡± The radio inside of a police car parked right outside of a convenience store was activated. ¡°The target of manhunt: Cai, Marcus, male, 31 years of age, previous detective of the 17th Precinct of the South-Western District, armed and Dangerous; Loo, Kevin, male, 25 years of age, previous forensic technician of the 17th Precinct of the South-Western District, unarmed; Lance, Keryn, female, 27 years of age, previous detective of the 17th Precinct, armed and dangerous; Cramer, Mick, male, 22 years of age, previous senior officer of the 17th Precinct, unarmed and likely a hostage.


    ¡°All sergeants and captains, you are hereby instructed to inform your officers and detectives to be on the lookout. All spare personnel and resources shall be redirected to the search and hunt effort for all these targets.


    ¡°Instructions to this manhunt are as follows: all four of them shall be apprehended. If the situation requires, use of lethal force is allowed. Measures must be taken to ensure the safety of the hostage to the maximum extent. ¡±


    Poison City was still a big city, even though there were a few dozens of city agents who in theory had power to take command in any precinct. But their primary target destination was not anywhere in the Northern or South-Western Districts. Instead, the first place most of them needed to visit was the South-Eastern District, or a place they could meet the representatives or liaisons of the community collective, to be precise.


    The closest precincts to the 17th were still somewhat far off. For a precinct of less than ten detectives, the entire area of the precinct was surprisingly large. A few of the city agents¡¯ cars drove around the streets of the now closed down 17th Precinct office building before finally parking in the street corners.


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    A total of six city agents walked into the precinct building. A group of men maintaining the scene inside the building walked up to the city with the highest rank: ¡°Can I help you, agents?¡±


    ¡°What have you found?¡± The city agents asked, his eyes were invisible behind the sunglasses, even though it was late in the evening.


    ¡°Not much aside from their personnel files, most of which the city already has anyway.¡± The head of the maintenance team answered: ¡°And some personal items.¡±


    ¡°What kind of personal items?¡±


    ¡°Pictures, framed. Metal chopsticks, coffee mugs used as pen holders, folders - ¡±


    ¡°Pictures sound good. Anything more personal? Like necklaces, pendants, gloves, scarves?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the pictures we found only a small incense burner, it¡¯s more like a decoration, unused.¡±


    ¡°Let us have a look.¡± The highest ranking city agent nodded.


    The maintenance team led the city agents to a new temporary desk put in the middle of the first floor. The table was covered by a thick sheet of plastic cloth, on which laid a few items: two frame pictures of young Detective Marcus Cai, some metal keys found in the manhunt targets¡¯ desks, some old mobile phone protectors, chopsticks, notepads and one small bronze incense burner.


    ¡°So this is it?¡± The leader of the city agents frowned: ¡°This is - this is like a few cents off the night market. Whose is it?¡±


    ¡°The forensic technician, I assume.¡± The head of the maintenance crew shrugged: ¡°We found this in a drawer inside the lab. It¡¯s put alongside some chopsticks. As far as we know, they have only one forensic technician. ¡±


    ¡°According to the personal dossier, he¡¯s the one with the most expressed interest in - in arcane things.¡± Another city agent commented from the side: ¡°Doctor Ayer Flemmings once worked with him for a short while, but their project was halted due to some higher priority work from the city, and she¡¯s never caught up with him since.¡±


    ¡°Okay - so it¡¯s his, very likely.¡± The leader of the city agents nodded, before clicking his finger at one of the other agents and pointed at the burner: ¡°Can you take a look? Just to see how it works out.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡± The other agent put on plastic gloves, then pulled out a small bottle filled with red liquid and took a gulp. Then he proceeded to pick the incense burner up with his right hand and blew all the liquid in his mouth onto the burner, before making a hand seal and tapping the burner with his left middle finger.


    A puff of smoke rose from the mouth of the empty incense burner. A pungent burned and charred smell filled the air.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± The head of the maintenance crew asked, grimacing.

 Book 2 Chapter 208. Last Trick

    ¡°Smells like tree bark, spice and - ¡± The city agent who just performed the ritual narrowed his eyes while looking upwards.


    ¡°And what?¡± The leader of the city agents asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta leave - ¡± The agent almost dropped the incense burner: ¡°- NOW!¡±


    Everyone else on scene was shocked for a moment, before they began shooting at the door. But before they could get anywhere, the lights in the entire building flashed a few times before turning dark completely.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The city agents at the front banged into the glass doors and bounced backwards. The speed and impact of their charge should have been enough to break through, but it just did not.


    ¡°Fucking hell, STOP! EVERYONE STOP!¡± The city agent who performed the ritual on the incense burner raised his voice: ¡°Don¡¯t push! Don¡¯t panic. We¡¯re trapped - and panicking is not helping!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± A scene maintenance crew member asked, his voice was shaking.


    ¡°It¡¯s an illusion spell, mixed with some hallucinogens, possibly something put by that technician.¡± The city agent answered: ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rash. Don¡¯t run, because you might not know where you¡¯re going and you might hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay - what should we do?¡± Another city agent asked, his breathing was heavy and throaty: ¡°I - I¡¯m not feeling alright.¡±


    ¡°Deep breaths. Deep breaths.¡± The city agent who performed the ritual answered: ¡°Turn on your flashlights - we need light. Point lower, don¡¯t point at other people¡¯s faces.¡±


    Flashlights were turned on, some of those present did not have flashlights, so they just used their phones. But even though the flashlights and the phones were quite bright, the light they emitted was not able to light up less than an arm¡¯s length around them. Beyond this distance, everything in sight appeared to be clouded by ashes and dust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This should be an illusion as well.¡± The city agent who performed a ritual earlier nodded at everyone: ¡°Now, I want everyone to take a few deep breaths, and chant with me.¡±


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    ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Right now there appeared to be no other way.


    ¡°Clear be my spirit as the mountain¡¯s spring. ¡± The city agent started.


    ¡°Clear be my spirit as the mountain¡¯s spring. ¡± Everyone followed.


    ¡°Straight be my heart as an arrow¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°Straight be my heart as an arrow¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°Neither the wind nor the rain shall shake my will.¡±


    ¡°Neither the wind nor the rain - ¡± ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°Holy shit!¡± The following chant of the third sentence was cut short by two explosive gasps. A city agent and a scene maintenance crew member almost jumped from their positions, while staring right at something behind those who were standing opposite to them.


    The rest of those present looked in the same direction. And there they saw it - the shadow of a long-haired woman in a dress, a red dress. Her face was in the shadows, the only things visible to them were two glowing red streams pouring down from her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Don¡¯t panic!¡± The city agent who performed a ritual earlier urged: ¡°THIS IS AN ILLUSION! STAY CALM!¡±


    This would have worked, if not for another source of terror manifesting right among them: a woman, a young man, an older man whose bodies were bloated, mangled, torn up and covered in sores crawled from the shadows beneath them. Their fingers with broken and exposed bones, long nails and embedded bamboo spikes grabbed a few of them by their ankles and calves.


    ¡°Please¡­ Please save us¡­¡± With hoarse and gurgling voices, these shadows moaned: ¡°Please¡­ Save us¡­ It hurts so much¡­¡±


    The group scattered at an instant, screaming and yelling. Only three of the city agents remained where they stood.


    ¡°Fucking morons - ¡± The leader of the city agents cursed through his teeth, he turned to his colleague who had been instructing them on the proper actions so far: ¡°What is next? We should try to get outta here.¡±


    ¡°Might be for the best anyway.¡± The city agent who performed a ritual earlier reached into his jacket pockets and pulled out a small cloth pouch, inside of which were folded talismans made with dark yellow paper and crimson ink. He dispensed the talismans to the two colleagues who were still with him: ¡°Put it close to your heart, take three deep breaths, then follow me. We can figure this out when we¡¯re out.¡±


    All three of them walked towards the door, as the tormented bodies on the ground crawled towards them, dragging their innards, leaving terrifying red marks on the ground. This attracted the sights of the two city agents who had limited experience with the paranormal, but they just bit their tongues and continued following the one expert they had.


    The city agent who performed a ritual earlier used both his hands to examine the glass doors in front of him. After a few seconds, he found the position of the lock. He bit the tip of his right middle finger and drew a symbol on the lock.


    ¡°Come on. Come on.¡± The leader of the city agents mumbled. The bodies have held onto his legs and even crawled onto his back. The sensation of being grabbed and the weight on his shoulders all felt so real.


    ¡°All illusions, all hindrances, all that binds, cheats and lies, shall BREAK!¡± After a quick spell, the glass doors swung open.


    Three city agents immediately rushed out of the precinct building. The area outside was still dark, but much brighter than inside of the building. They looked around - it was the street near the entrance of the precinct building.


    ¡°Okay, what should we do?¡± The leader of the city agents asked.


    Terrified screams came from above. They looked up - it was four of their cohorts who ran away from the illusions earlier, breaking through the fifth or sixth floor window. And at the end of their trajectory, were the three who just exited the building.

 Book 2 Chapter 209. Distant Storm

    The night wind was chilly, and the terrain was uneven. Marcus chose not to go up the hills where the Temple of Forgetfulness was because in the event that he was followed he could shake the tail more easily and would not bring trouble to the temple.


    Taking a short break to check around every few steps, Marcus was finally halfway up. It seemed no one was following him, so he could speed up a little and be slightly reckless.


    It had been more than an hour after leaving the house of Captain Ko. But still, when his thoughts drifted near the not-so-distant memory of what just happened. Chills still shot through his back and his extremities. From everything he gathered, it must be Mrs. Ko, the wife of his captain who had not shown her face to anyone for more than a few years.


    Whatever happened to her, Marcus could only assume it was some kind of foul play, and the captain, with his access to certain forbidden knowledge, decided to keep her ¡°alive¡± but failed - or at least, he did not succeed, and wound up creating something terrifying.


    Captain Ko ended up not getting back to him after all. Maybe he could call the captain again after he was done with his business in the Temple of Forgetfulness.


    His heart sped up for a few beats; his ears rang; and the hairs on his back stood up. Something happened - something in the general area behind him.


    He looked back, and saw a thin golden pillar of light shooting up at the sky. It was no thicker than a bolt of lightning, but was much brighter. It was more than a beam of energy - as a sense of fortitude, devotion and sacrifice seemed to have permeated through the atmosphere. Marcus knew not how it was possible for this kind of emotion or spirit to spread to and resonate with him just through sight. But for a very brief moment he felt the urge to weep.


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    Clouds gathered in the air above the energy beam, it seemed as if some kind of thunderstorm was brewing and about to burst into existence. And as the storm gradually took shape, something in the city¡¯s air, in the city¡¯s veins and the very being was dealt a heavy blow. A looming grimness over the city was injured. It was broken before, but now, the wounds began to burn and fester. Water was rising, the dams were cracking, and the ground, was shaking.


    Before he could take another look at the golden energy beam or the clouds above it. Another abnormal occurrence broke out to his right. It was another distant area - an area inside the Northern District that was quite close to the border area between the Northern and the South-Western District. A pillar of smoke rose up into the sky, a blood rainbow appeared in the sky but was almost instantly swallowed by the smoke.


    The terrifying power of the blood moon was weakened, diminished and consumed. It was the first time Marcus ever saw something like this before. Before long, the pillar of smoke turned into a giant dark cloud. And when he fixed his eyes on it, he could see human faces and arms made of smoke appearing and disappearing from its exterior.


    Whatever it was, it was definitely not something he would want to deal with right now. In fact, he doubted anyone could actually do so. Maybe it was something he needed to ask the master about. And at the moment, the dark cloud was floating up North. Its speed was not that high, but as far as Marcus could tell, there was nothing that could stand in its way.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Having seen two inexplicable phenomena, the sense of urgency in Marcus¡¯ mind only grew more intense. He threw caution in the wind and shot up the hill. No one followed him anyway.


    ¡°Detective Cai, you¡¯re just in time.¡± Master Liaoran was in the yard with Wuzui. Two incense burners were placed on their sides, a thin bamboo fabric carpet was placed beneath them. From where Marcus was it seemed the master was just giving his apprentice a lesson. But something felt different - the main thing was that Wuzui was wearing an official monk robe, similar in style to the master¡¯s but fitted to Wuzui¡¯s build and physique.


    ¡°What - what¡¯s happening, Master?¡± Marcus asked, his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Nothing that should trouble you.¡± Master Liaoran let out a relaxed sigh then nodded at Wuzui: ¡°It¡¯s just a lesson on scriptures, before Wuzui would go on his first tribulation.¡±


    ¡°A tribulation? What is that? ¡± Marcus stepped into the yard, still confused as he had never heard of any tribulations in the history of the temple before: ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯ve never been a monk in this very temple, detective. ¡± Master Liaoran chuckled: ¡°But no matter. You¡¯ve come with questions and need for advice. And I just so happen to have a lot of time for you.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 210. Swords and Staff (Part 1)

    Following Master Liaoran¡¯s gesture, Marcus sat on a hay mat placed by Wuzui. Something else about this temple was also different, he just could not tell yet. Maybe it was because the many candles placed around him, maybe it was because he never really visited the temple at this time in this manner.


    Wuzui went into the inner sanctum then brought out a plain looking clay pot: ¡°Here¡¯s some tea, Detective Cai. ¡±


    Marcus hesitated for a brief moment before accepting a cup. Master Liaoran sat in front of him, across the bamboo skin carpet. Wuzui handed a small cup of tea to Master Liaoran, who then signaled him to sit down alongside them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come with a lot of questions, Detective.¡± Master Liaoran accepted his cup of tea, took a sip then looked Marcus in the eyes: ¡°But before that, let me lend you a hand - there¡¯s a tracing spell placed upon you. I am not certain who placed it on you, but I could remove it for you if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°A tracing spell - Oh!¡± Marcus did not really get what the master was referring to at first. But after a short moment and another sip of tea it came to him - the master was referring to whatever spell Luo Zhuge placed on him. ¡°Uh - this was still useful to me, master. But thank you!¡±


    ¡°Useful?¡± Master Liaoran slightly narrowed his eyes: ¡°What for? Do you know the person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s a bit of a long story.¡± Marcus finished his cup of tea before proceeding to summarize everything he went through to the master. The tea was fragrant, relaxing and energizing, and it definitely helped.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot of things in a short span of time. ¡± Master Liaoran scratched his jaw, as Wuzui refilled Marcus¡¯ tea cup: ¡°And I just noticed this - your Qi is much more balanced than before. And - I¡¯m sorry if this seems overly blunt and insensitive, but I don¡¯t think you would be capable of achieving this level of harmony in this short amount of time. So this led me to only one conclusion: you had sex - and with someone who wielded compatible Qi to yours.¡±


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    Both Marcus and Wuzui almost spat at the same time. Wuzui hovered his left hand over mouth to cover up his laughs.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about, really.¡± The master smiled and shook his head: ¡°Thirst, hunger and sexual desires are all but natural to all humans. Do you think the great masters of old all remained virgins until their deaths? Some of them did, but not all of them. In fact - ¡±


    ¡°Master - I - ¡± Marcus tried to interject.


    ¡°In fact - ¡± Master Liaoran raised his hand to show his insistence on finishing his sentence: ¡°In fact, a lot of powerful masters were couples, or had partners of compatible Qi. And with a correct way of doing things, you will be able to speed up the cultivation of each other¡¯s Qi by magnitudes.¡±


    ¡°Master - ¡± Marcus could almost find a hole to crawl into, and he just needed the master to stop, or even to pause for a moment.


    ¡°Wuzui, fetch me the Scripture of Yin Yang and Harmony.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Wuzui: ¡°It¡¯s not some invaluable manual or secret spellbook. It¡¯s just old text with old but time-tested wisdom and philosophies. I am afraid that¡¯s all I can help you with, because this is - is a strange area to me as well, and I know only some basics and have no experience at all. There might be some who could help during the old days, but I cannot guarantee to you that you can find them.¡±


    ¡°Well - that¡¯s - that¡¯s very helpful. ¡± Marcus took a deep breath and pushed his feeling of embarrassment down his stomach. If it could help him, then it would take priority over how he felt about the topic. ¡°My gratitude, Master. But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m here for - ¡±


    ¡°I know. You¡¯re here because you are very close to certain truths of this city.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Marcus again, and put his cup down: ¡°You may do well to remember this - once you have known or encountered enough of the truths, they would have a certain look, and a certain smell. It¡¯s the air around them, their aura, their fire. You are very close, so soon, you will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and smell what we smell.¡±


    ¡°I see - ¡±


    ¡°And I want to start with this.¡± Master Liaoran picked up the teapot and refilled Marcus¡¯ cup: ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve learned about this over the city infrastructure project decades ago. And I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve learned about my role in it, but if you¡¯d hear it from me, I can tell you this, without any burden on you, or asking you to just blindly trust me, that I, WAS, involved in it. But not in the way that you probably thought.¡±


    Marcus let out a breath of relief. This was one of his biggest concerns regarding coming here. Wuzui appeared to be very calm about this revelation - he knew already.


    ¡°The man who worked with the city and tried his best to push for the wide adoption of this new technology, as well as the one who actually invented it, he was my mentor at one point.¡± Master Liaoran proceeded to share another bomb.

 Book 2 Chapter 211. Swords and Staff (Part 2)

    ¡°Who was he? ¡± Marcus asked. This question was not important, but he just needed to know. For this long, he had never heard of this person, it was buried as deep as the infrastructure project.


    ¡°I could not mention his name. For us who knew him or knew of him, his name is off limits. ¡± Master Liaoran sighed and shook his head: ¡°If I mention his name, the bind on me will be broken, and there goes the protection this temple provides. So - my apologies.¡±


    ¡°I understand, master - ¡±


    ¡°But I can tell you this.¡± Master Liaoran looked up at the night sky, smiling and reminiscing: ¡°He was an idealist old man. Wise as you¡¯d expect, kind hearted but tough and braver than anyone I¡¯ve known. When he was just a lowly staffer in the city¡¯s unpublished paranormal department, he could not stomach the tragedies and deaths from the paranormal entities and decided to find a way to prevent them. And after many trials and errors, he found the inspiration to build a new kind of electric grid, because electricity, even when it is traveling through wires, can carry signals and messages with them. And thus, it can be talismans or arrays - just a whole new different kind.


    ¡°As you can imagine. This idea was quite radical, and would take a lot of resources to implement at scale. Mind you, he was no expert in rituals or talisman making. He was only an investigator from the city. So he delved into research and old texts. When even they proved insufficient, he decided to venture into the old ruins. And I, being his assistant, his apprentice and somewhat of a bodyguard, followed him into it.


    ¡°The wisdom and mind in the ruins bestowed different gifts onto us. HIS gift was what he was searching for - the ways to embed spells in the electricity, and to make arrays at great scale. And my gift, was the enlightenment to the core wisdom and philosophies of mystic martial arts. This monk was already a somewhat well-known martial artist at the time. And after that, this monk was blessed and fortunate to have exceeded what was possible for anyone of similar age. This monk was barely 18 years old at the time.


    ¡°And thanks to that, in the following years, while his endeavor and campaign garnered more and more support as well as hostility, this monk was able to keep him and his family safe. Everything was proceeding somewhat smoothly, until the push to build the substations in the South-Eastern District encountered stronger than expected resistance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard about that, I can¡¯t imagine the South-Easterners would easily agree to this, if ever. ¡± Marcus scratched his jaw and nodded: ¡°Fengshui was important to them, and something like that was literally heresy.¡±


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    ¡°It could just be because of how things worked out, or it could be intentional sabotage from people in the city. But it indeed happened just like you said, detective. The locals were offended that the proposed substations would be built on their temples and places of worship and rituals. So the project was stalled. And it later got worse when the rest of the city started actually building the substations and was seeing actual results.¡±


    ¡° - at the expense of the South-Eastern District, by pushing the paranormal to the only available area?¡± Marcus shook his head.


    Master Liaoran laughed, his face was full of relief and pride: ¡°Yes. Exactly. As you can imagine, this pulled him, the leader of the campaign and project into the abyss of immense scrutiny, pressure and stress. A group of people who were hostile to this endeavor took advantage of his distraughtness and kidnapped his family. He asked, nay, begged this monk to go and save them while leaving him be. So - this monk went.


    ¡°His family was fine. But he was not. By the time this monk got back, he was already gone, from a knife wound to the heart.


    ¡°For a moment, this monk wanted nothing but revenge. But this monk was nowhere as smart as he once was, so this monk chose to make sure that his family would be safe. A deal was made with the people behind this, and this monk was stuck here. If only this monk could tell you who these people were, but unfortunately this monk only made a deal through an emissary. From that moment on, this monk became the sole monk in this forgotten temple, and a pillar in this crucial spot. Yes, this spot is a Fengshui Spot in the Qiyun meridians running across the city as well. And effectively, when making the deal and becoming the supposed only monk of this very temple, this monk had become a pillar. A pillar of human flesh and faith. This is why this monk couldn¡¯t just leave, and couldn¡¯t just share the secrets with the rest of the world about what happened. Because this monk is bound by my oath and the protection afforded by the temple.¡±


    ¡°But why now? ¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you still be bound by now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. It simply is time.¡± Master Liaoran looked up at the sky, first in the direction of the golden energy pillar, and then Northward: ¡°The city had been in its state of decay and crumbling long before this monk took this post. And as time went by the bind on me had become weak, and thus, a time to act once again.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, master? Where - where do we even start?¡± Marcus looked Northward as well: ¡°I just saw this - this terrifying cloud of unclean energy, and it¡¯s floating north. I am not sure what caused it, but it had swallowed even a Blood Rainbow.¡±


    ¡°Blood Rainbows themselves are the product of both the spell and array built from the electric grid and the disturbed flow of Qiyun around the city. And its shape comes directly from a gate of the old ruins - the palace that it was before it fell.¡± Master Liaoran laid down his tea cup: ¡°And that thing - this monk could tell that its target is not anyone here. Unfortunately there¡¯s no way to stop it. The only thing we could do - or the first step, is to actually head to the place where the core of the dark ritual is, and - ¡±


    ¡°Break it? ¡± Marcus asked, frowning: ¡°I - I am not certain about that, master. Since it¡¯s got its hold on the Qiyun hold in the entire city, breaking it would be - ¡±


    ¡°Catastrophic? Yes. Which is why that¡¯s not what we¡¯re doing it right away.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°What we¡¯re doing at the first step, is to reboot the spell embedded in the electric grid. The only path forward is to start anew.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 212. Daggers Ready

    ¡°Yes, reboot. Because the entire network is in essence a spell based on electricity, delivering powerful shocks to certain critical nodes and the ¡¯core¡¯ could give everything a much needed kick. It will not undo all the corruption and pollution over the years. But it will be a start.¡± Master Liaoran sighed and shrugged: ¡°Curious that sometimes things of the old times could still have similar effects as modern day, right? Don¡¯t worry, as long as you follow this monk and this monk¡¯s instructions, we will be fine. This monk will handle the most difficult and arcane of the steps.¡±


    Marcus thought for a moment, then asked: ¡°And when we complete the process, what should we do? And - what do we need to prepare after we do the ¡®reboot¡¯?¡±


    ¡°To be honest with you, detective, this monk doesn¡¯t have an answer for you.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°Because everything is in theory only, this is this monk¡¯s late mentor¡¯s theory - something he crafted when he was formalizing the framework for the electric substations. And when we do it, the entire city¡¯s power might be cut off for a brief moment, and as would the protection provided by the electricity.¡±


    ¡°That - that seems like something we need to send out a city-wide alert for¡­¡± Marcus scratched his hair: ¡°Nonono - this is horrible, if we did that, these people will know that we¡¯re onto them.¡±


    ¡°The choice is out of your hand, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Wuzui interjected: ¡°Things are happening really fast - and I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re out of time already. You can try to warn as many as possible, but for one it will lower your chance of success.¡±


    ¡°Alright - alright, let me - let me think about it. I think we need the help of our captain.¡± Marcus sighed and shook his head: ¡°Just - just tell me your plan, master.¡±


    ¡°You should have found out where the center of the array is, right?¡± Master Liaoran looked Marcus in the eyes: ¡°It should be a place with immense electricity consumption or concentration. Wuzui mentioned some power plants, banks or factories, but they are all outside of the city or near the mountains, this would be very improbable because the core of the array needs to be inside of the city, as close to the center of the city as possible - ¡±


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    ¡°A datacenter in the Northern City.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°That¡¯s one of our officers¡¯ solve - and I believe him. I¡¯m not an expert on this, but data centers consume a huge amount of electricity. And we¡¯re already going to try to figure it out. Once we confirm - we will then try to strike it where it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Wuzui, can you bring me the coin jar and the fortune sticks?¡± Master Liaoran turned to Wuzui. Wuzui stood up, bowed and ran to the inner sanctum.


    ¡°What changed here, master? It¡¯s bothering me a little.¡± Marcus took the chance to ask the master with a lowered voice.


    Master Liaoran chuckled and patted Marcus on his left shoulder: ¡°Patience, detective. Patience is a virtue. Please understand, for many reasons I cannot tell you right now. But soon you¡¯ll see. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus nodded and pushed his questions back. The thought of the master leaving his post would be too worrisome and burdensome for him right now, he just could not spare the energy and time to ponder it.


    Wuzui brought back a clay jar of coins and a wide but short bamboo tube with thin bamboo sticks inside - coin jars and fortune sticks, both tools of divination.


    ¡°Are you sure you wanna do this, Master?¡± Wuzui seemed unsettled by the master¡¯s choice: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be - dangerous to you? Even cost you some - some life?¡±


    ¡°This monk has lived enough days, months and years locked in this place and wasting away.¡± Master Liaoran laughed: ¡°So to finally light up hope for the people in this city, this monk shall not dodge this chance. What¡¯s a few years out of a long life, when important deeds can be done?¡±


    ¡°Okay, master. ¡± Wuzui sighed, ¡±Do you want me to start?¡±


    ¡°This monk will start.¡± Master Liaoran raised his right hand, sticking his middle and index fingers up. His left hand brushed through the two fingers and cut two thin wounds on the fingertips. He picked the coin jar up with his left hand, and dabbed two bloody fingerprints on the jar, before turning it and holding it upside down. The copper coins inside spun from the spinning motion and stayed inside the jar. Tingles and clunks rang from the internal collisions.


    The master gradually slowed the spin. One coin fell from the mouth, and he swiftly turned the jar back up. It was an old coin with a square hole at the center. Four single words were etched around the hole.


    ¡°Come. Day. Veil. Night.¡± Wuzui read the words on the coin.


    ¡°Tomorrow evening.¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s facial expression was stern: ¡°That¡¯s our optimal time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit - too soon.¡± Maste frowned.


    ¡°No matter. Now - onto how likely we¡¯ll succeed.¡± Master Liaoran picked up the bamboo tube with fortune sticks inside and began shaking it.


    Before long, a stick with a red tip dropped from the tube.

 Book 2 Chapter 213. Poem

    ¡°The mountain is high, the wind is nigh; Gloom roams close, rain is in sight; Beware, beware, of the flickering light.¡± So read the small piece of paper tucked inside of the thin bamboo fortune stick.


    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a three line poem, so it¡¯s a simple answer. But the meaning behind it - ¡± Wuzui frowned as he looked at Master Liaoran¡¯s face, hesitant to say anything else.


    ¡°The meaning behind is simple: the odds are against us, but not unbeatable. ¡± Master Liaoran took a deep breath before answering: ¡°So this monk thinks - at least for the foreseeable future, we don¡¯t have much of an option if we want to make a difference. Now, what do you think, detective?¡±


    ¡°I think - ¡± Marcus hesitated: ¡°I think - if this is the case then I¡¯ll need to act soon. WE will need to act soon. But - but Master, I still have one more question I really need answers to, if you can enlighten me on it - ¡±


    ¡°What is it, detective?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve been here for a long time, and you¡¯ve seen - a lot. I was wondering if there is a way outta this - ¡± Marcus tried to organize his thoughts but he just could not muster up enough courage and consideration to put it eloquently yet candidly: ¡°And I mean - not for me, but for my father.¡±


    ¡°This monk cannot give you an answer on that either, apologies.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°For you, the answer would be no. Because, as you can imagine, being involved with all of this entangles your life and your fate with the Qiyun of this very city. And even if you leave, there is no way to tell how simple but forceful physical separation would do to you.¡±


    ¡°... and because my father¡¯s Qiyun is entangled with mine, it is difficult to tell how it would affect him when he¡¯s out of the city and thus separating our Qiyun and fate.¡± Marcus shook his head and let out a heavy and frustrated sigh: ¡°I understand now, master. Thank you.¡±


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    ¡°It is nothing short of virtuous and kind. But - if this monk could offer you any advice on handling your relationship with your father, it is to let him be there for you.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°Even if your intentions are benign and out of concern and love, leaving him out there while you go risking your life would hurt him deeply.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°I still won¡¯t bring him when we go tomorrow evening though.¡±


    ¡°No. That will be unwise. ¡± Master Liaoran chuckled: ¡°Then it is settled. Why don¡¯t you and your friends, allies meet here tomorrow before sundown? There¡¯s a small and forgotten path towards the Northern District from here. If you bring your transportation, this monk will ride with you. And if this monk manages to get to the old contacts will see if they could donate some transportation.¡±


    ¡°Okay, tomorrow, before sundown.¡± Marcus nodded at the master: ¡°And please, master, take care and be careful.¡±


    ¡°One moment, Marcus. This monk knows it is unlikely, but if you have the opportunity, acquiring some of these things would provide great assistance to our quest.¡± Master Liaoran handed Marcus a piece of folded paper - it was a short list of item names.


    As Marcus turned and headed down the road, Master Liaoran coughed lightly and stumbled forward a step. Wuzui immediately went forward to hold him.


    ¡°Are you alright, Master?¡± Wuzui asked as he used his right hand under Master Liaoran¡¯s left armpit to straighten the master¡¯s back: ¡°That was - that was more costly than I thought. What happened?¡±


    ¡°One thing about these three line fortune stick poems, is that they are not only accurate, but also vary in their own cost.¡± Master Liaoran spit some blood onto the ground before soothing his own breaths: ¡°Just be glad this one did not really take anything irreparable - just some small parts of my inner organs. Bring me back and bring out the Wine of Ice and Fire, I¡¯ll need to meditate to heal myself before tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Of course, master.¡±


    Master had to run a bit of distance in the dark before reaching an area where he could see human structures other than roads like office buildings, warehouses and street lights. It was not safe to take a taxi. He did not know how to hotwire a car. So after searching for a short while, he had his eyes on a humble bicycle.


    ¡°Alright, fucking hell.¡± Marcus took a deep breath before ripping the metal chains off the bike¡¯s front and back tires.


    Around forty minutes later. Marcus came back to the apartment arranged by Gloria and her friend. It could have been shorter, but checking tails and hiding the bike took some additional time.


    ¡°Oh my god. I thought you¡¯d never come back!¡± Elvin greeted his son with a big hug, before pulling Marcus in: ¡°Come, let¡¯s get in. And you need to take a shower. Whatever did you do to have sweated like this? You¡¯re kinda stinking now, you know?¡±


    ¡°I just need a cup of water. Then I¡¯ll tell you all about it.¡± Marcus¡¯ throat was burning and his voice was raspy. The non-stop running and bike riding had built up quite a thirst, but strangely, not too much exhaustion.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Kevin? And Keryn and Mick?¡± Marcus asked as he threw his jacket in the corner of the living room.


    ¡°They - uh - they went out to check the surroundings. But they¡¯ll be back soon!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 214. Empty Temple

    ¡°You guys sure this is a good idea?¡± Mick tucked his hoodie tighter as he followed Kevin and Keryn into the small, open area in front of the temple with red brick exterior walls. Oiled and red ropes with paper talismans tied on them hung horizontally from different pillars on the walls. He had been here only once, when he was very young on a family trip to experience the culture of the South-Eastern District. He could only remember what it was inside: colorful tile floors, religious local folks holding batches of incense sticks, and large incense burners emitting smoke. It was somewhat of a cultural landmark, but he had not considered the functional significance of it until recently.


    ¡°It is, at least to prove a theory.¡± Kevin nodded, his facial expression was serious, much more serious than most of the times he had shown: ¡°Now, let¡¯s just take a look at the ropes and talismans first, then maybe we should check out if there¡¯s anyone watching the entire temple.¡±


    ¡°What are you expecting to find here, Kevin?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°First of all is the unnatural corruption of the temple¡¯s protection.¡± Kevin whispered as they were closer to the walls: ¡°Then, if we¡¯re lucky, we can maybe get something from the temple.¡±


    ¡°You mean steal something.¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, well, desperate times, Keryn.¡± Kevin shrugged: ¡°And if the scholars are really missing, and what those fuckers told Chef Tang is true, then they¡¯d have much more pressing concerns than a few missing items.¡±


    ¡°But to be honest, I don¡¯t know how those people could pull things off like that.¡± Mick sighed: ¡°I mean - they just go ahead and kidnap young children on that massive scale? This is unthinkable! You¡¯d think we would have heard something about it by now.¡±


    ¡°Probably due to their targets, and probably due to the people behind it having a lot of power.¡± Keryn shook his head.


    ¡°But - how long have you guys been investigating this? We haven¡¯t really seen anything from the official pressure from higher up, right?¡± Mick asked: ¡°I mean - even the people questioning the city¡¯s investigation of the cruise ship accident, the city had really put A LOT of pressure on everyone - ¡±


    ¡°Could be Captain Ko.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°Hell, from all we know he took most of the pressure from above. I don¡¯t know what kind of leverage he had over them - ¡±


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    ¡°Shhh! Quiet!¡± Kevin whispered as he snuck up to a corner of the temple¡¯s outer wall. He took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the talismans, the red ropes and the walls. They were hung higher up on the walls so he had to zoom in closer to see different angles for the same talisman.


    Keryn hopped up and took a quick peek of what was behind the walls: ¡°Don¡¯t fret, looks like no one is inside. So - what do the talismans tell you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a minute.¡± Kevin enlarged the picture so that he could see the talismans, while at the same time pulled out his notebook and began checking the symbols.


    ¡°Do you want me to pick one down?¡± Keryn asked: ¡°But - that¡¯s bad luck, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t do it.¡± Kevin shook his head as he zeroed in on a few of the symbols: ¡°Um - this is a protection and scapegoating talisman - and with the red rope up there, it¡¯s definitely a guarding array - ¡±


    ¡°We can kinda see that, what¡¯s special about this one?¡± Keryn asked again: ¡°Do you want me to go in and peek around?¡±


    ¡°Wait - wait - don¡¯t do it yet. It might not be safe.¡± Kevin raised his hand and stopped Keryn, before showing her and Mick the picture: ¡°This - this is a redirection ward symbol. So - if I¡¯m guessing correctly, everything they had out here is to protect the temple and redirect whatever thing elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°But - what is all this protecting the temple from?¡± Mick asked, frowning: ¡°This is a very crowded area right? So I guess they wouldn¡¯t normally see a lot of paranormal phenomena? Or - are you thinking about Blood Rainbows?¡±


    ¡°The temples should already have protection against the effects of Blood Rainbows. Especially for a big temple like Kshiti Temple.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°And from what I¡¯ve learned, most of the time Blood Rainbows can¡¯t even manifest around temple areas.¡±


    ¡°Unless something changed, like the corruption of Qiyun and ¡®the curse¡¯.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Let¡¯s go around and check what¡¯s inside the temple and see if anyone¡¯s in there. It¡¯s - it¡¯s not really normal that no one is watching.¡±


    ¡°I can give you a boost and you can see for yourself.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± Kevin raised his phone again to take a few more pictures of other talismans on a different wall.


    The talismans were the same as the ones on the first wall. The rope was hung the same way. And just as Kevin took a step back to examine the three walls in their sight, each wall had one rope near its top, and each rope had five talismans on it. The talismans were symmetrical in placement as well: from left to right, the first and second one were identical to the fifth and forth one.


    ¡°Keryn, can you do me a favor and check on top of the wall in the middle? In similar positions to the talisman in the middle.¡± Kevin frowned: ¡°Still be careful, don¡¯t touch any of them.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Keryn hopped up again, this time closer to the top of the wall. She did not touch anything. Just to be sure, she hopped again. Only slightly lower this time.


    ¡°What¡¯d you see?¡± Mick and Kevin asked at the same time.


    ¡°There¡¯s a very thin thread - or chain, connecting some kind of metal nail attached to the talisman in the middle. It¡¯s this thin - ¡± Keryn held her right hand index finger and thumb together to show Kevin and Mick how thin the chain actually was: ¡°If you hadn¡¯t mentioned, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Do you know what it means?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s some kind of ¡®lightning rod¡¯, only for unclean energy.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°At least that¡¯s all I could tell. The talismans on both sides are warding and cleansing talismans, like a funnel with filters in the mouth. But the energy would still be redirected into the walls.¡±


    ¡°But for what?¡± Mick asked: ¡°Something needs to absorb or neutralize the energy anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, which means it¡¯s a temporary measure. If done for too long it¡¯s going to be terrible.¡± Kevin sighed.

 Book 2 Chapter 215. Track is Back

    ¡°You did what?¡± Marcus came out of the show just to run into the trio of Kevin, Keryn and Mick.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad. I insisted we need to check out the Kshiti Temple, and they were gracious enough to accompany me.¡± Kevin immediately stepped forward: ¡°Something¡¯s really off with that temple, I couldn''t really tell why. So I suggested we go.¡±


    ¡°But at least they¡¯re safe! They¡¯re here!¡± Elvin tried to help Kevin and the rest of the trio.


    ¡°And we weren¡¯t followed. We made sure of that.¡± Keryn nodded: ¡°And Marcus, I think you¡¯re gonna wanna know what we found.¡±


    ¡°... fine. But please be careful.¡± Marcus shook his head. He was frustrated at first but in his heart of hearts there was no way for him to stop them from looking into things connected to the whole situation. ¡°Alright, what¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°The temple is empty, well, basically empty - only one person was watching over the temple. But he¡¯s sleeping in one of the side rooms.¡± Keryn sat down and picked up a small cup of tea on the coffee table: ¡°And - I think the really bad news should be left to Kevin.¡±


    ¡°Kshiti Temple is one of the biggest temples in the South-Eastern District, it has more than a dozen small prayer places and they own a lot of spare land. They also have at least three elders and some famous scholars backing them. They also donate thousands of talismans to people who cannot afford it every month.¡± Kevin read from his note: ¡°So, what we¡¯re looking at is one giant, powerful temple with hundreds of people working for them. Thousands if we count the volunteers and contractors. And even they are having trouble dealing with whatever¡¯s going on - so. I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°What did they do to deal with it?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°They set up a protection array using ropes, talismans and - and this strange configuration that will redirect unclean energy into the wall, or the ground below.¡± Kevin sighed, finished his tea and then poured himself another: ¡°This is fucking ridiculous, all of this and no one is watching the temple itself? What if someone tampered with the setup? Something must have happened.¡±


    ¡°And - you¡¯re sure no one¡¯s there to observe you? Or put some kind of spell on you?¡± Marcus asked again.


    ¡°Pretty sure. I¡¯m on alert the whole time.¡± Keryn shrugged.


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    ¡°I also checked, the people living around seem kinda scared. ¡± Mick sighed: ¡°Some of them have their windows blockaded and some have placed Bagua Mirrors on their windows and doors.¡±


    Marcus sat down by the coffee table and picked up an unused tea cup: ¡°Okay. Did you happen to check whether there are people living there?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven''t checked. We came back as soon as possible because everything¡¯s just creep us the fuck out.¡± Keryn shrugged.


    ¡°Okay - okay. This is - this is actually kinda timely.¡± Marcus laid back on the sofa: ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve got some really bad news for you guys. But hey, thank you for the investigation. It actually gives what I¡¯m about to say a lot of context.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what are you talking about?¡± Mick was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah, I told you I was there to seek guidance and wisdom. So I went to the Temple of Forgetfulness.¡± Marcus rubbed his temples: ¡°And - Master Liaoran, the one and only monk there for the longest time. He gave me some knowledge about - the history of the city. And a plan to - to kick off the cure and solution to everything.¡±


    Marcus then proceeded to summarize and retell everyone everything he heard from Master Liaoran - including the master¡¯s role in the city before everything, the initial source of conflict between the city and the South-Eastern District, and their plan.


    ¡°Tomorrow evening?¡± Mick opened his eyes wide.


    ¡°Yes. Tomorrow evening, and even then our chances of success would be low.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Now - I don¡¯t want to ask too much of you. But I would really need your help when - when we act.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡± Kevin raised his hand.


    ¡°What - are you sure?¡± Keryn narrowed her eyes at Kevin: ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, Kevin, but you¡¯re a civilian.¡±


    ¡°None taken. But still, I am at least a half decent shot, I know about rituals, talismans and the paranormal.¡± Kevin counted with his fingers: ¡°And - I know computer stuff. If you get in the data center, do you even know what to do without me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But Mick can do that as well. And he¡¯s actually a certified shooter.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°We can¡¯t just bring a civilian into action.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not gonna matter right now.¡± Kevin shrugged.


    ¡°Wait! - wait a second.¡± Elvin raised his hand: ¡°Before you make any decisions, you might want to hear what I recorded off the radio.¡± He clicked the button on the screen, then out played a recording, with the tone of a public service announcement.


    ¡°This is a public safety alert. All residents of Poison City, please be on alert for these fugitives that are on the loose: Marcus Cai, male, 31 years of age, average build; Black hair, brown eyes. Kevin Loo, 25 years of age, slim build; Black hair, brown eyes. Keryn Lance - ¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, we got it.¡± Keryn stopped Elvin¡¯s broadcast: ¡°So they have put us in the wanted list already?¡±


    Before anyone else could say anything, someone knocked on the door. Marcus and Keryn jumped before Kevin, Elvin and Mick.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. It¡¯s me.¡± It was a familiar voice, it was the voice of a mature woman, who proceeded to open the door with her own keys.


    ¡°You¡¯re the landlord?¡± Keryn asked as she lowered her hands, only by a little.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The woman came in and locked the door behind her. Her clothes looked slightly torn and dirty, as if she just came from a fight: ¡°Gloria just went on an investigation. I thought I¡¯d check on you. I could have called the landline first, but I was nowhere near a phone ¡­ Oh - and catch, asshole.¡± She tossed a small item at Marcus before finishing her sentence.


    Marcus caught it - it was the wooden plaque from Luo Zhuge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave foul and unlucky things at my shop next time, got it?¡± The woman¡¯s sharp gaze left Marcus embarrassed and temporarily out of words.

 Book 2 Chapter 216. Late Night Rendezvous (Part 1)

    ¡°My sincerest apologies. It won¡¯t happen next time. ¡± Marcus bowed to the woman. This must be Luoshan Zi, Gloria¡¯s mentor, and the ¡°big sister¡± that raised her when she washed ashore into the South-Eastern District.


    Luoshan Zi huffed, walked into the kitchen and took out a bottle of alcohol: ¡°Now - spill. How long are you planning to stay here? The whole fucking city is looking for you. And the targets on your backs are really hot.¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know.¡± Marcus lowered his head. Things could indeed get harder for them.


    ¡°Okay. Then you¡¯d better figure it out.¡± Luoshan Zi took a big gulp of the alcohol in her hand: ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am not gonna kick you out, not just yet. But whatever business you and Gloria are doing together, if you get caught, it could burn her. So you¡¯d better watch out, huh?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± Elvin stepped in and tried to ease the tension: ¡°We definitely won¡¯t be staying for too long. We would be outta here whenever we find a safe place to hide - ¡±


    ¡°Actually - do you have a way to contact Gloria?¡± Marcus interrupted his father: ¡°I think it would be kinda dangerous to contact her via phone or your landline here, so I was wondering - ¡±


    ¡°No, unfortunately, otherwise I would be somewhere else now.¡± Luoshan Zi sighed: ¡°I¡¯d suggest you call her on her mobile phone. But not from here.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll, uh - I¡¯ll call her in a minute. I - for now I need a break. I practically ran and rode a bike back here because I can¡¯t just take a taxi. ¡±


    ¡°You could have hotwired a car.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do that. ¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a pretty valuable skill, even for a copper.¡± Luozhan Zi took another gulp: ¡°And - if you don¡¯t mind. I¡¯d like to know your plan.¡±


    Marcus walked to the coffee table and picked up his cup: ¡°Well, I was thinking we regroup and - ¡±


    ¡°Wait - I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s safe - ¡± Kevin immediately interjected: ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s safe to just share with - someone out - ¡±


    ¡°Share with someone outside of your group?¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr. Kevin Loo. Gloria trusts me, and she obviously trusts Detective Marcus Cai of the 17th Precinct of PCPD enough to ask me to do you this favor. So I guess I am one in the know. And besides, I myself have some connections to some masters of mystic martial artists as well as powerful people in the community collective, you may actually get some additional assistance on what you¡¯re planning to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus drank three cups of tea before proceeding to give a summarized answer: ¡°I just met with an esteemed monk, he provided some critical wisdom to me about the situation with the city. And we have a plan to strike those who are responsible tomorrow. Tomorrow evening, to be precise.¡±


    ¡°By esteemed monk, you meant Master Liaoran, right?¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°You are being so secretive I was almost beginning to be upset with you. But yeah, if it¡¯s involving the master of the Temple of Forgetfulness, I can definitely understand. And by those responsible, you mean some kind of energy building in the city, right? Which company are you going to go after? Younger brother?¡±


    The call of ¡°younger brother¡± sent chills down Marcus¡¯ spine, he looked up at the mature woman - she did not look much older than Gloria. But upon more careful inspection, he could tell her Qi reserved and much more powerful than what he had expected. She was once a student of the master as well.


    ¡°What? You never expected a powerful monk and master of almost all trades like Master Liaoran would only have one student?¡±


    ¡°I never asked. And Master Liaoran never really mentioned anyone.¡± Marcus sighed, stood up and bowed gently to the mature woman: ¡°It¡¯s nice to have finally met you, elder sister. I only wish the circumstances would be better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If the master had not told you about me or anyone else, that means he has his reasons. And he did not tell you to seek our help, which means he did not intend for past students to get involved.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can only assume so.¡± Marcus nodded.


    Luoshan Zi hesitated for a moment before relenting her pursuit of clear answers from Marcus:  ¡°Then that¡¯s enough for me. I, too, am saddened by the circumstances of our first encounter. Maybe later we can have another meeting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love that.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Now, maybe in just a bit you could try to contact her.¡± Luoshan Zi checked the clock on the fridge: ¡°We have a tacit agreement, that when we go out for important deliveries, we should report back after a while as a codeword for people¡¯s safety. And today - today¡¯s special is ice cream latte. And here - ¡± She threw a burner phone at Marcus: ¡°Try this before using your own phone. The battery¡¯s almost out though.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 217. Late Night Rendezvous (Part 2)

    Marcus had to sneak out of the apartment complex and find a corner on the opposite side of the Kshiti Temple to make the call. This was all to make sure if anyone was to triangulate the general area where he made the call, they would be misled into another region. Other than that the only measure he could use to avoid being tracked would be using the burner phone given to him by Luoshan Zi. It was indeed about to run out of battery, a shame that he did not get the chance to recharge.


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria sounded impatient, but at least she answered.


    ¡°This is Marcus.¡± Marcus spoke with haste: ¡°Please listen to me, because this phone¡¯s gonna die soon. Are you safe? Can we find a place to meet? I just found out something. And - we - I need your help on something, it could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I have something to share with you as well.¡± Gloria¡¯s tone softened: ¡°Yeah, I think we should meet. When do you think?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible. A place we both know, but let¡¯s not say it here.¡±


    Gloria Paused for a brief moment: ¡°Okay, how about the place last time we shared food at. Actual food, not emergency food or other stuff.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Last place where we shared food.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°How soon can you be there?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible. I am a bit of distance away so it might take me a while. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a bit as well.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°See you then. I¡¯ll wait for - at most an hour, how¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Sounds cautious enough. Same here.¡± Gloria responded: ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you too.¡±


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    The last place they shared food at would be the street right outside of Chef Tang¡¯s noodle shop. And that was where he was going. It was not that far from where he was. It only took him around ten minutes on foot. He tried to hide from people at first, but as the night got darker, less and less people were around. So he just sped through the rest of the way.


    The crowded and busy street was now completely empty, with some old and almost non-functioning street lights flickering, casting another layer of creepiness to the night. The smell of food lingered in the air, buns, fried donuts and scallion pancakes, classic, unhealthy but mouth-watering. Around the intersection of the main street and a small alley was a dark corner, a few steps away from the steamed bun stand where they bought those delicious snacks before going into the shop to meet the chef.


    ¡°Psst.¡± Less than five minutes into his wait, Marcus already heard the familiar voice call to him: ¡°Hey! Marcus!¡±


    Gloria hopped from the wall behind Marcus and landed an arm¡¯s length from him to his right. ¡°Good, at least we both thought of the same place.¡±


    ¡°Of course. ¡± Marcus let out an exhale of relief, smiled then nodded: ¡°And it¡¯s great to see you¡¯re okay. How¡¯s - how¡¯re your friends?¡±


    ¡°Not too good. One of my friends almost got taken. They beat him.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°They tried to ambush us, but didn¡¯t really get anywhere - ¡±


    Gloria was surprised when Marcus walked over and gave her a quick but close hug. She hugged back, but really did not get a chance to savor or process it further: ¡°Okay there, glad to see you¡¯re okay. What¡¯d you have?¡±


    Marcus let go of Gloria, took a deep breath to calm his beating heart down before speaking: ¡°As I said. I need your help. We have a plan. And it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Okay - before that, why not just tell me what you learned? What happened with your captain?¡±


    ¡°I lost contact with him. So I just did what he asked me. ¡± Marcus let out a long sigh: ¡°It''s - uh, I¡¯ll tell you about it later. It¡¯s not important right now. What¡¯s important is what I heard from Master Liaoran from the Temple of Forgetfulness¡­¡±


    Gloria listened, with full focus and intent while Marcus explained everything he heard from Master Liaoran, his understanding of the entire situation, his fears, worries, and finally, his plan to strike tomorrow evening.


    ¡°Now - I - I know I can¡¯t be asking this much of you - ¡± Marcus stammered. He had his speech ready but still was struggling to get it out.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hear what I learned before you tell me about your concerns?¡± Gloria shrugged, smiling: ¡°Can I take a look at the ¡®shopping list¡¯ the master gave you?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Marcus had it ready in his inner jacket pocket, and handed it to Gloria without delay.


    ¡°Panguan Writing Brush, Purple Talisman Paper.¡± Gloria read the first two item names out loud: ¡°Those are - are really big asks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the writing brush, but Purple Talisman Paper is something I¡¯d assume we could only steal from the bigger temples.¡± Marcus shrugged and sighed: ¡°And peachwood struck by lightning, blessed jade - all commonly heard names of rare blessed items.¡±


    ¡°I might have ways to get some of these, no guarantees but possible.¡± Gloria thought for a moment before looking Marcus straight in his eyes: ¡°Guess I¡¯ve GOT to come with you, huh?¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 218. Late Night Rendezvous (Part 3)

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying - ¡± Marcus hesitated and looked away, for a sudden rise of guilt made him want to dissuade the young woman from going. But as he looked back into her eyes, he pulled himself back: ¡°But - yes. I would really appreciate your coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I thought you were about to go back on that.¡± Gloria smiled and nodded: ¡°How are you feeling, by the way? You went off like you were about to get into a serious fight.¡±


    ¡°Well - it¡¯s - it was definitely very close.¡± Marcus sighed then shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t think I should tell it to someone else without my captain¡¯s permission though. I¡¯m sorry - even I don¡¯t know what was going on exactly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°What about you? You smell - look like you got in a fight as well.¡± Marcus scratched his head.


    ¡°Yeah well - similar story. It was close, and I can¡¯t tell you much. But what I CAN tell you is that my friends are safe. And - what you just told me would be very helpful to them as well. ¡±


    ¡°So - what will they do? If I may ask.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. I¡¯ll ask them to stay safe, but I¡¯m not sure they will. In fact I am pretty sure they are not going to do that.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°I can totally relate to this.¡± Marcus almost laughed out loud: ¡°When I went out to do what the captain asked, I asked them to stay hidden and not do anything risky or stupid. They did it anyway.¡±


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    ¡°Well - I¡¯d be sure to keep an eye out for that.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°And - do the master happen to mention what a Panguan Writing Brush looks like? It¡¯d easier for me if you can give me a description of what it looks like.¡±


    ¡°The master told me there¡¯s no definitive look for them. There¡¯s only some general characteristics.¡± Marcus scratched his jaw: ¡°Basically the hairs would be thick and maybe uneven in thickness and length, because it¡¯s meant to blend the hairs from different animals - wolfe, black dog, pig, ox or cow - as long as the arrangements were made using a certain system. The shaft should be made of either peach wood or pagoda wood, and the hairs used would depend on what kind of shaft is used. And - this might be a dangerous test - he told me that in order to check, one can infuse a little bit of Qi. If it is a Panguan Writing Brush and you have an affinity to it, then you will start seeing visions. I WOULD NOT suggest you do that. When you have a writing brush, maybe bring it so that the master could take a look.¡±


    ¡°But - you know what they say about the use of Panguan Writing Brushes, right?¡± Gloria¡¯s face turned stern.


    Marcus sighed, rubbing his temples and not knowing what to say in response. How could he not know? It was one of the most famous artifacts in terms of combating the paranormal. ¡°Panguan¡±, also known as ¡°the judge¡± or ¡°the one who delivers decree and judgments¡±, was a mythical figure that resided in hell, anointed with the power of judging the spirits and managing how much time all beings have in the living world. Legends said that Panguan would use one specific writing brush to write on the books that recorded the lifespans of all beings. Thus, a specific kind of writing brushes, created through very intricate and secretive means were called ¡°Panguan Writing Brushes¡±. They could serve as weapons of curse enemies or harm spirits, but the more common and important usage, was to make the most powerful talismans ordinary humans could use. The most powerful type of talismans, purple talismans, could only be made with Panguan Writing Brushes. And at the cost of the maker¡¯s lifespan - sometimes a few days or weeks, or sometimes it could be years or decades.


    ¡°I guess you know already. ¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°What are you gonna do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write the talisman just as Master Liaoran instructed, even if I had to threaten him.¡± Marcus shook his head as well.


    Gloria came up, her arms wrapped around Marcus¡¯ waist. Marcus¡¯ lips met hers. It was only for around half a minute, before they parted, both taking deep breaths and collecting themselves. Years of practicing mystic martial arts and enduring what life threw at them could not easily go away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the temple. Don¡¯t forget.¡± Marcus nodded at Gloria.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to be there as early as possible. But I can¡¯t promise if I¡¯ll be able to bring anyone else with me.¡± Gloria smiled: ¡°And - to be honest, just to let you in on a little secret - even if you try, you can¡¯t dissuade me from joining you here. Because I¡¯d not go just for you, I¡¯d go for me, and a dear, dear friend of mine.¡±


    Marcus grinned. There was no telling if she was lying to relieve him of the guilt, but it was kind, and sweet.

 Book 2 Chapter 219. Diverge (Part 1)

    ¡°Who is it and what do you want?¡± Ouyang Turner¡¯s slightly raspy voice came from behind the door.


    ¡°This is Gloria Lee, and I¡¯m here to sell coffee.¡± Gloria responded.


    The chain behind the door was taken off, then Sue and Ouyang Turner opened up the door together: ¡°Oh my god, I was so worried! That took you long enough!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even an hour.¡± Gloria chuckled as she locked the door behind her.


    ¡°Yes, but you went out there alone, just to meet some mystery man we didn¡¯t know.¡± Tae Kuo came out of the kitchen of this temporary apartment, holding a big bowl of soup, some simple soy sauce fried rice and boiled vegetables.


    ¡°It¡¯s Detective Marcus Cai from the 17th Precinct, Sue met him before.¡± Gloria chuckled and sat down with the other three by the coffee table.


    ¡°I know, I know. And he¡¯s the ONE copper we can trust.¡± Tae Kuo grinned: ¡°Have some food - there¡¯s not much around, I had to borrow some from the shops nearby and the neighbors.¡±


    Gloria sighed and looked the Sifu of a coffin home right in his eyes: ¡°You went out?¡±


    ¡°Just for a little bit. Because no one is really looking for me.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, No one followed me. This entire neighborhood is now deserted, I suspect the people here were all moved or evacuated in a hurry. A lot of them still have leftovers in their fridge. So I just - you know, borrowed a bunch of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a coffin home Sifu who knows how to pick locks.¡± Turner Ouyang shook his head, chuckling: ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot these few days.¡±


    ¡°So what did you talk about?¡± Sue began pouring soup for everyone: ¡°This is not a date, then he must have something important to discuss, yeah? What¡¯d he say?¡±


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    ¡°He¡¯s got a plan to strike at the ¡®core¡¯ of everything. And that ¡®core¡¯ was an energy dense location, they believed it is a datacenter¡± Gloria organized her thoughts before responding to her friend''s inquiry: ¡°I - I think I believe him. It fits in with everything we learned so far - the thing with electricity, how it seems to be able to ward off paranormal beings and phenomena, and - why those people tried so hard to cover up the information about the infrastructural project.¡±


    ¡°He wants to ¡®strike¡¯ at them? How?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Wait wait wait - ¡± Turner Ouyang was just drowned in his own thoughts, and was slow to ask Gloria his questions: ¡°The datacenter? It¡¯s the ¡®core¡¯?¡±


    ¡°He believes it is. Since it is the most energy dense building in the city, by far.¡± Gloria nodded at the excited young man with an eyebrow raised: ¡°What? What¡¯d you find? Something important?¡±


    ¡°Is - is that datacenter by the water? By - by Lake Aqiu?¡± Turner Ouyang asked.


    ¡°Yes. And?¡±


    ¡°Oh! I think it makes sense now. It makes perfect sense!¡± Turner Ouyang ran to the small table at the corner of the living room and pulled out a small piece of paper with pencil marks on it from the drawer: ¡°Look! This was something I was working on - sorry it¡¯s just a sketch, but they tried to take it and I had to rip it apart so they don¡¯t know what we¡¯re up to.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what is it?¡± Gloria fixed her eyes on the sketch, it was the rough shape of Lake Aqiu, with some lines radiating out from the lake, some straighter, some slightly bent. All of which had dots along them. ¡°What are these?¡±


    ¡°Proposed sites for those electric substations and transformers.¡± Turner Ouyang nodded: ¡°These are their locations. And they are going out from the lake like this. And then - I just realized what you meant by energy density - because these substations and transformers all have this - ¡± He drew one enclosing line connecting a few dots around the lake, cutting through to the radiating lines from the lake: ¡°Now, if I remember correctly, these substations, they used similar grades of equipments because of their throughput. And then when you go outside of it, you have lower grade equipments.¡±


    ¡°So - the power lines somehow center around the lake.¡± Sue nodded: ¡°That¡¯s not gonna be normal - but why around the lake?¡±


    ¡°The curse comes from the lake.¡± Gloria almost smacked herself on the face, it was so simple. She could have thought of it, she SHOULD have thought of it.


    ¡°Yes - and - ¡± Turner Ouyang drew a big circle surrounding everything: ¡°If the electric grid, like you said, was to become some kind of suppression ritual, it comes none simpler and sturdier than a circle, right? And, if things began breaking down - ¡±


    ¡°Wait - so - ¡± Tae Kuo opened his eyes wide: ¡°You¡¯re saying those missing sages and scholars - ¡±


    Turner Ouyang nodded, his fingers knocked on the sketched lake on that humble piece of paper.


    Sue gasped, but then proceeded to ask while scratching her jaw: ¡°But where could that be? This is the lake - ¡±


    ¡°I think I know that answer already - because - this is from a while back, but - ¡± Turner Ouyang cleared his throat: ¡°There is a tun - ¡±


    Before he could finish, three quick successive knocks on the door exploded in the empty living room.


    Gloria hopped to the side of the door, with her Qi fully activated while doing a ¡°shh¡± gesture. The others in the room immediately hid in the corner, while Tae Kuo ran into the kitchen and took out an old kitchen knife - apparently he did not just ¡°borrow¡± the food from the neighbors.


    ¡°Open up! It¡¯s Luoshan Zi!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 220. Diverge (Part 2)

    ¡°What is the Special Sunday special?¡± Gloria asked through the door.


    ¡°There is no Special Sunday special! The only Sunday special is sundae!¡± The voice on the other side of the door answered without any hesitation.


    ¡°What is the ¡®holiday but not Sunday¡¯ special?¡± Gloria asked again.


    ¡°The ¡®holiday but not Sunday¡¯ special is beer battered cake.¡± The voice answered once again without hesitation.


    ¡°What is the secret coffee? Who can order it?¡±


    ¡°Secret coffee is mocha topped with whipped cream, with a shot of rum or vodka.¡± The voice answered: ¡°Only adult returning guests can order it. No takeout and no leftovers.¡±


    Gloria let out a breath of relief and opened the door. It was indeed Luoshan Zi. It seemed she received the messages left for her, or she was just an insanely clever detective.


    ¡°Okay, good on you to ask three questions.¡± Luoshan Zi was sweaty, her clothes were dirty and slightly ragged - she was in some kind of fight or scuffle, but she did not appear to be injured. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of time, so I¡¯ll cut to the chase: I¡¯ve put word out in seeking some old friends of ours. You know some of them as well, Gloria, they taught you. And - not gonna get into too much detail, but we are trying to formulate a plan to rescue the sages and scholars, hopefully soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Turner Ouyang and Tae Kuo gasped at the same time.


    ¡°What?¡± Luoshan Zi narrowed her eye.


    ¡°We know where they are - possibly.¡± Turner Ouyang raised the piece of paper with his sketch on it.


    Luoshan Zi rushed to Turner Ouyang¡¯s side and snatched the paper from his hand before he could even realize what was going on.


    ¡°Lake Aqiu - are these Qiyun Spots?¡± Luoshan Zi asked, her frown deepened.


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    ¡°Not exactly - they are proposed locations of the electric substations - or - substations invented to serve as spots of the electric grid array.¡± Turner Ouyang nodded: ¡°And I was just about to tell them - I think the scholars, monks and sages are hidden somewhere underneath the lake.¡±


    ¡°But where could that be?¡± Luoshan Zi handed the piece of paper back to Turner Ouyang.


    ¡°Cross Lake Express.¡± Turner Ouyang ran his fingers from the sketched lake, up to down: ¡°Do you guys remember that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A subway project the city initiated, it was never finished because they ran out of funding really soon.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°But that¡¯s the official story anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying there are tunnels left in that project?¡± Luoshan Zi thought for a moment before nodding at Turner Ouyang: ¡°Good - good theory. And it makes sense, if there is even a section of unfinished tunnel in the lake, they could just do it there.¡±


    ¡°But - what about a boat? If they¡¯re holding the scholars on a boat or a ship, that would make it easier, right?¡± Sue asked.


    Luoshan Zi hesitated for a short moment before speaking in a calm but still furious tone: ¡°Yes. But in order to actually use them as some kind of substitute pillar or blessing, you must have a steady central altar somewhere, and the pillars need to be grounded.¡±


    ¡°I - I see.¡± Sue sighed: ¡°That means if we want to save all of them, the best chance is to go underground?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Turner Ouyang sighed: ¡°And - even though I am very convinced of it, I must still say it¡¯s still - still a theory.¡± His head got lower with almost each word out of his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Sue grabbed his right hand and shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s the best theory we¡¯ve got so far.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - but if you go there, you¡¯d be risking - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll be prepared.¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head: ¡°We have our people, and we have the element of surprise. And most importantly, this is something we have to do. We¡¯ll do some quick preparations, then head out tomorrow evening. Gloria, what do you say?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes fixed on Gloria at the same time.


    ¡°I - I¡¯d really love to - ¡± Gloria looked Luoshan Zi straight in her eyes and apologized: ¡°But - I¡¯m really sorry about this, Luoshan, but I cannot join you on this quest.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Luoshan Zi was genuinely surprised.


    Gloria took a deep breath, before responding to her boss and her mentor¡¯s inquiry: ¡°Because - because I already made a promise to Detective Cai. He has a plan to strike at them at their center of operation, strike them right at their heart. I - I know the importance of rescuing those scholars and sages, I really do. But - I must do this.¡±


    Luoshan Zi stared at Gloria for a few seconds, before asking: ¡°What are his plans? Tell me everything you think is proper to share.¡±


    Gloria thought for a short moment before responding: ¡°He found out that these people - the people who are using electric substations and the electric grid as a large scale array to suppress the paranormal. He plans to actually ¡®reboot¡¯ the array, and  He connected with the master from the Temple of Forgetfulness, and they are going to act the same time as you would tomorrow. I made a promise to him that I would go with him.¡±


    Luoshan Zi fixed her eyes on Gloria¡¯s eyes for a few more moments, long enough to make others in the room uncomfortable. ¡°We could really use your strength in this, you know. We are there to rescue scholars, and take back the actual pillars - backbones of our community. When we get them back, those people¡¯s plan, whatever it is, will be foiled.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But HIS plan would not only help rid the city of the corrupt Qiyun flow, it will also land a critical hit right at those people at their own place of operation.¡± Gloria responded, stern and unyielding.

 Book 2 Chapter 221. Diverge (Part 3)

    ¡°That is a very very long shot. Especially when ¡± Luoshan Zi frowned: ¡°Did he tell you how he¡¯s gonna achieve that? Did he tell you what he¡¯ll do? What his contingency plan is? What other forces he¡¯s collected in order to do that?¡±


    ¡°Not really, because even he did not know yet. Everything still needs planning, and - and I believe in him. ¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I know - Luoshan, this is a very dangerous quest. I know we don¡¯t have a lot of information on everything. But - I trust him. I went into the depth of the old ruins with him, he shared his answers with me. And I did with him. What he¡¯s about to do does fit with what I understand from that venture. ¡±


    ¡°Yet it doesn¡¯t change the fact that this is a huge gamble you¡¯re planning on doing. While at the same time you¡¯re basically betting on this man, who was still a city detective a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But he¡¯s much more than a normal cop.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I can tell you this no matter how many times you ask - I believe him. And I believe that he is onto something.¡±


    Luoshan Zi kept her eyes on Gloria for a while, before smiling, shaking her head and backing off: ¡°I see - you really DO believe what you¡¯ll be doing. Then I guess we¡¯ll have to make do without you - we still have some other masters to cover for you. And - ¡± She sighed as she patted Gloria on her shoulder: ¡°You go do what you¡¯re planning to do. What they¡¯re planning to do. Don¡¯t feel bad. DO bring back good news.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria let out a sigh of relief.


    The entire room went silent for a short while. Luoshan Zi stood where she was and began considering something. No one spoke anything.


    ¡°Now - what are WE gonna do?¡± Ouyang Turner was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°I want to go with Miss. Zi.¡± Sue raised her hand while looking at Gloria: ¡°I - I am no good at fighting. And I¡¯m not good with computers. But I do know a little about rituals and arrays. So - I am assuming that I could do more to help with saving those scholars, or understanding what these people¡¯s ploy was.¡±


    Gloria wanted to say something, to dissuade Sue from even joining Luoshan Zi, but she held it back. She could never let her go along with herself and Marcus, and she could not order her to stay back. Weighing the risk, this might be a better choice for everyone - knowing what Luoshan Zi was capable of, and what her friends were capable of.


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    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Gloria.¡± Tae Kuo stood up: ¡°I am not the best fighter, but I know a thing or two. And - I might just know enough to help with - with this attack on a datacenter. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu.¡± Gloria nodded at Tae Kuo, then turned to Sue: ¡°Be safe, alright? Just listen to Luoshan, she knows what to do.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll keep her safe as much as I can.¡± Ouyang Turner raised his hand.


    ¡°Alrighty, then it¡¯s settled. ¡± Luoshan Zi took a deep breath: ¡°I will head out and meet some more old friends and I will try my best to recruit them to our cause. Wait here, I will come back and meet you before we depart.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Luoshan.¡± Gloria raised her hand: ¡°How are you going to head to the subway station?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to think about it.¡± Luoshan Zi scratched her jaw: ¡°It is still new information for me - but I think some of my contacts would have their own means of transportations, enough to bring all of us.¡±


    ¡°Can we head into the Northern District together, if possible?¡± Gloria¡¯s voice trembled slightly.


    Luoshan Zi gasped lightly, then nodded with a smile: ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll try my best to arrange it - if we can go together and split halfway, you¡¯ll join with the master at the temple. We¡¯ll find our way to the entrance of the tunnel. ¡±


    After a quick goodbye, Luoshan Zi turned around and left. Before she walked out of the door, she turned back: ¡°Oh, I almost forgot - an old friend of mine will be bringing some weapons and supplies to us, I will ask him to bring some here. You know, just in case. He looks a bit rough and can be a little intimidating. So you would know it¡¯s him - but be polite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m  - I¡¯m very sorry, Gloria.¡± Sue stood up and bowed to Gloria.


    ¡°Nonono - it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay!¡± Gloria rushed over and hugged her friend: ¡°You must do what you believe is right. And I must do what I believe is right. At least - at least we¡¯re not eggs in the same basket, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Sue sniffled and wiped the corners of her eyes: ¡°We must come back. You must come back in one piece.¡±


    ¡°I will. And the same to you.¡± Gloria hugged her friend once again.


    A short moment passed. Gloria let go of her friend and asked: ¡°Now, where¡¯s the box Gyuu left me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s inside, let me get it.¡± Sue nodded and ran into the main bedroom.


    ¡°What - what do you have?¡± Tae Kuo asked - he was curious, for Sue would not tell her what was inside.


    ¡°If I have to guess, purple talisman paper and a brush that¡¯s - that¡¯s hopefully helpful in making talismans.¡± Gloria sighed.


    ¡°What - are you saying - ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just hope it is. ¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°I really hope it is. Master Liaoran of the Temple of Forgetfulness asked for it, and I think that this would be it. ¡±


    Sue came back with the box Gyuu Park left for Gloria - she had been able to dive into it for some time now, unfortunately she just did not get a chance to look into anything in depth. Yet if there was one thing she remembered, it would be the strange writing brush.


    The writing brush was simple looking. It had an old and tarnished shaft, hairs of uneven length and thickness. And as she handled it and looked up and down, it seemed there was some kind of thin rod hidden inside the hollow shaft.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Tae Kuo asked with bated breath.

 Book 2 Chapter 222. Take Outs

    One functional gun with twenty shots, two tasers, some knives, throwing blades and darts, that was all the old friend of Luoshan Zi could promise. Per Luoshan Zi¡¯s understanding of everyone in there, the gun would probably be left for Turner Ouyang - a young academic who still had some edge to him. The throwing blades and darts would be taken by Gloria, while the tasers would be given to Tae Kuo and Sue. As for the knives, maybe they¡¯d be taken by Gloria, or Tae Kuo.


    The night was quiet, despite the rumblings earlier and the lightning storm rampaging through a not-so-distant part of the district. It was not a populated area, to her recollection.


    The abandoned apartment chosen by Gloria and her friends was indeed quite a smart touch, as she and her friends did the same just moments earlier - only in a different neighborhood, one that was smaller in raw footage, but slightly higher in density of homes. She sent out signals to all of her old friends and comrades already, and hopefully they would come to meet her soon. Right now, she had something else in mind - she needed to find the noodle shop of Chef Tang.


    The noodle shop was not that far away, and with her pushing her Qi, it only took her less than twenty minutes. It was already late at night, but the shop should have people on duty 24 hours a day.


    After checking around her a few times to make sure no one was following her, Luoshan Zi walked up to a back window of the now closed up noodle shop. There were three metal bells, one red, one yellow, and one black. She ran her fingers at all three of them, then ran all three at the same time.


    The red bell was meant for calling for help regarding urgent situations and incidents of paranormality; the yellow bell was meant for calling for help regarding dire civilian situations; and as for the black one, it was meant for severe emergencies of any kind.


    ¡°Ringing three bells? This better be something really, really important, or really, really bad. ¡± The staffer who opened the door sneered: ¡°And you know what happens if what you¡¯ve got is just some random request? ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll get a beating, probably permanently banned, and force fed your signature bitter soup.¡± Luoshan Zi sighed: ¡°Save all of it, I¡¯m an old returning customer. I want to place an order for a takeout delivery.¡±


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    ¡°Takeout delivery, huh?¡± The staffer clicked his tongue: ¡°What¡¯s so important, or urgent?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer we talk inside, and with the chef present.¡± Luoshan Zi handed a small wad of bills to the staffer, while handling a small wooden plaque with her name on it.


    ¡°Ms - Luoshan Zi, Cloud Walker, and owner of Zishan Cafe.¡± The staffer took the cash, pouted, then nodded at Luoshan Zi: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll alert the chef. You may come in.¡±


    Luoshan Zi went in through the back door. Another staffer served her some tea, and a small bowl of rice noodle soup.


    ¡°Is this a dish with new meaning, or is it just some kind of daily special?¡± Luoshan Zi frowned.


    ¡°Just leftovers from today¡¯s experimental recipe.¡± The staffer shrugged: ¡°The chef would like some honest feedback.¡±


    Luoshan Zi took a sip and then put some rice noodles into her mouth. The noodles were just the right amount of spongy and soft, the soup was just a touch too salty but flavorful: ¡°Mmm, not bad, actually. A bit too salty.¡±


    ¡°Is it now?¡± The voice of Chef Tang came through one of the interior doors.


    ¡°Chef.¡± Luoshan Zi stood up and bowed: ¡°I didn''t think you¡¯d come this soon - ¡±


    ¡°I was just around the block, couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± Chef Tang shook his head: ¡°That thunderstorm, and that foul patch of dark cloud slowly moving up north are really messing up my sleep and my peace. So - what do you need for a take out delivery, Master Zi?¡±


    ¡°I need the map, blueprint and preferably personnel details in that unfinished, abandoned subway tunnel.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded.


    ¡°Okay, you wanna tell me the reason? ¡± Chef Tang asked.


    ¡°I - I can¡¯t.  ¡± Luoshan Zi stammered for a brief moment, then still shook her head. It was not that she didn¡¯t trust the chef, it was more that she did not trust those working for the chef - she barely knew any of them. And the act of them rescuing the scholars and sages would not doubt only benefit from this secrecy.


    ¡°Understandable. And payment?¡± Chef Tang smiled, shook his head and picked up his cup of tea served by the staffer.


    ¡°My ledger. And - I would like to trade in something.¡± Luoshan Zi lowered her voice and looked around.


    Chef Tang understood the gesture, so he waved to dismiss all the staffers.


    ¡°This is gonna be a bit of a trade in and - and asking for a favor, if possible.¡± Luoshan Zi hesitated.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m all ears. But the favor - it¡¯s no guarantee.¡±


    Luoshan Zi thought for a brief moment before speaking: ¡°I¡¯ve got pretty solid intelligence, that the people running the grand kidnapping operation are operating in some place hidden inside of a datacenter.¡±


    ¡°A datacenter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a data center. And I believe there is only in the vicinity of the city - ¡±


    ¡°The one in the Northern District, near the lake, and serving as an informational server location for all three major power companies as well as the city¡¯s banks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - yeah, that one.¡± Luoshan Zi¡¯s stomach rumbled. This was a dangerous move. But hopefully it could serve as some kind of insurance policy for Gloria. As for Marcus, maybe he¡¯d be insured as well.

 Book 2 Chapter 223. Old Friends

    ¡°So - how soon¡¯s the delivery?¡± In a separate abandoned apartment, an old man with a limp left leg and holding a crooked metal staff fashioned like a stick of tree roots asked Luoshan Zi. This was Ming, an old kung fu master friend of Luoshan Zi, a furious fighter with the staff, and was injured in his previous fights.


    ¡°Three hours, at most four hours.¡± Luoshan Zi looked out the window as she pondered her plans: ¡°I¡¯ve already told them to drop things off here, and the codewords will be in that piece of paper I gave you. They¡¯ll confirm multiple times in a particular sequence before they¡¯d entrust you with anything. But remember, only one person should accept it, using only one hand, and don¡¯t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve ordered takeout deliveries before.¡± Another master, with only his right eye, nodded and coughed as he polished his giant metal dao with hundreds of scratches and cuts: ¡°You¡¯re sure the new chef¡¯s trustworthy?¡± This was Keying, another master from Luoshan Zi¡¯s old days.


    ¡°As trustworthy as you can get from an intelligence dealer.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged.


    ¡°Okay, fine.¡± The other two masters in the room exchanged looks: ¡°If you¡¯re good, then we¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me. ¡± Luoshan Zi sighed as she found a corner to sit down.


    ¡°Do you expect a lot of enemies in that tunnel?¡± Ruo, the only female master present aside from Luoshan Zi asked: ¡°I mean - if they¡¯ve stuffed the sages and scholars there, they surely would have a lot of defense power around it, right?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s also a site of ritual, with very intense energy. And if Gloria and her friends are correct about it, then a normal person would not be able to last long being so close to it. They would probably have some defense forces on the outer perimeters, though.¡±


    ¡°And if there are, they would be elite fighters.¡± Liao, the youngest master present, pupil of Master Keying and Ruo here: ¡°I think - that¡¯s what I¡¯d do. And it¡¯s what most people would do - I believe so.¡±


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    ¡°All the more reason to go.¡± Keying chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had an actual fight where lives are at stake, I¡¯m feeling the rust in my bones.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your age, old fart. You should really understand that, and take that understanding to heart.¡± Master Ruo scoffed: ¡°None of us are young any more. The youngest one of our generation is Little Luoshan, and she¡¯s - ¡±


    ¡°Careful there, Ruo.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled.


    ¡°She¡¯s still dashing, brave and capable as we remember.¡± Master Ming almost laughed out loud: ¡°But hey - sooner or later, we¡¯d have to have people taking after us. Well - maybe more of taking ¡®over¡¯ us.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d taken our advice sooner, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation, right now your furious staff techniques are just one you away from extinction.¡± Master Ruo shrugged.


    ¡°Ahhhh - enough with the motherly talk - what are you, everyone¡¯s mother and Mistress now? Geez!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Furious masters, settle down!¡± Luoshan Zi raised her voice: ¡°Any louder this building will be swarming with city agents and community collective enforcers!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Little Luoshan.¡± Master Keying shook his head: ¡°We¡¯re just - we¡¯ve been shut-ins for so long, and we just need a little spice in our lives, some excitement.¡±


    ¡°Well, brace yourselves for a hard fight of your lives.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°And rest up while you can. Maybe take shifts, yeah? I¡¯ll need to head out in a minute and see if I can hear from anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for doing this.¡± Master Ruo bowed to Luoshan Zi: ¡°But - don¡¯t get your hopes up, and be safe. Be cautious. You want any of us to come with?¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But nah I¡¯m good.¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head as she went to the door: ¡°I¡¯m quite familiar with the surrounding area, so I¡¯d be safer on my own. And - don¡¯t forget to take the takeout, huh? Should anyone come to us, escape and contact me via the usual means.¡±


    ¡°Of course. ¡± Master Ming nodded: ¡°Be safe. And bring us some food or wine if you get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. ¡± Luoshan Zi closed the door shaking her head. The masters of her old times were indeed a handful, but they were also the few people in this cursed city she could trust, and it was a pleasure she never expected meeting them again.


    With her Qi activated, she leapt through the exterior of the buildings that were close to each other. She had already gathered more hands than she expected she could, but this ¡°dropbox¡± of hers and her old contacts could still mean more aid by her side. Since they would be striking an area nobody really knew what it was like, when they set out on their quest, they would need as much help as possible.


    The ¡°dropbox¡± was a small empty metal box at the foot of an old light pole. It was once used to store spare wires and parts for the light pole. But after a while, it became a means for them to exchange secret notes.


    Her note was untouched, and there were no reply notes in the box. Luoshan Zi could only sigh at this. If only Gloria would come with her, her odds of success would be much greater.


    After waiting for a brief moment, she had to go back. It seemed that only her and the four masters would have to do.

 Book 2 Chapter 224. Off And Go (Part 1)

    Only around forty minutes after Luoshan Zi left, someone knocked on the door of the temporary apartment of Gloria and her friends. Gloria went and accepted it. Following the instructions left by Luoshan Zi, she got the delivery without an issue - it was a stack of large envelopes, tied together using a red ribbon.


    ¡°Thank you for doing business with Chef Tang¡¯s Noodle Shop.¡± The delivery man was young but still looked experienced: ¡°Please be advised that this is the final delivery of this Take Out Delivery request, for anything more you would need to contact our shop again. Hope you enjoy your delivery, and may you put everything to good use.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gloria nodded at the young man before closing the door.


    It was three envelopes stacked together, all of which were of similar thickness. For this many years Gloria had dealt with the noodle shop, this was by far the biggest pile of intelligence from them yet.


    ¡°Can we take a look?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t damage anything, we should be fine.¡± Gloria shrugged: ¡°She asked us to accept it, so she must be okay with sharing that intelligence with us.¡±


    Even so, Gloria was the one to cut open the envelopes with her fingertips so that she could save others the liability. Inside the first envelope was a map, cut into nine smaller portions and folded up. When put together, it became a very detailed blueprint of the deserted underground tunnel. The big map showed electric circuits, stairs and platforms, and even post for guards and


    The second envelope contained another map - a smaller one, but with some additional pages and notes on where the guard posts were, how to spot them when entering from the main entrance, and where their blind spots could be.


    The third envelope contained only files - a stack of dossiers on different mythic martial art artists. All of them noted the last confirmed day of sighting - these were missing kung fu masters from the past, and none of them seemed to be the upright kind. Some of them were assassins, some of them were gang leaders, some of them were spies for the city or the community collective, and some of them were leaders of some evil underground clans, and many of them fell into more than one category.


    ¡°This is - this is a lot.¡± Sue frowned: ¡°And so much detail! Holy crap how efficient are they?¡±


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    ¡°Apparently extremely so.¡± Ouyang Turner sighed and shook his head: ¡°This can¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°Let her worry about that.¡± Gloria smiled: ¡°And if her plan works, the noodle shop would owe her more than she owes them.¡±


    ¡°Okay - there¡¯s a lot of guard posts here.¡± Sue frowned as she stared at the second map on the ground while holding a dossier in her hand: ¡°And looks like not a lot of them are temporary. How did they even get this?¡±


    ¡°I guess many posts might be from before.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°Two of the official reasons, at least the ones released to the public, was that it did not pass some public hearing and the project¡¯s running out of money. So if they were expecting sabotage, they would have something like that built in. ¡±


    ¡°But if this map is accurate, then no one would have any opening going in there. The entire entrance is covered by at least three lines of fire.¡± Sue pointed at the entrance location on the map: ¡°Unless they - they have smoke bombs or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe her old friends could get some for her.¡± Gloria shrugged. This was indeed an issue, when Luoshan Zi came back she would surely raise it.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Tae Kuo walked up to the second map: ¡°These guard posts - they¡¯re not - not without a plan.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ouyang Turner and Sue asked at the same time.


    ¡°They¡¯re in specific ritualistic positions, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± Tae Kuo pointed at a few guard posts near the entrance, and three further into the tunnel: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know what this arrangement is for. But it looks awfully like a talisman - ¡±


    ¡°Some kind of evil repelling talisman?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but it would require - it would require some material in it for it to work, like cinnabar, blood ink, or jade or other gems.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°Or if they¡¯re going big, then at least a few trees, wooden pillars, stone pillars, buddha statues - ¡±


    ¡°Or people?¡± Gloria narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I like and hate that your mind went there.¡± Tae Kuo let out a long sigh while scratching his face: ¡°But - I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very likely. Because this is likely a defensive ¡®talisman¡¯, so it should be from a time earlier than the abduction of the sages and scholars. I am not sure they would have planned everything that far ahead. So - I guess what I¡¯m trying to say is - these spots might not be occupied by actual people - guards, but are positions where some kind of blessed items are placed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thought.¡± Gloria nodded: ¡°And it would be great if it were the case.¡±


    ¡°This guy - ¡®Jade Falcon¡¯ Wang Duan. Master of Falcon Claw and the Cloud Walker¡¯s Oath Style.¡± Ouyang Turner frowned at one dossier in his hand: ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of this guy. Wasn¡¯t he still on the wanted list a few years ago? Oh yeah - head of the ¡®Predators¡¯ gang, kinda on the nose name - and an elder from the now defunct ¡®Green Ridge Clan¡¯. Last confirmed public appearance was five years ago. Has anyone heard of him?¡±


    Everyone else shook their heads, including Gloria. She was quite well acquainted with the scene, but still had not heard of the names. It must be really old, or deliberately obscured. The style of mythic Kung Fu, on the other hand, was familiar.


    ¡°¡®Hands of Hellfire¡¯ Luxing Ke, head of the ¡®Crimson Abyss ¡¯ gang, traitor to the now defunct ¡®Flaming Cloud¡¯ clan. Master of the Hellfire Palm Art and Amber Meditative Methods. Last confirmed public appearance seven years ago.¡± Turner Ouyang frowned as he picked up another dossier: ¡°¡®Purple Scorpion¡¯ Yun Lusong, former elder from the ¡®Scorching Rainbow¡¯ gang. Master of Nine Stings of Purple Scorpion Fingers Art. Last public appearance six years ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back. Open up.¡± Luoshan Zi¡¯s voice came from the other side of the door.

 Book 2 Chapter 225. Off And Go (Part 2)

    ¡°So¡­¡± When Luoshan Zi was on the ground, reading the dossier one by one, Gloria couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°Do you - do you know any of them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of ¡®Hands of Hellfire¡¯, he was one of the most feared legends in the underground scene. ¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head: ¡°Rumors said that he had even a part in the conflict between the city and our district, and he was the one who helped capture Big Sister Zhu. And - uh - as for this ¡®Jade Falcon¡¯ Wang Duan - I¡¯ve met him many years ago. He was from the generation above me in my clan.¡±


    ¡°¡®YOUR¡¯ clan?¡± Gloria¡¯s eyes opened wide: ¡°You¡¯re in the Green Ridge Clan? ¡±


    ¡°Yeah - well. Not for a while.¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged: ¡°There¡¯s no organized clans in the city anymore. I¡¯m sure if you look you can find some small underground ones, but the era of clans has all but gone. ¡±


    ¡°Yes - but you HAVE met him? What kind of person is he?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s - a very dangerous man.¡± Luoshan Zi narrowed her eyes as she recalled: ¡°He and my mentor seemed to have a very bad relationship. They were very cold towards each other even though they were from the same generation. And even when their master told them to spar, they weren¡¯t willing to do it. I didn¡¯t quite know what it was back then. But later I kinda learned that this - this dark sensation, grim aura surrounding him, was the product of practicing dark rituals and getting one¡¯s hands tainted.¡±


    ¡°What kind of dark rituals? ¡± Ouyang Turner asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. There are so many. And I wasn¡¯t familiar with the arts enough to make it out. It¡¯s just - the kind of darkness that will make a civilian dizzy, stressed and even panicked.¡± Luoshan Zi sighed and shook her head: ¡°But that¡¯s all I know. I - if these are the dossiers of the possible guards recruited by these people, I wouldn¡¯t want to face them head to head.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯ll need weapons. I think some actual firepower?¡± Ouyang Turner asked.


    ¡°Well - ¡± Luoshan Zi shrugged and sighed: ¡°Easier said than done. I¡¯m sure my friends will try - but - ¡±


    ¡°We can fashion the pepper sprays into some kind of shock or smoke bombs.¡± Turner Ouyang raised his hand: ¡°I mean - I kinda know how, we just need a little bit of gunpowder, springs or something that could give it a kick. And we may need a hard needle, or a thin blade.¡±


    ¡°That we can do. We¡¯ll do it before we act.¡± Luoshan Zi snapped her fingers at the young man.


    ¡°Luoshan, please be safe.¡± Gloria went over and held her boss¡¯ hand.


    ¡°No worries. I sure will.¡± Luoshan Zi held Gloria back: ¡°And you as well. You¡¯ll need the luck more than I do.¡±


    ¡°Wait - this is curious.¡± Ouyang Turner hopped to the area where they put the big map, then ran back to the second smaller map where the guard posts were: ¡°This is curious - looks like the guard post map showed a few corners not on the blueprint.¡±


    ¡°What? Let me see.¡± Luoshan Zi immediately went over.


    There were indeed a few corners that were not shown on the bigger blueprint. The entire tunnel was made up of a subway station and a short section of rail tunnel, so judging by the proportions, they were the rough sizes of single toilet bathrooms. And one in particular, located at the east side of the intersection between the station and the railway tunnel, was long and slender, but it could have enough room to fit around five people.


    ¡°The blueprint¡¯s older, and this one is newer.¡± Sue narrowed her eyes: ¡°Something¡¯s in these new corners. ¡±


    ¡°Fuck. Seems like things are even more complicated now.¡± Turner Ouyang cursed: ¡°Alright, Ms. Zi, what¡¯s our plan?¡±


    ¡°First, we head out, preferably together.¡± Luoshan Zi took a deep breath and looked out the window: ¡°I¡¯ll try and check out a few other places of contact and see if anyone would be able to come over. Then we¡¯ll head out. Depending on what the outer perimeter looks like, we¡¯ll devise an attack plan. Right as we speak some friend of mine is trying all he can to figure out what the environment looks like from the outside and possible guard positions. And this - don¡¯t get me wrong, the Chef and his crew delivered. But still not enough - I was expecting something regarding what¡¯s on the outside. Turner, we have some more pepper sprays stashed, and we have a lot of thin blades and needles, so you can tell us how to make those smoke bombs when our team gather up.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Turner Ouyang nodded.


    ¡°And all of you, rest up. I¡¯ll try to grab some food and drink.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded: ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t go out there if you don¡¯t absolutely have to. Don¡¯t forget, everyone here has a target on the back. Don¡¯t give them the chance to shoot it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Gloria stepped forward.


    ¡°Great. We can carry more this way.¡± Luoshan Zi smiled.

 Book 2 Chapter 226. Off And Go (Part 3)

    ¡°So, did she agree to go?¡± When Marcus came back to the apartment ¡°rented¡± to them by Luoshan Zi, Kevin asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Which means we have one more ally in our team.¡± Marcus smiled: ¡°Now, I must ask again - what did I miss? Did you find anything out of the files from Chef Tang?¡±


    ¡°Basically the reason we went out earlier.¡± Keryn shrugged and pulled Kevin back, as he appeared he was about to apologize to Marcus again about going out to check out the Kshiti Temple earlier: ¡°The interrogation records from those henchmen, they all confessed to being tasked to monitor the churches, temples and other prayer places. So these people kinda know what they were planning to do. Before - you know, before getting caught at the docks area.¡±


    ¡°But who are these people they are working for? Do they even know?¡±


    ¡°No they don¡¯t.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°Those who might have some idea are all dead. The curses placed on those folks broke through the arrays set up by the Chef and his crew. I was assuming they cannot set up anything serious.¡±


    ¡°I am guessing it¡¯s Deliverer-related. From what I heard from Gloria, dealing with them is super tricky. You can¡¯t really harm them, you can¡¯t easily drive them away. The only thing you can do is wait till the summoners run outta energy or materials.¡± Marcus sighed, shaking his head: ¡°Whoever these people are, they¡¯re always ruthless even to their own. ¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it bother you though - you¡¯ve decided to go against them like this, but still don¡¯t know who they are?¡± Elvin asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Marcus, Kevin, Keryn and Mick all answered at the same time. They then proceeded to laugh.


    The room went quiet for a moment, then Keryn was the one to break the silence: ¡°So, tomorrow evening? How do we get there? We need to head to the Temple of Forgetfulness, right?¡±


    ¡°I would say we steal a car.¡± Keryn chuckled: ¡°I noticed a lot of cars still out there on the road. There must be at least a few we can hotwire. Or better, someone could have just left the keys in.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re way too comfortable saying that.¡± Marcus chuckled along and shook his head: ¡°But - I don¡¯t know how to do that. Do you?¡±


    ¡°Well - I might have picked up a few tricks. ¡± Keryn hesitated, ¡°No promises though. I don¡¯t - don¡¯t really have that much experience actually doing it.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, there are some older builds of buses or trucks that are quite easy to hotwire. I counted two of them down the road. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re the same ones as I remember though.¡± Elvin nodded: ¡°If you bring me along and let me drive you - ¡±


    ¡°No - not happening.¡± Marcus immediately shut his father down: ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous. Didn¡¯t we already talk about this? You should stay behind, Dad. Otherwise I can¡¯t concentrate on actually doing what we¡¯re about to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. But if you can¡¯t even get to the temple and meet your master, you won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± Elvin shrugged: ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be your burden either. So how about this - I¡¯ll go with you when you guys go on your hunt for rides. And if you can¡¯t find anything, I¡¯ll give the two buses a shot. Do any of you have a permit to drive buses?¡±


    Everyone else just looked at each other in silence, then after a moment they just simply shrugged.


    ¡°No, I can drive it if everything comes down to it.¡± Marcus waved his hand: ¡°You¡¯ll help us steal the car and then you¡¯ll come back here.¡±


    ¡°Uh - Marcus - ¡± Mick tried to interject.


    ¡°The city has special regulations on buses. I am quite familiar with it, as I drove it before.¡± Elvin raised his hand: ¡°Trust me, when you guys enter the Northern District, you¡¯ll want to be discreet. And - if you drive it just like some random bozo, you¡¯ll get stopped. And then your cover will be blown.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. You¡¯re not driving!¡± Marcus raised his voice while shaking his head.


    ¡°But you are taking a big risk, Marcus, I can¡¯t let you do that. It is a way to minimize the risks.¡± Elvin refuted with a soft and gentle voice: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have to worry about me. If the situation requires, I¡¯ll just drive all of you there, then come back. It¡¯s just the Temple of Forgetfulness, it¡¯s not that far. And it¡¯s mostly safe. I¡¯ll take a bus back, or I¡¯ll stay at the temple if you¡¯re worried.¡±


    ¡°No - no. End of discussions. This is not happening - ¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out and scout around our ride first, how about that?¡± Mick interjected: ¡°It¡¯s very late right now, so - it¡¯d be a good chance.¡±


    ¡°Nonono, I suggest we take a break and rest up.¡± Kevin shook his head and raised his hand: ¡°We should have someone to watch the night if something happens. But everyone needs to take at least a bit of a break. We should go out when it¡¯s a few hours before sunrise, or few hours past midnight - by then most people would still be asleep, and people looking for us throughout the night would probably be tired and ready to go back. Then it¡¯s our best time.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Keryn shrugged: ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I could really use some rest. Can¡¯t go attack a fucking datacenter when we¡¯re tired.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Fine.¡± Marcus let out a long sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the first watch.¡± Mick volunteered: ¡°You guys rest up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Mick.¡± Kevin yawned and headed to the bathroom: ¡°I¡¯m gonna go wash up a bit. Can¡¯t go out stinking like this.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 227. Off And Go (Part 4)

    The time between one night and the upcoming evening was a long one for most, but not for Marcus and his friends stuck in a temporary hiding place.


    In order to be safe, they separated into two groups and took turns sleeping. Marcus wanted to keep the first watch, but was convinced by others to sleep first. The rest of them also decided to not wake him up when it was time to change shifts.


    ¡°Dammit, you guys. Thank you but are you sure you¡¯ve had enough sleep?¡± Marcus scratched his head when he woke up naturally: ¡°We could wait a bit longer before we go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, no time to do that.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°We scouted the vehicles earlier when we saw a window when the security guards were changing shifts. And we actually found a car we could use.¡±


    ¡°You found a car you could hardwire?¡±


    ¡°We found a car we could borrow with ease.¡± Keryn Lance smiled and showed Marcus a string of keys with a fancy key chain: ¡°Some rich guy dropped this accidentally, and we could just add a bit of mileage to it.¡±


    ¡°He dropped it?¡± Marcus raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, with some help. ¡± Keryn Lance shrugged and shook her head, ¡±But let¡¯s not worry about that now. We don¡¯t have time, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Kevin immediately waved his hands: ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the temple.¡±


    It was still early morning, there was some hint of early light at the far end of the skyline, but everything was still dark. And this was probably why nobody even bothered to check when they drove the luxury SUV out of its designated parking spot, while Marcus held up the guard arm at the gate. For a moment they were worried that an alarm would trigger, yet nothing seemed to have happened.


    The interior of the SUV was even more fancy than the exterior would suggest. It came with leather seats, touch screen display for the backseats and even a champagne box at the back of the front seat row. Maybe they could go to Captain Ko and ask him for help on getting some city reimbursement if they damaged this vehicle, assuming they could even bring it back.


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    The surrounding area was dark after they were out of the community, with only some temporary road lights made up of battery lights held up on wooden sticks illuminating the sides of the way so the cars would not go off road.


    Elvin was the one driving. He appeared to be a bit nervous for it was his first time driving such a big vehicle in years. With both hands on the wheel and repeatedly taking deep breaths, he kept the car just at the speed limit and did not change lanes at all unless he really had to.


    ¡°Straight forward, then go right at the second fork.¡± Marcus sat on the passenger seat and was in charge of giving Elvin the directions.


    ¡°So - do I get to meet the famous Master Liaoran?¡± Elvin asked when he made it into the right branch per Marcus¡¯ instructions.


    ¡°Yeah I think so.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°He said he would reach out to some people, hopefully we get more teammates on this - this quest. I suspect if they come they would be old timey legends as well.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not sure if HE is an old time legend himself?¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure he is. I just try not to pry because the master is entitled to his secrets.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°But yeah - it would be cool to know.¡±


    Elvin chuckled: ¡°How much old city history do you know? Especially during the time when organized clans were still a thing. I¡¯d assume quite a bit, huh? Since you¡¯re a detective and all. And you¡¯ve been looking into these businesses for god knows how long.¡±


    ¡°Well unfortunately, not enough.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°You know I kinda avoided those things for a - a reason. And even when I¡¯m dealing with all of this - strangely most things aren¡¯t connected to clans that much.¡±


    ¡°Probably a good thing then. You probably don¡¯t remember this but when the clans were still operating, there were - were a lot of fights every so often. Sometimes the streets would be covered in blood for weeks, the cleaning efforts couldn¡¯t even begin to catch up.¡±


    ¡°That bad, huh?¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you think they got destroyed? And all martial arts were basically gutted and banned?¡± Elvin sighed: ¡°I think years before you even thought about joining the force, there were a few cases of clans involved in some kind of heinous crimes where they performed underground rituals. I can¡¯t even remember what they said about the cases themselves, I just remember some dark - paranormal or supernatural stuff.¡±


    ¡°And THAT I am involved with now. Though I am still a bit fuzzy on many details.¡± Marcus smiled then shook his head: ¡°And it all began with that failed drug bust. AND maybe it also started when that spoiled Benson kid.¡±


    ¡°Well - I guess everything happens for a reason.¡± Elvin shrugged as he pointed forward: ¡°What now? Just go straight forward?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just go straight forward. When you see the signs for ¡®Temple Way, then go into it.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°It¡¯s a dirt road. Just keep going and you¡¯ll get to a small parking area. We¡¯ll have to walk the rest of the way.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Elvin nodded, took a deep breath, checked his surroundings and nodded again. After a short pause, he said to Marcus: ¡°Weird, why is there a bus at this time of the day?¡±


    Marcus looked back. A city bus was driving slightly behind them on their left. As he fixed his eyes on the bus driver - it was that old man who once drove him and a young boy to the temple.

 Book 2 Chapter 228. Final Regroup (Part 1)

    Having a previous harmless experience with the ghostly bus, Marcus did not want to alarm anyone, so he just shrugged off Elvin¡¯s confusion: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some kind of night bus program? Let¡¯s be careful and not raise any suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Elvin nodded and slightly sped up the vehicle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Marcus, something¡¯s off about that bus.¡± Keryn¡¯s voice came from the middle row seats: ¡°There¡¯s no passenger, and there¡¯s - there¡¯s a strange fog around it - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just keep to ourselves.¡± Marcus interrupted Keryn: ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before. No need to worry about anything - ¡±


    ¡°Oh, he stopped. He picked up someone.¡± Kevin interjected: ¡°It¡¯s weird. This is way too late - too early for any bus ride.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what is it, Marcus?¡± Elvin¡¯s voice began trembling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine. Just ignore it and move forward.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not our first priority right now. ¡±


    Keryn wanted to ask again, but Kevin stopped her before she could utter a word.


    ¡°Temple Way¡¯. We¡¯re almost there.¡± Elvin announced.


    ¡°Alright. Drive really slow and be careful when you hit dirt road, it¡¯s really rough and no signs on either side. ¡± Marcus let out a breath of relief.


    The SUV was as smooth as its luxury status would suggest as well. On a dirt and pebble road that would make absolutely most vehicles tumble up and down only made the body of the vehicle waved a little and barely caused Marcus any discomfort.


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    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s someone here already.¡± Keryn poked her upper body through between the front seats.


    In the simple, crude parking space covered with some cracked cement and stone plates, parked one simple and humble, even rugged looking van with a slightly longer trunk than normal.


    ¡°Could be one of the master¡¯s old contacts.¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes as he hopped off his seat. ¡°Let me take a look first - don¡¯t go off right away.¡±


    Keryn jumped off the SUV and signaled Kevin and Mick to stay inside. Both mystic martial artist detectives circled the van a few times. As it turned out, this strange vehicle was only made to look simple. Upon close inspection, the tempered glass windows, the embedded steel plates and the reinforced tires were still visible.


    ¡°No one¡¯s inside. But let¡¯s still be careful.¡± Keryn nodded at Marcus.


    They proceed to go up the narrow path uphill towards the temple in a defensive formation. Marcus was in front, while Keryn stayed in the back. It took a bit longer than usual, but they reached the Temple of Forgetfulness without any surprises.


    ¡°Detective, come on in.¡± Wuzui answered the door, wearing his new robe.


    A man that looked even older than Master Liaoran was sitting on a simple hay mat next to the master in the outer sanctum, sipping tea. Master Liaoran changed into a simple, well-fitted robe. There were a number of hay mats laid around them, waiting to seat more people.


    ¡°Detective Cai. I see you come just in time.¡± Master Liaoran stood up and bowed to them gently: ¡°And the one who would provide us passage to where we want to go is here as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Marcus bowed back, the rest of the group bowed along with him.


    ¡°That¡¯s all of you?¡± The nameless man did not even stand up, and just shook his head at Marcus and the group: ¡°And looks like most of you are civilians? I am not really optimistic about this, Liaoran. ¡±


    ¡°We still have at least one mythic martial artist coming with us.¡± Marcus added.


    ¡°So that¡¯s - three of you.¡± The nameless man shrugged: ¡°And three civilians. I don¡¯t think you guys have that big a chance. Do you even have artifacts on you to shield you from the air and the sounds inside?¡±


    ¡°This monk will manage that for them. Old friend.¡± Master Liaoran smiled at his friend, then he turned to Marcus: ¡°And some more is coming?¡±


    ¡°I think probably just one. Gloria Lee, I don¡¯t know if you know her, Master.¡± Marcus answered after a short moment of hesitation: ¡°I¡¯d hope her friend - mentor would be coming. But I am not confident about it.¡±


    ¡°This monk has met her before.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°And her mentor - if she knew what we had planned, she might NOT choose to come with us. Don¡¯t worry, it would be for a good reason.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not coming, and for indeed a good reason.¡± Gloria¡¯s voice came from behind. Marcus turned around, and saw her coming into the temple with a middle aged man: ¡°Master Liaoran. This is both of us. And we¡¯re honored to join you on your quest.¡±


    ¡°Great. One more civilian!¡± The nameless man shrugged.


    ¡°That is Sifu Tae Kuo of the Fuman Coffin Home. He could be more than helpful than someone who knew only how to fight.¡± Master Liaoran chuckled: ¡°And much appreciation for your bravery, Sifu. This monk is much more hopeful of our endeavor thanks to your being here with us.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 229. Final Regroup (Part 2)

    ¡°And I¡¯m here as well. ¡± Luoshan Zi came into the temple after Gloria Lee and Tae Kuo, with Sue and Turner Ouyang behind her: ¡°Sorry I had to take a moment to make sure we weren¡¯t followed.¡±


    ¡°Luoshan.¡± The nameless man finally stood up and waved at her: ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Where¡¯s the rest of your friends?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re waiting by the parking area as we speak. They don¡¯t want to overcrowd the temple.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re still afraid of Master.¡± The nameless man chuckled: ¡°Still mischievous kids at heart, all of them.¡±


    ¡°Or they just don¡¯t want to be inconsiderate before going on this mission.¡± Luoshan Zi smiled and shook her head: ¡°Plausible deniability, maybe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really thoughtful of them. But this monk is worried that it would carry no weight in the eyes of those whom you are up against.¡± Master Liaoran nodded with a smile: ¡°Still, this monk has some gift for you to aid you in your endeavor. Wuzui? ¡±


    Wuzui stepped forward and pulled out a small bamboo tube from his sleeve. He walked up to Luoshan Zi with an unusual sense of respect and awe, while holding the tube with both hands.


    Luoshan Zi bowed to Wuzui, then accepted the tube with both hands.


    ¡°Gloria?¡± Marcus looked at Gloria and gestured like a pen.


    ¡°Master Liaoran?¡± Gloria nodded at Marcus then turned to the master of the temple: ¡°Marcus asked me to find certain items that you requested.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this monk is surprised and honored.¡± Master Liaoran smiled.


    Gloria pulled out a small wooden box from her backpack and handed it to the master, who proceeded to pop it open with two fingers. Inside of it was a humble looking writing brush, and a small piece of thick, slightly reflective purple paper.


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    ¡°Panguan Writing Brush, and purple paper talisman.¡± Master Liaoran seemed genuinely surprised: ¡°These must be extremely hard to find. You have this monk¡¯s sincerest gratitude, Ms. Lee.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually from - from my friend. His name was Gyuu Park.¡± Gloria nodded at the master: ¡°I don¡¯t know how he got them. But they were entrusted to me. I have no idea how to use them, so I believe he would be glad they¡¯re in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Donor Park would be remembered. Such a talented young clergyman.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°This monk would personally pay a visit and convey the most heartfelt thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about making a purple talisman?¡± The nameless man grabbed Master Liaoran¡¯s arm, frowning: ¡°Have you even done it before? ¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Master Liaoran nodded.


    ¡°But - you know what it means, right? Master?¡± Luoshan Zi also stepped forward: ¡°Anyone could only make a small number of purple talismans their entire life for a reason. And - ¡±


    ¡°This monk fully understands what it means, what it requires. And this monk is prepared to do it.¡± Master Liaoran reassured everyone with a gentle voice: ¡°In fact, without these, this monk would have to resort to a method that is going to be more costly on this monk¡¯s part.¡±


    The nameless man sighed, then asked with a calm voice: ¡°What are you trying to make?¡±


    ¡°The destination of ours is a dangerous place. Not just in the sense that it would be guarded, but also in a sense that corrupting foul energy would be permeating the air. Every minute one spends in there would be one where you¡¯ll be weakened, maddened and worse, have your Qiyun tainted and polluted. ¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Wuzui as he was served a small dish of dark red ink: ¡°And - to put it simply and honestly, there is very little anyone could do when faced with that kind of all out hostility to one¡¯s integrity and safety. A correctly crafted Talisman of Fortitude and Serenity, using the best materials. ¡±


    Tae Kuo tried to chime in: ¡°But that¡¯s a really costly - ¡±


    ¡°This monk understands the cost and sacrifices needed.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head, smiling: ¡°Give this monk but one moment.¡±


    The master took a deep breath, then dipped the Panguan Writing Brush in the dark red ink. The hairs turned bright, glistening red after absorbing the ink. He rolled the purple talisman paper flat on his left palm, took another deep breath, then began writing on it. He wrote fast, yet every stroke was meticulous. His writing speed alternated between fast and slow, finishing with three very slow strokes.


    ¡°It is done.¡± Master Liaoran panted as he held the talisman up high: ¡°Now. One last thing before we leave.¡±


    The face of the talisman glowed under the moonlight. The writings on it gradually grew brighter, and along with it, a majestic aura began to form in and around the temple.


    Wind blew through every corner of the outer sanctum. The oil lamps hung on the beams flickered. Silvery blue fire erupted from the talisman, swallowing the master¡¯s fingers. But he was not in any kind of pain, nor was there any smell or other indication of burning.


    The aura intensified as the fire consumed the talisman while leaving the master¡¯s fingers unharmed. It reached its most intense when there was roughly a third of it left. Then, it began to retract and converge on everyone present in the temple. Before long, the aura covering almost the entirety of the temple became individual ones for each of them.


    ¡°Now we are ready.¡± Master Liaoran took a few deep breaths before bowing to everyone before handing the writing brush back to Gloria: ¡°This should be enough for us now. But just in case, Ms. Lee. Please keep it with you. Energy lingers on it still, it might be useful later.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Gloria accepted it, and put it back into the wooden box.


    ¡°Now is the time, if you¡¯re ready.¡± Master Liaoran looked at everyone.

 Book 2 Chapter 230. Cloudstruck

    He used to have a name. She used to have a name as well. But so much time had passed by now and neither of them could even remember what they were. The cost of being watchers. They were warned that such tethering would bring them harm in some way. But seriously was that an understatement.


    He did not have much of a choice in the matter to begin with, nor did he have any opportunity to negotiate the terms. His clan was hunted down and broken up. The deeds they used to do for the city were now used against them. And the leaders who once promised them safety and passage out of the city either failed or betrayed them.


    He did not know much about her story. He just knew that she was in somewhat of a similar situation to his - she used to be in a clan, but she lost all places she could be and any other hopes of surviving in the city when her clan was torn down. Over the years she had only become more resentful and even hateful. Anytime some poor oblivious soul wandered into their area, she would actively seek them out, play with and torment them before actually killing them. He could only reason it was her way of venting. It was also a plausible theory that he would be subject to the same fate if the ritual that bound them here forced them to remain non-hostile to each other.


    A point of consolation for him, and maybe for her as well, was that they had a nice station. It was a three-storey mansion in a quiet area of the Northern District mountains. Unlike many others he heard about, they had a pretty luxurious roof over their heads. Even after this many years of abandonment and decay, it was still a pretty good place to rest, meditate and ponder what life could be when he could finally get out of here after finding someone and tricking them into taking over for him.


    The night sky grew darker than usual, even though there were no visible clouds above. The moon was gradually obscured, its light faded and became slightly red.


    ¡°Hey, woman.¡± He looked up at the sky and asked the corner of the giant mansion: ¡°Are you seeing this? ¡±


    ¡°...what!?¡± The woman responded with a rather lazy voice, without acknowledging his question at all: ¡°Don¡¯t call me unless you have something important! Or do you see some fresh meat wandering in?¡±


    ¡°No. The sky became darker.¡± He picked up his two swords, one long, straight and thin, one short, curved and thick with a hook on its spine. ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s late at night, idiot.¡±


    ¡°No - this is different. It¡¯s even clouding over the moon - something¡¯s not right.¡± He narrowed his eyes as he gazed into the sky. Even when he had given his best, the sky was still fuzzy, and slightly foggy. He could not see anything, but the uneasy, creepy feeling in his mind intensified. ¡°Get up, woman! Something¡¯s wrong here! You can scream at me if I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°Are you just too old to tell it¡¯s night time?¡± The woman barked again, but she did sound more awake.


    ¡°No - something¡¯s - ¡± The man was still trying to rebut the woman as per habit, but his words were cut short by the faces that manifested in the sky. ¡°Wait - something¡¯s definitely off here - did you leave something here that would impact the stability of the seals?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not an idiot like you.¡± The woman finally made it out of her room and walked out on the second floor balcony: ¡°What the - ¡±


    More faces manifested in the sky. Right now everything around the mansion had become dark. Even if they tried, they could not see anything outside of the mansion¡¯s fences. Anything beyond was just a blur behind a thick gray wall of smoke and ash. A sudden fog had surrounded them without them even noticing.


    ¡°Come back inside. Come inside!¡± The woman screamed at the man.


    The man did not need this reminder anyway. He had already made it inside and locked the door behind him.


    Through this many years of lack of upkeep and maintenance, some windows of the mansion were already quite worn. Lucky for them, none of them was fully broken. Only a few of them on the upper floors were loose from the corrosion of wind, rain and insects.


    ¡°Find the help alarm signal, now!¡± The man barked.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you keep it!?¡± The woman shouted back.


    ¡°What the fuck!? You¡¯re supposed to keep an eye on it!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! You were!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you! It¡¯s your responsibility!¡± The man bashed the wall and flung the carpet on the first floor to check on the vault underneath. It was a locked metal box. What was the combination, he could not even remember. ¡°What¡¯s the code to the safe!?¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck knows! Stop fucking around!¡± The woman was turning the rooms on the second floor upside down, throwing the chairs and desks against the walls: ¡°Just find it! It¡¯s a red talisman, how fucking hard could it be!?¡±


    A silent shockwave blew through the entire mansion. Both the man and the woman were struck by a sudden vertigo at the same time. Meanwhile, the weeping sounds of a woman, a man and maybe some teenagers began creeping up from all corners of the mansion. Dark red handprints, tear marks and scratches began appearing on the walls.


    ¡°Please, stop.¡± A woman¡¯s voice begged, weak, sniffling and heaving: ¡°Please stop this. We haven¡¯t done anything wrong. You can¡¯t do this to us - you can¡¯t do this to us - Please, stop - ¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± A man¡¯s voice resounded in all the rooms: ¡°We¡¯ve done all the work for them - how many contributions and sacrifices did we make?! You can¡¯t do this to us! You just CAN¡¯T!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 231. Echoed Vengeance (Part 1)

    ¡°What the fuck is this - ¡± The man looked around and cursed, while still trying to remember how to open the vault before his eyes.


    Dark dots splashed onto the walls, as if ink was being thrown in every direction. Invisible fingers clawed the walls, leaving long streaks of dark red marks here and there. The voices of a man and a woman continued to beg, while the younger ones continued to cry and weep. The woman upstairs seemed to have lost her patience, as she kept flinging things at the walls, tearing through floor boards in hopes of trying to find that red talisman which could help them alert those meant to support them.


    The man tried a few combinations he thought of - but the box just wouldn¡¯t open. Sweat dropped on the door as he put his short sword in the gap between the door and its frame. The blade bent as he exerted his force upon it. The box was from the original owners of the mansion, someone of some importance and stature in the city. Maybe that was why the integrity of this box was much sturdier than what the man had imagined.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The blade of the short sword bent to a dangerous degree, so the man had to stop. He checked the spine of his blade - it was slightly bent from his attempts. The years had not been kind to his weapons either.


    Just when the man checked out the bend on his sword, three bloody fingers full of sores, burns and cuts, and one that lost the first two sections with bones exposed, wrapped around the blade.


    ¡°Please - please stop¡­¡± A man, roughly around 30 to 40 years of age appeared following the arm connected to the hand. His left eye was missing, with only a bloody hole where it was. There were more holes from his missing nose, his missing cheek and peeled forehead. ¡°Please stop - let my children go at least - we haven¡¯t done anything wrong! Please!¡±


    Cold, long blade slashed across the man¡¯s neck. No resistance came from the collision, this ghostly man¡¯s figure just dissipated like a pile of dust and sand.


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    ¡°Please, please - I beg of you - stop ¡­¡± The ghostly man uttered another plea before his shadow disappeared completely: ¡°Please - let them go - we are ready to die - just let them go¡­¡±


    The man only had a faint idea of who this ghostly man was - the only possibility was that he was the sole owner of this mansion. And the people he was speaking of were his family - his wife, and his children.


    Who the family once living in this mansion was had already escaped the man¡¯s memory. They had left for many years. If the man recalled correctly, there was no torturing or murdering of them happening in this house. They left this place in a hurry, but they left unharmed.


    It must be that fog. Whatever laid inside of it, it must have brought their ghosts back here. The man had no idea what would have this kind of power.


    ¡°Hey, woman!¡± The man raised his head and yelled: ¡°Did you find it?!¡±


    At first there was no response, then after a minute, a female scream came from above.


    The man immediately ran for the stairs. They were in this together, if she was harmed, there would be ills befalling him as well.


    Just as he made it into the staircase, a woman in bloody, ragged clothes and half her head shaven lunged at him from above with her twisted arms extending forward. Her nails were broken, crooked and sharp, her face was skinless and showing only muscles and bones, and spikes of her broken bones were protruding from her palms, wrists and elbows. She was screaming something, but her tongue was missing and she had a gaping hole in her throat, so all she made was a retching and gurgling sound.


    Out of pure instinct, he thrust his long sword forward while jabbing at the ghostly woman¡¯s lower body with his short sword. Both swords passed through her body just like his blade did the ghostly man¡¯s. The woman¡¯s body dissipated into sand and dust, and in but an instant scattered in the wind.


    ¡°Woman! Where are you!?¡± The man took a short moment to breathe while asking.


    Still no answer, he had to continue rushing up.


    The begging voices, cries and moans did not stop. The mansion itself was getting darker every minute, even as he focused his Qi, he could barely see past three arms¡¯ length beyond his immediate surroundings.


    The ground had somehow turned tarry, sticky and reeking of a familiar saltiness and bitterness. Blood, dried up blood mixed with fresh blood. Must be an illusion from whatever it was from the fog. He raised his two swords and readied himself for anything. He slowed and lightened his footsteps as he walked towards where he remembered the balcony was. He had to be really careful, for he was more worried about the woman attacking him accidentally than the illusions that had proven to be pretty harmless so far.


    ¡°Please. Please - let my children go - ¡± Four or five steps in his direction later, he saw some shadows in front of him. Illusions, no doubt, for there were many of them, some more solidified, some were only partially manifested. The most clear and colorful of them all were the two with their hands tied behind their backs and kneeling on the ground.

 Book 2 Chapter 232. Echoed Vengeance (Part 2)

    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that these shadows appeared in the man¡¯s way, he wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye. As of now, all he could do was circle around the strange illusory scene and try his best to not let all of these influence him. When he found that woman, they would need to find a way to leave or at least call for help.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯m begging - really begging you.¡± The voice of the ghostly woman who almost had her face completely peeled off came from the shadows: ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt our children. Whatever we did - just, please don¡¯t hurt them, please.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the book?¡± A shadow standing over the kneeling ghostly man and woman asked with a distorted, hoarse and echoing voice: ¡°Where did you put the book?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have it, you got to believe us!¡± The ghostly man cried: ¡°We left it for you in the house - we never dared take it! You¡¯ve got to believe us!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡± The interrogating shadows barked together: ¡°It¡¯s never there! How dare you take us for fools! It¡¯s not there! Where is it!? Where are you hiding it!?¡±


    ¡°We left it under our bed in our bedroom! We left it there with a note!¡± The ghostly woman screamed, almost breaking her throat: ¡°Please - just check with the people who searched our place. We never took it! Please please please, don¡¯t hurt our children - ¡±


    An eardrum-piercing scream rocked the entire mansion, even as the man was backing away from the shadows, he was knocked down on the ground and had to cover his ears. It was the cry of a young man, but made hoarse and much higher in amplitude. The walls cracked and the windows burst broken from this scream, and fog as dark as ink began flooding everywhere.


    ¡°No! No! NOOO!¡± The ghostly couple cried out and struggled to stand up, but were immediately struck down by the interrogating shadows. What happened next was invisible to the man, because the fog had blocked his vision, even with his Qi-enhanced eyes.


    A chilling aura struck the man in but a moment. Even when he had activated his Qi entirely to protect himself, he could feel his muscles getting numb, his reflexes becoming slow, and he could no longer feel a lot of his exposed skin. What was more terrifying, was that his mind began to slow and blurr. Illusions and despair began setting in, just when it was most fatal for him..


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    ¡°Fuck! FUCK FUCK FUCK!¡± He cursed as he swung his two swords around him, again and again, unleashing blades of Qi all over the place. His attacks cut through walls, pillars and windows, but none hit anything material or corporeal. Some of the dark fog was blown thin by his attacks, and through which he caught glimpses of the shadows - they were no longer in their original positions, but were all standing up, staring at him with their eyes glowing blood red. Tar was seeping through cracks on their faces and dripping onto the floor.


    ¡°My son - my daughter - HOW COULD YOU!?¡± The combined voice of the ghostly man and the ghostly woman screamed at the same time, the entire mansion shook. The man had to cover his ears once again, but the voices penetrated his palms and into his head like cold, hard drill blades.


    A sense of danger exploded in his mind, he dived to his left while raising his blades facing right. A loud clunk exploded from the collision between his swords and a long crooked sword - it was the woman¡¯s weapon.


    ¡°You cannot fool me! I see through your tricks!¡± The woman, with bloodshot eyes and corners of her mouth foaming, barked as she raised her crooked sword once again and swung down at him once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s me! What the hell are you doing!?¡± The man began backing off while swinging his swords to shield himself from being slashed and stabbed. She was actually attacking with full intention to kill, which was made extra evident by the sparks shooting off from their weapon¡¯s contact points.


    ¡°My children! MY CHILDREN!¡± Shadows of the ghostly woman and the ghostly man appeared all around them and lunged at them from different angles.


    Swords cut through the air, Qi blades shot across the interior of the mansion, causing more damages to the structural integrity. Both watchers of this site started fighting each other as well as destroying the shadows at the same time.


    Midway through the fight, the man noticed that there were dark handprints on the woman¡¯s forearms and face. Some of them were light in color and incomplete, some were darker and closer to fully fleshed out. He rolled up his sleeves, and saw the same thing.


    ¡°Fuck! ¡± The man leapt backwards and raised his voice as much as he could: ¡°Wake up! This is a curse! You can¡¯t fight it like this - ¡± Before he could finish, his long sword jerked without his maneuver, and blood was spilled all over it as well as his arm. It was not his blood. He looked up at the woman, just in time to catch the sudden stab wound manifesting on her chest.


    The woman gurgled, dropped her sword and tried to hold her neck. His sword jerked once again, another stab wound appeared on her arms. The next moment, a horizontal slash wound appeared on her neck. Her head fell from her shoulders. His blade did the damage, yet it did not touch her at all, all this time.


    An invisible blade with what felt like a crooked shape cleaved through the man¡¯s chest, slicing and tearing up his muscles. This could only be the work of the woman¡¯s sword. But her sword was nowhere near him.


    The sword on the ground was covered in blood, fresh blood.


    Before the man could realize what was going on, the woman¡¯s sword bounced on the ground, as if it just came into contact with something.


    A clear, gaping penetration wound appeared on the man¡¯s left chest. It was the invisible blade again. This time the wound was fatal, as his heart was almost rendered to completely minced meat by it.


    Darkness began to take over. During the last few seconds of his life, he finally saw what it was - hands of shadows, grabbing a crooked shadow blade that was still in his chest.

 Book 2 Chapter 233. Echoed Vengeance (Part 3)

    Alarms blared in the comms of a black car strolling through some northward streets of the South-Western District: ¡°Gray Alert. Gray Alert. Suspected site going dark in the Pearson House. Suspected site going dark. Nearby units please respond.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell, second time this week?¡± The one in the driving seat, going by the codename of Cinder, asked as he dismissed the alarm.


    ¡°We¡¯re close enough. We should go.¡± The one in the passenger seat, going by the codename Bolt, shook his head.


    ¡°Nah, we should wait a bit.¡± Cinder slowly merged into a left turn lane: ¡°Those who got there first have to write the reports. I don¡¯t know if I have time for that.¡±


    ¡°Nobody has time for that.¡± Bolt scoffed: ¡°I don¡¯t know why they would even require it. But - maybe the newbies would want to do it. I would if it¡¯s my first or second year.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Cinder nodded as he made the turn and pulled the car into the slow lane. According to his memories, to get to the Pearson House site he just needed to go straight along this road for a bit, exit on the right and then follow a narrow lane up a hill for a short distance. It was at most a 20 minute drive if they would speed up slightly. But right now they had very little intention to do so.


    ¡°So - what do you think burned the site this time?¡± After a round half a minute of silence, Bolt asked, his breathing heavier and faster by a small extent: ¡°What, uh I mean - what do you think happened last time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think about it. I don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± Cinder shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve got higher access than most, you must know something.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t really wanna know.¡± Cinder coughed then sighed: ¡°Trust me, the more you know the more trouble it could bring you. Because they are more likely to seek you out and force you to do stuff if they know you know. So unless you are well connected and want to rise through the ranks and gain favors from the council, trying to stay low is the best cause of survival.¡±


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    ¡°But if we don¡¯t know what caused it, how can we even resolve the - the thing?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend asking that of anyone - it¡¯s never up to our level to actually resolve any of the problems.¡± Cinder scratched his forehead and then his nose bridge: ¡°It¡¯s always someone who knows, who practices both the forbidden martial arts as well as rituals. They are the true pillars of our operation. As long as they¡¯re there, all we need to do is stop civilians from coming too close, poke around the scene and surrounding neighborhoods and sometimes clean up after the mess. And occasionally, we need to do the work of shutting nosy civilians up.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t a few of them perish - ¡±


    ¡°Ssssh!¡± Cinder shushed the younger man in the passenger seat: ¡°Shut your mouth or I¡¯m gonna have to throw you outta this car! Just keep it to yourself, okay!? Don¡¯t get involved with what doesn¡¯t concern you!¡±


    The rest of the ride was silent and even more awkward than before.


    They finally got to the surrounding area of the site, which was already closed off with police tapes, some other black vehicles just like theirs and some of their cohorts. The once fancy and grand mansion was now covered by some kind of black fog. Hovering on top of the house was a grim black cloud. Dark threads draped from the cloud and into the mansion, through its roof and windows. Neither Cinder nor Bolt knew what was going on - the cloud, the threads, and the fog or mist surrounding the mansion. Everything about the site reeked of foul curses and tragic grudges.


    Two men with distinct robes stood in front of the house. The one on the left was wearing all black, with white bagua symbols printed on his back and his sleeves. The one on the right was wearing all red, with some arcane symbols of unknown sources on his shoulders and waist.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Cinder asked another duo as he hopped off the car.


    ¡°They just said the site had some kind of vengeful spirit outbreak. And they¡¯re dealing with it.¡± The driver from another car responded.


    The two men in robes raised their right hands at the same time. Two spinning short swords of similar sizes arose from their palms. The sword of the man in a black robe glowed in pale silver light, while the sword of the man in a red robe glowed in a dark red light. The two men swung their hands at the dark cloud above the mansion. The swords made a buzzing sound and shot at the cloud leaving streaks of afterimages behind.


    With horror in their eyes, those who were not tasked with handling the site watched as two giant, pale hands with boney fingers and long sharp nails broke out from the cloud and blocked the two swords. Immediately, a pale and bloodied face of a woman poked through the cloud. A long slashing wound spanned across her face, cutting through her nose and the space below her eyes. She opened her mouth, and out exploded a window shattering scream as well as dark red fog.


    ¡°Back off! Back off!¡± The two men in robes screamed.


    The two swords were corroded and crumbled in mere seconds, the blood fog swept through the two men¡¯s robes. Within the blink of an eye, colorful energy was ripped from their bodies, while their flesh and bones withered and collapsed into piles of tar and pus.

 Book 2 Chapter 234. Echoed Vengeance (Part 4)

    ¡°Shit! Back away! Back away!¡± Cinder cried as he pulled Bolt with him to escape the spreading blood fog. Many of their colleagues were simply one or two seconds too slow and suffered the same fate as the two men in robes.


    They ran. They looked back once or twice, all they saw was the collapsed and drenched clothes of the others. Their vehicles seemed intact, but a few of those present did lose their lives while they were in them.


    ¡°How dare you! You foul spirit!¡± A powerful roar exploded. Cinder and Bolt looked, it was a muscular bald man jumping from the top of a speeding jeep.


    Golden light exploded from the bald man¡¯s palms, glowing arcane symbols manifested in the air behind him. With solemn and sonorous chanting of an unknown buddhist scripture, he unleashed two palm strikes using both his palms at the cloud, aiming at the woman¡¯s face.


    The eyes on that giant face glowed red as it screamed again. Shockwaves from her eardrum piercing screams crashed against the golden palm strikes. An explosion as deafening as a full force thunderstrike cleared the dark fog surrounding the mansion as well as the outward spreading blood fog.


    Cinder and Bolt finally had a moment to breathe. With haste, they found a safe place to rest and watch how the battle was going. To Bolt, it was probably a good time to leave and find safety, but to do so would only bring them trouble. Maybe, he should just stay a bit longer and only escape when they absolutely have to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Cinder grabbed Bolt, seemingly having already figured out his thoughts: ¡°The moment we¡¯re here, we¡¯re already marked. And even if we make it outta here, the curse would follow us and she, whatever ¡®she¡¯ is, will also follow us. It¡¯s best to stay here and ask those who can to resolve it for us after.¡±


    ¡°But what if they can¡¯t win?¡± Bolt asked, taking one deep breath after another.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re better off dead, preferably right away.¡± Cinder shook his head with a wry smile: ¡°Because there¡¯s more to this - this end of our lives than death. And often they are way more horrifying.¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± The bald man and the woman in a dark cloud clashed once more, the shockwave broke what looked like all the windows in the mansion. The bald man was thrown onto the ground, almost crashing the jeep he came here in, while the dark cloud was pushed back and shrunk visibly in size.


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    ¡°Fire!¡± A male voice came from the jeep, as one man jumped out from the driver¡¯s seat and one man stood up through the jeep¡¯s roof and fired two grenade launchers at the mansion at the same time.


    The grenades arced in the air and exploded at about the second floor window¡¯s height. Bright orange burning liquid splashed from the centers of explosion onto the mansion and lower portion of the dark cloud. Dozens, if not hundreds of voices screamed at the same time, a darkness was lifted off the mansion. But at the same time, the dark cloud hovering above had become more intense.


    A male voice and a female voice screamed at the same time. Two individuals in ragged clothes and whose bodies were covered in blood and grevious wounds leapt from the roof of the mansion. The man with at least three open wounds on his chest was wielding two swords made of ribs, one short and one long; the woman had a very visible gash on her neck, as if her head was cut off then stitched together by some gray threads. She was wielding a sword as well - a crooked sword seemingly made of a full human spine.


    Cinder almost jumped: ¡°Those are the watchers - how could - ¡±


    ¡°You foul filth!¡± The bald man opened his eyes wide and growled through his teeth: ¡°Who could have made you - this is - ¡±


    The two watchers lunged at the jeep, their weapons in hand, ready to swing at the two men in the jeep. The bald man darted over with his hands glowing in golden light. Before he would collide with the two watchers, his index fingers pointed at the watchers and blasted two condensed beams of Qi at them.


    The Qi beams penetrated the two watchers¡¯ chest, exploding them from the inside and blasting them into chunks. At the very next moment, two puffs of dark smoke shot at the two men in the jeep, completely catching the bald man and their targets by surprise.


    ¡°Clunk! ¡± ¡°Clunk!¡± Some metal objects on these two men¡¯s chests burst into pieces. Dark handprints crawled all over their hands, chests and faces, before their eyes shrunk, melted and left only two dark holes in their sockets.


    The man in the driver¡¯s seat sat back into the car, spun the steering wheel while stepping on the gas pedal. The jeep swerved at the bald man, almost swiping him with its back.


    The bald man grunted as he landed barely on his feet after dodging that vehicle attack. He could not even spare a moment to breathe before having to turn back and block a stream of dark smoke shooting his way with his palms. This threw him backwards a few steps and gave him some space.


    Without a moment of hesitation, the bald man reached into pockets and brought two copper coins wrapped in red talismans. His Qi cut thin slashes on his own middle fingertips and let the blood soak the talismans. After a few quick annunciations of arcane, obscure words, he swung both his hands and shot the coins at the dark cloud. Thin golden threads wrapped in thinner blood red threads connected the coins and his palms.


    Dozens of hands of various sizes poked out of the dark cloud, attempting to block or catch the coins. But the coins curved and turned in the air while wrapping around the cloud like two bolases.


    In a moment¡¯s time, the two coins and the golden and red threads had wrapped around the cloud by a few laps. The bald man pulled on both threads, sweating bullets and pale in the face. Frustrated and furious screams exploded from inside the cloud, but it could not do anything, not even conjure hands or spirits or spread the dark fog at the moment.


    ¡°Someone come here! Someone!¡± The bald man raised his voice and yelled: ¡°I know some of you are still alive! Quick! This is our last chance!¡±


    Cinder and Bolt exchanged looks, they could both see the panic in each other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you if you dare!¡± An echoey female voice exploded from the dark cloud.

 Book 2 Chapter 235. Crumble

    Cinder and Bolt looked around them - it seemed that because they were technically the latest on the scene, they were in the outermost area when it happened, and thus the only ones left.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Cinder took a deep breath, looked Bolt in the eyes before nodding at this partner of his for the last few months: ¡°We should go. Let¡¯s go! GO!¡± He barked and roared before pulling himself up and running at the bald man.


    Cinder ran with almost every last bit of strength left in his body. He needed to do this - he knew this would be their last chance.


    ¡°Quick! There are two more grenades in the jeep! Shoot it!¡± The bald man¡¯s face had shown wrinkles that were never there before, his face was pale like a corpse that had been stored in preservatives for ages, and blood was leaking from the corners of his mouth: ¡°Quick! Shoot it!¡±


    ¡°Bolt! You get the one in the back!¡± Cinder turned his head while making for the driver¡¯s seat to remind Bolt, but his partner was not there. At the corner of his eyes, he could see Bolt limping away from the site, desperately trying to make as much distance between him and this mansion.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± The bald man begged.


    Cinder opened the door, lifted the grenade launcher splashed by disgusting rotten flesh and skin, pried open a metal crate also covered in fresh filth and loaded one of the two remaining grenades.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Even at a distance he could feel the scorching liquid¡¯s heat warming up his face. The cloud shrieked from the burn, struggling and shrinking visibly in size. But at the same time, the bald man coughed and heaved as the burning liquid spilled on the golden threads connected to his palms - he was impacted as well.


    ¡°Again!¡± The bald man shook his head and screamed with a hoarse voice: ¡°Hit it again!¡±


    Cinder took out the last grenade in the crate, his fingers were trembling and almost made him drop it on the ground. His muscles whined and ached as he held the launcher up and aimed. His vision was blurry, both from the sweat that got in his eyes and from the chilling fatigue spreading through all of his muscles and bones.


    ¡°Click¡±, the sound of the trigger never felt so pleasant and relieving. Everything slowed before Cinder¡¯s eyes. The rolling and shapeshifting dark cloud, the whining golden threads, and the grenade making its way to the top of the building in an arc.


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    The grenade inched towards the dark cloud, while the cloud¡¯s shape shifted and turned, hands, elbows, legs and mouth bursting from every corner trying to tear the golden threads restraining it. With every struggle attempt, the bald man was getting weaker as well.


    The threads were getting thinner. And what made it worse was that the woman¡¯s faces appeared at the weakest parts of the threads and were grinding at them with her teeth, even though the scorching energy from the liquid and the thread itself was making her face smoke.


    Yet, it worked. The threads broke, the coins were flung away like pellets off slingshots. The bald man was thrown back a few steps, blood shooting out of his mouth and nostrils. Red was also dripping from his ears and eyes.


    But just as the dark cloud attempted to break free, the grenade exploded right on top of it, splashing a new wave of burning liquid all over the space it occupied. The cloud screeched and tried to shake off the fire it could not dodge, but like oil tar or napalm, the fire just stuck to it and kept burning. With the last hope lost, Cinder tried to run away, but a few hands made of shadows had already reached his throat, his ankles and his wrists.


    Bit by bit, life was squeezed out of him. His entire body grew cold. Terrifying images flashed in his head, while sleepiness and numbness overtook his consciousness. Not even the howling dark fog blasting his way could wake him up.


    Explosions, fires. Two more grenades exploded in mid air. Heatwaves blew past Cinder, though he could no longer feel it and was only pushed onto the ground by the wind. Another jeep gradually pulled behind the first jeep in which the bald man came.


    The dark cloud was writhing and screaming from the orange flames consuming its energy. Three men jumped off the jeep, two in the front each holding a grenade launcher, the one on the back was wearing a taoist robe, holding a lantern in his right hand and with a wooden sword behind his back.


    ¡°Fire again. Take no chances.¡± The man in a taoist robe ordered.


    Iron and Copper nodded, then squeezed the triggers of their grenade launchers at the same time. The last two grenades exploded right where the dark cloud was engulfing it completely. A red talisman followed, shooting right at the center of the cloud.


    ¡°Crack!¡± A bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck the dark cloud answering the invocation of the talisman. The cloud was torn into several smaller ones, all of which were burning.


    Dark threads manifested amidst the torn clouds, at the same time as dark liquid foamed around them attempting to put out the fires. The man in a taoist robe pulled out his wooden sword, chanting an arcane spell ready for a final strike.


    The clouds merged together, still with flames on different spots. A giant, torn up woman¡¯s face appeared at its center, with blood gushing from her eyes and nostrils. The cloud shot at the jeep and the three men, just in time to be jabbed in the forehead by a flying wooden sword.


    Neither Iron nor Copper had ever seen a paranormal entity of this size and might perish before. It would be a first for most people. The giant woman¡¯s face shattered, as flames consumed all of it along with the dark cloud around it.


    ¡°Old baldie. Old monk.¡± The man in a taoist robe sat beside the pale bald man: ¡°After all these years, never imagined you would go before me. Guess you were just too eager, if you¡¯d just waited a bit¡­¡±


    One piece of brick broke and dropped from a pillar in front of the mansion. Then another. Then another. Then more from almost every corner of the mansion. Before long, nothing could support the weight of the entire building anymore, and it collapsed on its weight.


    ¡°Another site gone¡­¡± Iron sighed, then looked back at the man in a taoist robe.


    ¡°I told you not to mention it.¡± Copper sighed and facepalmed, ¡°You¡¯re in charge of the report this time.¡±


    The man in a taoist robe coughed, droplets of blood were spat onto the ground beside him.

 Book 2 Chapter 236. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 1)

    A repurposed small bus with all windows tinted, this was the best the friends of Luoshan Zi could bring. It was not that they did not have anything fancier, but it was that a bus was the only option they had to transport this many people without increasing the risk of raising suspicion and getting checked by the coppers.


    Ming, the old man with a walking stick in his hand and a limp in his left leg, was sitting in the passenger seat, watching the road ahead along with the driver.


    Keying, a one-eyed old man who wielded a giant Dao, was sitting by the door, resting with his only functional eye closed.


    Ruo, an old woman with two whips wrapped around her waist and left shoulder, was sitting on the other side of Keying, with Liao, her and Ruo¡¯s pupil, sitting behind her and listening to her caution and advice before they would head out to battle.


    Sue, Turner Ouyang and Luoshan Zi sat together in the back, one row away from the masters to give them some privacy. Turner Ouyang seemed extra nervous, his gaze sometimes lingered on Sue¡¯s face, sometimes shifted to outside of the window. He wanted to say something, but he just could not get the courage to. It probably did not help that he just endured a pretty serious beating earlier, when many of his bruises were still tender.


    ¡°Sue - I - ¡± After a while, Turner Ouyang finally raised his trembling voice: ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you. And I don¡¯t - I don¡¯t wanna wait till all of this is over - ¡±


    ¡°Turner, I know.¡± Sue smiled and grabbed the young man¡¯s hand: ¡°But - let¡¯s have a chat AFTER this, shall we? ¡±


    ¡°But - I - ¡±


    ¡°Just stay alive, and you¡¯ll get all the chance to say it when we¡¯re done, alright?¡± Sue held Turner Ouyang¡¯s hand tighter, but still shook her head: ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Ah, youth.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled: ¡°I remember being in this situation once. And I remember being in Gloria¡¯s shoes as well. You kids just make me want to feel young again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry - sorry about that, Luoshan.¡± Sue shook her head, but still holding Turner Ouyang¡¯s hand: ¡°It¡¯s just - ¡±


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    ¡°No matter, no matter.¡± Luoshan Zi waved her hand, smiling gently: ¡°It¡¯s good. It¡¯s good. You¡¯re supposed to have something waiting for you after all the fighting¡¯s done. So, don¡¯t mind me. It¡¯s just one of those old people things, we like to reminisce about the past.¡±


    Sue hesitated for a moment before asking: ¡°What - what happened? If I may ask - Because I heard about you and how you taught Gloria everything from her, but I - I just didn¡¯t know - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s nothing to be secretive about. And since we¡¯re doing THIS, it might as well come out.¡± Luoshan Zi sighed with a wry smile: ¡°His name - well, I don¡¯t even know his real name. But I just called him ¡®Senior Deng¡¯ at first. He¡¯s somewhat of a - a nerd, a scholar, a young man of texts, scriptures and knowledge. Due to some - some academic adventures of his, our paths crossed. And we ended up working together for a while - I was born and raised in the South-Eastern District, he¡¯s moved between the Northern and South-Western Districts, so while we had a lot of common interests, we still had a lot of things to learn from each other.¡±


    ¡°That sounds perfect - what happened?¡± Sue asked.


    ¡°Well, sometimes life just happens without a reason, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head, sighing and smiling: ¡°We have grown very close, and closer with each day. But somehow, one day he just disappeared without saying anything. I tried searching for him, calling his number, calling the place he worked - nothing worked. He just disappeared without a trace.¡±


    ¡°What the - how could it happen?¡± Ouyang Turner frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Luoshan Zi looked out the window: ¡°All I know is that - back then it was a really tumultuous time, not just politically, but also in the streets - not very long after that the fight between the city and the South-Eastern District happened. I was unfortunately tied up for a while because of my connections to him. And down the years, I tried a few times, but still could not find him. Finally it seemed the only explanation for it is he¡¯s either dead, or he¡¯s no longer in the city.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Ouyang Turner sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sometimes it¡¯s just not meant to be.¡± Luoshan Zi chuckled.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± Ming turned back and announced: ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡±


    The bus slowed when it turned right at a fork. The road was uneven and rough, the wheels and hinges would not stop creaking.


    ¡°Alright, everyone, ready? We¡¯re about to turn on the disguise.¡± Ming asked again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ouyang Turner let out a long exhale.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready. Do it.¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head.


    ¡°Let me find a good spot.¡± The driver turned back and looked everyone in the eyes: ¡°After that. Good luck everyone. I genuinely hope you succeed.¡±


    ¡°I do as well.¡± Keying stretched and walked up to the back of the bus: ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡±


    After landing in a spot with a small hill as a backdrop, some mechanisms on the side of the bus extended out, dragging some canvas drapes along, making some shades that were unnecessary for now. The driver walked around the bus with two lawn chairs and placed it at the end of the vehicle. Music began playing in the bus - not too loud, but enough to let anyone who cared enough to listen know it was relaxing music. A fake telescope was placed on top of the bus. According to the research of Luoshan Zi¡¯s old contacts, stargazing was indeed something people of the Northern District living close to this area would do in places around here. Since the vehicle would more likely to be discovered anyway, even though this was not the best disguise, it should still buy them some time.


    ¡°Alright, go.¡± Ming opened the side door facing the hill and signaled everyone.


    Everyone was wearing black. They exited the door in a row following Ming¡¯s lead, and disappeared in the night while their driver sat on one of the lawn chairs with a drink in hand.

 Book 2 Chapter 237. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 2)

    ¡°I initiated an area scan. Hopefully I won¡¯t find anything.¡± The driver¡¯s voice came from Ming and Luoshan Zi¡¯s handheld radio.


    ¡°Great. Thank you. If you see anything please just find safety first.¡± Luoshan Zi responded: ¡°We will keep an eye on your bus as well. If you leave we will notice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only a little chilly here. And I don¡¯t see anything.¡± The driver responded.


    The grass around them was tall but not too dense, which made it perfect for them to get close to the entrance to the abandoned subway station. It was not too far away, and was already visible from where they were - it was already half collapsed, with half a gate and some broken cement pillars standing outside. The cement flooring around the entrance still retained some integrity, as the grass was sparser around. They still did not see if anyone was around, so they just kept on going.


    They had a rough plan, and the execution of which would require a lot of luck. Sue and Turner Ouyang, two civilians would need to sneak in and sabotage the internal protective arrays, while the rest of the group would need to eliminate or stall as much of the defense force as possible.


    ¡°Be on alert. The scan shows there are electronics scattered around the area surrounding the entrance. I think they might have spotted you already.¡± The driver¡¯s voice came through the radio: ¡°Please, be careful, if you could, then leave - ¡± His voice was cut short by static. This could be the fact that they were closer to the entrance and further away from the bus, or it could be those electronics around them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no turning back now. Let¡¯s go in.¡± Ming huffed and raised his walking stick as he continued leading the way towards the entrance with accelerating steps: ¡°Young man, hand me those things you made.¡±


    Turner Ouyang rushed forward and handed his backpack to the master with a limp, in which loaded the custom-made pepper spray bombs and even some crude hand made flash bombs. The master picked the back pack up with his walking stick, then leapt to the side of the entrance: ¡°On my mark, get ready - one, two - Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°THREE!¡± The master flung the backpack deep into the entrance, his Qi flooding into it and activating everything inside. Everything exploded in an instant, blinding white light flashed from inside the tunnel three times. Right after this, Ming unleashed two palm strikes at the entrance, not intending to destroy anything or injure anyone, but to create a strong gust of wind to blow the pepper spray in the air deeper into the subway station.


    ¡°Now!¡± Luoshan Zi roared.


    The team charged into the subway station in a formation they agreed on: Ming and Keying went first, followed by Ruo and Liao behind them on the flank, then Sue and Ouyang Turner followed them afterward with weapons like knives, tasers and pepper sprays and one crude makeshift shotgun. There were indeed people down here, there were many of them as well. Many of whom were crying and yelling, both in anger and in pain.


    For anyone else, charging head first into an area like this would be immensely dangerous, but not for Ming and Keying, both were masters of hardening their bodies and Qi, as well as fighting in the dark. Keying tossed out two small cloth sacks in front of him, both of which broke, spilling out fire crackers in almost the entire immediate area.


    The masters and Luoshan Zi spread out into two teams and struck at the potential guard positions already shown on the blueprints from Chef Tang. Their opponents were groups of people in black, all of who were armed with cold weapons. With the attack of homemade pepper spray bombs and flash grenades, the first wave of enemies were at a disadvantage already, and were instantly subdued. It was only after this did everyone notice that these folks


    ¡°Who dares!¡± A loud roar came from inside of the station, three figures burst out from inside and lunged at the two teams of masters.


    These three figures were also masters of their own arts. Two of them lunged at Luoshan Zi, Ruo and Liao, one wielding two ring blades with both hands, while the other wielding a long metal whip whose sections were sharply toothed. The one figure lunging at Ming and Keying was one that wields a long metal staff with a crooked two-prong spearhead on the front and a curved handle on the back.


    ¡°The three sages of the Dark Ink Clan!¡± Ming gasped and roared: ¡°Everyone be careful of their Ink Qi!¡±


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The weapons of Ruo, Liao had collided with the weapons of the two figures in black.  Almost out of instinct, they chose to face the figures wielding similar weapons to theirs. Only that Ruo¡¯s opponent was using one whip instead of two, and Liao¡¯s opponent¡¯s ring blades were larger in diameter and had more teeth.On the other side, streams of intense Qi shot from Ming¡¯s fingers and lower tip of his walking stick, forcing the figure with a metal staff to back off.


    Keying jumped into the air, his giant Dao rang in a pleasant and head-clearing sound as he swung it from upper right to lower left, unleashing a semi-transparent crescent shaped Qi blade at the figure. With a loud explosion, the figure blocked it with the shaft of his metal staff and was pushed back into the shadows.


    Dark Qi with streams of white inside flowed onto Ruo¡¯s own whips and Liao¡¯s own ring blades. And almost in an instant, both of them felt the corrosion of their Qi from this dark and white counterpart. Both of them leapt back to cut contact. The two figures charged forward in a coordinated attempt to pressure on, yet were forced to back off by two blades thrown their way by Luoshan Zi.

 Book 2 Chapter 238. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 3)

    ¡°Ink Qi, black Qi corrupts, corrodes and pollutes, the white Qi weakens, nullifies and takes. Be careful! Try to avoid direct contact!¡± Ming thrust the sharp tip of his walking stick into the ground, breaking the square plate into pieces of cement and popping them up into the air, with a swing of his right arm, the broken pieces shot at his opponent¡¯s general direction.


    ¡°So you know of us - then why don¡¯t you just make it easier for all of us, and surrender?¡± The men in black¡¯s voices came from the depths of the subway station. ¡°Just cut your own heads off, then you¡¯d be spared all the suffering we have to offer.¡±


    ¡°How about you freaks back down so we can turn this fucking place upside down?!¡± Luoshan Zi shot back: ¡°I thought you were sages of a fucking clan! Why¡¯d you become the city¡¯s lapdogs?¡±


    ¡°The city?¡± The figure in black wielding two ring blades shook his head: ¡°You¡¯re here yet you still understand nothing of what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    ¡°So how about you tie yourselves up and tell us the reason you¡¯re all cooped up here and guarding this deserted train station with foul smell and dirt all over the place?¡± Luoshan Zi scoffed.


    ¡°Shut up you little bitch!¡± The figure in black wielding a metal whip lunged at Luoshan Zi with his right arm flailing the whip ready for an attack. Right after his last word dropped, shadows of the wip made of Qi and mist appeared along the whip, and swung down at Luoshan Zi at the same time.


    The corner of Luoshan Zi¡¯s mouth arced in a smirk as she shot backwards to evade the attacks. At the same time, she unleashed two handfuls of six throwing knives, kitchen knives and sharpened blades at this opponent of hers.


    The shadows of the metal whip cracked and broke most of the flying weapons as well as large portions of the ground where Luoshan Zi was standing. Ruo and Liao shot up, lunging at the figure in black wielding two ring blades. Liao infused his Qi into the two whips in different fashions, thrusting the whip in his left hand at the opponent¡¯s chest like a spear, while swinging the one in his right hand at the figure¡¯s left shoulder.


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    ¡°Clunk!¡± ¡°Clunk!¡± The figure spun where he was and blocked off both attacks, his Qi rushed onto his opponents¡¯ weapons like snakes on an active hunt. But the touch of weapons was quick enough that only tiny traces of the Ink Qi made it onto Liao and Ruo¡¯s weapons.


    ¡°It is but the fate of those ignorant and unenlightened to wander and face death!¡± The figure wielding a staff leapt out from the shadows, the sharp prongs on the front end pointing right at Luoshan Zi. A powerful thrust was unleashed, a giant shadow of the spear manifested right at the end of the attack and crashed down at Luoshan Zi like a pillar shot out of the barrel of a cannon.


    Luoshan Zi¡¯s hands closed together palm to palm, the tips of her fingers facing each other. Green Qi flowed on her palms before she thrust her hands upward at the shadow of the staff, a spearhead of jade colored Qi shot upwards at the staff, facing it head on.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Two Qi attacks clashed and exploded. A debilitating shockwave blew through the entirety of the underground subway station. Yet only dust rose after both of them and the surrounding individuals were pushed back - the integrity of the building appeared to be quite sturdy.


    Ming and Keying stood still with their Qi infused in their lower bodies to stabilize their stance to not be disrupted by the explosion. The very moment the shockwave passed through, they launched themselves at the figure in black wielding a staff, forming a fast assault at this opponent''s left flank.


    Their target was in no position to dodge or effectively guard himself. Yet before they were half way there, three crossbow bolts shot from the corner behind them. Ming realized this just one single moment before Keying, so he turned his body around in mid air, swinging his walking stick across the space behind them.


    ¡°Ting!¡± ¡°Ting!¡± It was a defense move in a hurry, the walking stick bashed two of the bolts away, but missed one - one that was shooting at Ming¡¯s right shoulder. The Qi shielding his body was as strong as it could reasonably be, but the tips of these bolts were specially treated, and the fine sharp tip penetrated his skin and some of his muscles. What was worse, was that a numbing, paralyzing sensation began to grow and expand from the wound. The bolts were tipped with poison.


    ¡°Vile scum!¡± Ming roared, pumping his Qi into his walking stick and tossed it right at the general direction from which the bolts came, while Keying roared and unleashed three consecutive swift strikes while in the air, shooting three crescent-shaped Qi blades at their target. These Qi blades burst shortly after taking shape, each splitting into three Qi blades that were similar in size but much thinner. All of them hailed at the figure in black wielding a metal staff, as well as the other two who were close to him at this moment. At the same time, Ming¡¯s walking stick exploded midway through its trajectory, raining splinters in a wide area covered by shadows.


    The other two figures in black had to disperse to dodge the attack, while Keying¡¯s target grunted and spun his staff, pushing his Qi into his weapon to harden its capability of defense. The Qi blades exploded and burst when crashing against the spinning staff, all of which were dissipated or at least greatly weakened. But right when all of the Qi blades were either blocked or dodged, one prong from the meta staff¡¯s head fell onto the ground.


    Another shadow in dark cloak crawled out of the shadow, coughing and grabbing his throat - he was the one who launched the three bolts earlier, and was in turn struck by Ming¡¯s retaliation - splinters from Ming¡¯s walking stick pierced through his chest and throat, blood was pooling into his lungs and windpipe.

 Book 2 Chapter 239. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 3)

    ¡°Master Ming! Are you okay?¡± Luoshan Zi kicked a piece of broken cement on the ground, sending it into the shadow¡¯s skull.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! Just go after them!¡± Ming coughed.


    ¡°DIE!¡± Keying¡¯s body spun as he fell down towards the staff-wielding figure in black, his Dao collecting even more Qi and more momentum from the motion. This human spinning saw blade attack crashed right against the target, who could only back off by a few steps and attempt to block it using the already cracked up metal staff.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The spinning Dao crashed into the horizontally held metal staff, in but a shortest moment a human could ever conceive, the staff was slashed in two. The escaped Qi from the edge of the Dao pushed forward through the defense and slashed through the figure¡¯s cloak and his right shoulder.


    The staff wielding figure in black grunted as he thrust the broken halves of his staff at Keying¡¯s shoulders. Keying was in no position to dodge or block this retaliatory attack - one sharp end of the broken staff bumped and slid off on the metal left shoulder pad, but the other made it through with a direct hit and penetrated Keying¡¯s defense on his right upper arms.


    Keying grunted and fell onto his left side from this strike, but not before he unleashed a swift straight kick onto his opponent¡¯s lower stomach.


    Ruo roared as she swung her whips at her opponent again - the one in her right hand arched in the air like a rattlesnake and flailed at her opponent¡¯s head, while the whip in her left straightened once again and jabbed at her opponent¡¯s leg.


    Ruo¡¯s opponent rattled his metal whip into a coil, blocking both attacks at the same time while backing off to the staff wielding figure¡¯s side. The figure in black wielding ring blades did the same, after a quick clash of weapons with Liao he rid the impact and glided backwards to guard his cohort.


    Luoshan Zi swung her hands, shooting two throwing blades at the figures at the same time. The blades were not the normal ones she brought with her, but her specialty ones and infused with the highest amount of Qi as she could. They flew in parallel and in slightly inwardly curved trajectories.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Two loud dings exploded as the figures in black blocked the blades with their whip and ring blades. Sparks flew as the blades bounced off, neither of the figures was harmed. The blades bounced again when they came into contact with the ground shooting off into the darkness behind them.


    Another round of blades came, this time it was four of them and they were three normal knives and one specialized blade. Also this time one of the blades was aimed at the staff wielding figure specifically.


    ¡°Vile!¡± The whip wielding figure barked and rattled his whip again, coiling his whips in an attempt to shield both himself and his injured cohort behind him. The blade in a higher position instantly bounced off after striking the whip. Yet the blade in the lower position shattered and burst into a flurry of shrapnels. This figure caught two splinters, while the rest either bounced on the ground below or snuck past his defensive maneuvers. The staff wielding figure groaned - he was hit, just that no one was able to see how severe.


    The ring blades wielding figure in black shot at Luoshan Zi, swinging both his blades in a flurry trying to confuse her and blind her from his impending attack.


    Ruo and Liao would help if they could, but the invasion and corrosion of their Qi and their muscles from the arcane Ink Qi had greatly slowed their reaction and movement speed. Before either of them could take a step toward Luoshan Zi, the figure had already made it in front of Luoshan Zi, one ring blade smashing down at her head and one slashing at her right arm.


    The two blades landed on their targets at almost the same time, but almost no reaction force made it to the figure¡¯s palms and wrists - all they hit was but an after image, created by residual Qi and incredibly fast shift in position by Luoshan Zi.


    ¡°Cloud Walker¡¯s Oath!¡± The figure gasped, immediately after which three lightning-fast finger jabs poked him the right elbow, right wrist and right upper arm. All three of them struck him true on his meridian points. In a moment of utter urgency, he pushed his Qi into the right side of his body to form a shield. Just like he suspected, a powerful kick flailed at him from mid air and struck him true on his right forehead.


    ¡°Bang!¡± This figure was thrown onto the ground tumbling, breaking patches of cement at the same time. Luoshan Zi backed off right after this attack and landed on her feet, taking an opportunity to toss a small thin blade at this opponent without delay or hesitation.


    This figure in black grunted and rolled on the floor once again rather gracelessly to dodge the incoming throwing blade. He was still a moment too late, as the thin blade had penetrated left chest muscle and stuck under his left collar bone.


    Liao jumped into the air, his Qi igniting the air around his ring blades. With two strings of bright orange flames behind him, he unleashed his strongest attack ever since the start of this fight.


    The whip wielding figure in black shot at Liao, but Ruo jumped into his path. The metal whip with sections snaked in the air before its tip struck at Ruo¡¯s chest. Ruo sidestepped at the last moment, dodging it at the last moment. Right after, her right wrist twisted, rattling the other tip to counter-strike the figure in his ankles.


    Just this moment, the staff wielding figure burst from his original position, with a half a staff in his hand. The moment her right hand whip landed true and shattered the ankle bones of her target, the sharp end of the broken staff also jabbed into Ruo¡¯s abdomen.

 Book 2 Chapter 240. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 4)

    The ring blades in Liao¡¯s hands collided with his opponent¡¯s. Thanks to the momentum built up from Liao¡¯s preparedness and the height of his jump, the figure in black¡¯s ring blades were knocked out of his hands.


    At the very last moment, the ring blade wielding figure in black burst into a final counter attack. His right hand clenched into a fist, striking upwards at Liao¡¯s left shoulder. Liao¡¯s blades cut into the figure¡¯s chest and neck, the Qi concentrated on them slashing through the skin, muscles and bones. At the same time, Liao¡¯s left shoulder took the close range fist strike point blank and head on.


    A head in a black cloak rolled and bounced on the floor, while Liao was thrown backwards with his left ring blade falling off his grip, and his left upper arm dangling powerlessly. Almost at the same time, Ruo was knocked onto the ground by a powerful kick from her opponent, with half a metal staff still in her abdomen.


    ¡°Ruo!¡± Keying and Ming screamed at the same time, lunging at the rest of the two figures in black. Both of them were struggling against the effects of their opponents¡¯ Ink Qi, yet at this very moment they were no longer concerned about it - they only wanted to beat those two figures in black into pulps and relieve Ruo of her circumstances.


    The staff wielding figure in black, now without a weapon in his hands, tried to reach into his cloak. While the figure wielding a metal whip flailed his weapon again, attempting to unleash a sweep attack at both men charging at them.


    But right this moment, two knives shot at both figures in black from the side. One was a simple, almost edgeless table knife, aiming at the staff wielding figure; the other was a fruit knife with a sharp tip, aiming at the whip wielding figure. Both of them tried to stop what they were attempting to do and back off, but were stopped by a sudden, gentle but still unmissable energy pulse spreading through the air.


    Just a mere moment¡¯s hesitation doomed both of them. Both throwing knives struck true, not causing any serious damage but further impeding their movements. Ming¡¯s streams of concentrated Qi shot through the staff wielding figure¡¯s chest, while Keying¡¯s Dao crashed the metal whip into dozens of pieces, and the Qi blades shooting from the edge slashed across the whip wielding figure¡¯s chest and neck.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Witnessing his teammates¡¯ demise, the staff wielding figure let out a roar using all his might: ¡°All of you will die! YOU WILL DIE!¡± He coughed, droplets of blood spilled from his mouth. His only movable right hand reached into his pocket, taking out a talisman made of completely dark paper and red ink. A sharpened piece of cement shot at his head - this was from Luoshan Zi, the only one with strength to fight at the moment.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The figure did not dodge at all, and did not even resist. The piece of cement pierced through his skull. Blood gushed out and poured onto the talisman.


    The moment it came into contact with blood, the dark talisman was ignited and engulfed in an ethereal green flame. Dark smoke rose and poured from the fire, slowly spreading around.


    ¡°Back off! Back off!¡± Luoshan Zi barked as she flung all the folded talismans she brought with her - these were almost all she had collected all these years. All of them were made from the best materials, with the most meticulous techniques and by the best makers. There was no better or more appropriate time than now.


    Almost all of the talismans burst into orange, red and golden flames at the same time. The energy they released resonated with each other, forming into waves and waves of purifying rings of light, pushing back at the dark fog.


    The entire subway station began shaking. The ground, the walls and the ceiling all started to crack. Screams and moans flooded at everyone from every corner. The rings of light were crashing against layers upon layers of dark energy that enshrouded and embedded inside the very station itself.


    ¡°Come on, come on. Wake up, Ruo! WAKE UP!¡± Luoshan Zi was by Ruo¡¯s side, using her hands, her Qi, and her clothes attempting to stop her friend from bleeding out. But right now, Ruo¡¯s body was already growing cold, her face was growing pale.


    Ming laid on the ground, also bleeding profusely from his wounds. Keying stayed by his side and was using everything he could to keep the limping old man alive, while yelling his questions at the others: ¡°Ruo! Liao! Are you okay!? Answer me! Talk to me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Liao was barely able to stand up and walk straight: ¡°Did we - did we win?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t - that depends on Gloria and Turner.¡± Luoshan Zi put her fingers on Ruo¡¯s neck, tears dropping from her eyes: ¡°I don¡¯t know - ¡±


    Another energy pulse blew through the air. This time it showed some more effect on everything - the dark fog from the green flames were weakened, but the dark energy coming from all around them seemed to have become much more violent and volatile.


    Luoshan Zi sighed and finally relented, for Ruo¡¯s breathing had all but stopped. So had her heartbeats. For a moment she had no idea what she could tell Keying, that his partner in life would no longer be with him.


    ¡°We did it! We did it!¡± At this moment, Sue¡¯s voice echoed in the crumbling subway station: ¡°Out out out! Get out as soon as possible!¡±


    The smell of sweat and body odor hit everyone before everything. Lucky for them, their tactics worked: those with power to fight to create a diversion and defeat the guards here, while the two who could not sneak in and try to sabotage the array in this station and free those who were held here.


    ¡°There¡¯s another room!¡± One of the individuals, a monk with frizzly grown hair and in a ragged cloak grabbed Turner Ouyang and Sue by their arms, urging with a hoarse voice: ¡°We need to save them first! We are only kept here as backup, there are ones who are held in some kind of altar room.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get them next. But please, head up and find a place to hide first!¡± Turner Ouyang nodded at the old monk: ¡°Please, hurry!¡±


    ¡°We must go! The place is about to collapse!¡± Luoshan Zi warned.

 Book 2 Chapter 241. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 5)

    ¡°We must go up! GO UP, NOW!¡± Luoshan Zi urged, not only those who were held here, but also the ones who came here with her. She grabbed Ruo and put her body on her back, while holding Liao¡¯s right shoulder in an attempt to support and carry both of them out of the station.


    Keying and Ming held each other and stumbled towards the entrance through which they came. Right now they were barely stronger than those who were held down here. Some of the hostages were coughing, sneezing or even slightly paralyzed due to the residual pepper spray in the air, and this slowed down the move out of the station.


    ¡°Luoshan - leave us.¡± Just when Luoshan Zi was ready to go, Keying stopped her: ¡°Please - we can bring Ruo and Liao up - right now, only you have the ability to go further.¡±


    ¡°Please, Luoshan, this is one last favor we ask of you.¡± Ming heaved, ¡°Please. They said that there¡¯s another altar down there. That¡¯s the most important part of this foul place. We can¡¯t go there. Please, you have to try.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Keying sighed: ¡°We will direct everyone out. Please come back and meet us up there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with you.¡± Turner Ouyang interjected from the side: ¡°We know the place they¡¯re in. We can go with you. We still have most of the weapons we brought.¡±


    ¡°... alright.¡± Luoshan Zi sighed. This was indeed the most effective and hopeful measure. She slowly pulled the body of a master off her back and handed her to Keying and Ming. These two masters fought back tears as they accepted the body.


    ¡°Go.¡± They said at the same time.


    Luoshan Zi nodded at the masters, then wiped her eyes before following Sue and Turner into the depth of the station. The first thing she noticed was red and black lines painted along the walls on both sides. The patterns were not symmetrical, as one would expect from an underground array.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    As they ventured deeper, they entered a long tunnel right through the area in which they fought. One single tunnel, more than the width of two subway trains combined. There were no rails inside the tunnel, only uneven ground with some patches of cement and the rest of the area was covered in gravel and sand.


    Around halfway in, Luoshan Zi caught the smell of burned paper - three piles of burned newspaper and talismans sat in three different corners of the walls, all of which were under particular knots of the lines. Signs of their sabotage. As powerful and foul as the underground array might be, it still did not take much to ruin it from inside.


    ¡°Here!¡± After running past several open doors of empty rooms, Sue pointed right. There was a small metal door hidden in a corner, with some symbols etched on it. It was barely noticeable visually, but somehow being in the presence anyone would feel drawn to it, inexplicably. It was cursed and dangerous, even just judging by the air around it.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go in there. ¡± A tired, old voice came from behind.


    Luoshan Zi turned and out of instinct stepped in front of Sue and Turner Ouyang. Even though the voice came from an old monk with ragged clothes, who appeared to have been imprisoned here for a while as well.


    ¡°At least not this way.¡± The old monk sighed: ¡°From all my days here, I have figured out how to enter the place without being instantly corrupted. That¡¯s what will happen to you if you just go and open that door.¡±


    ¡°How do you know we don¡¯t have any protection?¡± Luoshan Zi asked, then she turned to Turner Ouyang and Sue, whispering: ¡°Do you recognize him? Was he one of them?¡±


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t remember.¡± Sue shook her head. And Turner Ouyang did not remember either.


    ¡°What should we do? ¡± Luoshan Zi turned to the old monk, still suspicious.


    ¡°Let me open the door for you.¡± The old monk bowed with his hands in a prayer pose: ¡°This is a method that requires being in this environment for a prolonged period of time. You should have felt it as well - this place, it¡¯s full of corrosive flow of Qiyun. And whether you are injured or not during that fight, your life is never going to be the same. That door leads to the center of this place, a place that¡¯s already broken, fully tainted and harboring massive amounts of unclean energy.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how is that door going to stop it?¡± Luoshan Zi asked, frowning.


    ¡°You will see.¡± The old monk walked around them and to the door. He took a deep breath, then cut his left palm using his right index finger. The long, unmanaged nail slashed his skin and drew an arcane symbol with blood.


    ¡°Master ¡­¡± Luoshan Zi and Turner Ouyang realized what the old monk was about to do, so they stepped forward and tried to stop him.


    ¡°Remember two things.¡± The old monk was panting: ¡°First, you only have less than five minutes in there, be as quick as you can; and - ¡± He took another deep breath, coughing: ¡°When I say so, you must stand aside and make way for me.¡±


    ¡°We understand, Master.¡± Luoshan Zi bowed to the monk: ¡°May we know your name?¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s but an old symbol, it shouldn¡¯t be another burden on your already heavy shoulders.¡± The old monk smiled, then he slammed his left palm on the door.

 Book 2 Chapter 242. Filth, Mess and Scum (Part 6)

    The door creaked open inward from the old monk¡¯s push. The old monk¡¯s face and exposed skin shriveled and grayed at a visible rate. He held the door open with his body and his left arm, panting at Luoshan Zi, Sue and Turner Ouyang: ¡°Quick - they¡¯re in here. ¡±


    Behind the metal door was a spacious room. A complicated array etched in bricks and cement spanned across the entire floor of the room. One smaller, less complex sub-array resided at each of the eight corners of the array. In each of these sub-arrays, sat one figure. They were in taoist cloaks, monk robes, or even completely naked. But clothing would not matter to any of them right now, for some kind of foul corruption had already consumed much of their bodies. Flesh and skin was stripped away from their rib cages, their arms and legs, and even their faces.


    All eight of these figures reacted to the door being open. More than half of them no longer had working eyes but empty black holes on their faces, yet Luoshan Zi, Sue and Turner Ouyang felt their gaze at the same time.


    ¡°Leave.¡± The one with the most flesh and skin on his body said to them, using a voice coming from his chest cavity: ¡°We are beyond saving. Leave NOW! Save yourselves!¡±


    Luoshan Zi shook her head, fighting back the tears as she looked around in the room. Sue and Turner Ouyang went in slightly to check around. Several metal buckets sat in the corners of the room. And in the back of the room, stood three altars, one was made of jade, one was made of amber, and the one in the middle was made of some kind of entirely black stone. Large cracks crawled all over the jade and amber altars, while the one made of black stone seemed to have completely crumbled before, but was rebuilt and stuck together using some kind of dark yellow glue.


    ¡°I should have thought of that. The altars are broken. The ritual naturally lies more heavily on the shoulders of the pillars.¡± The old monk heaved a heavy sigh, his voice was rather calm, yet the torment and sadness could not be covered up: ¡°Please. Make way.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Luoshan Zi, Sue and Turner Ouyang immediately stepped to the side, leaving a clear line of sight for him.


    ¡°My friends, my brothers.¡± The old monk bowed: ¡°Thank you for your effort in hiding me and protecting me. But like you, I am beyond saving. And like you, I have made my decision.¡±


    A strange wave of energy blew through everyone. For Luoshan Zi, Sue and Turner Ouyang, it was as if the grimness in the air had been lifted slightly.


    Tears flowed down from the old monk¡¯s face as he faced Luozhan Zi, Ouyang Turner and Sue: ¡°Such is fate. Such is destiny. Namo Amitabha, brave donors, please leave, be safe, protect the hostages and let what is done here known.¡± He coughed and squeezed his throat. A small piece of white marble appeared between his teeth. It was his living sarira, a piece of gem formed from his years of cultivation and meditation. He took a deep breath in, then spit the gem out, right at the center of the array.


    The entire array shook from coming into contact with the gem. ¡°RUN!¡± The old monk raised his voice as high as he could.


    Luoshan Zi turned around, grabbed Turner Ouyang and Sue by their shoulders and charged towards the entrance of this subway station.


    Right now, the groups of hostages under here had mostly made it out. By the time Luoshan Zi caught up, they were already out of the entrance and on the surface. There must have been around at least thirty hostages here. A staggering number already, considering the officially documented number of scholars, sages and monks.


    ¡°We need to go! We need to go further!¡± Luoshan Zi raised her voice at everyone: ¡°Please! Go as far as you can from here! ¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± Something exploded from below, and the earth shook from it. The noises of walls and ceiling crumbling followed. A gust of foul air shot out of the entrance and hit everyone in their faces and backs. Sue and Turner Ouyang almost vomited right then and there.


    ¡°Run east! Run east!¡± The driver¡¯s voice echoed in their radio: ¡°I¡¯ve sent out a signal for help. But they¡¯re coming your way! They¡¯re coming - ¡± His voice was cut short by a string of gunshots.


    ¡°Go east!¡± Ming raised his voice using his Qi and alerted everyone present: ¡°Go east! ¡±


    Just at this time, headlights from at least six vehicles on the bigger side came rushing at the group. The group turned and tried to make for the east, but some more vehicles came right at them and in but a moment surrounded the entire area.


    Luoshan Zi did a quick check on Ming, Keying and Liao before walking out of the group, ready to face whoever was about to come.

 Book 2 Chapter 243. Exterior Wards (Part 1)

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± To Marcus and Gloria¡¯s surprise, they had someone waiting for them when they reached a small hidden corner in a deserted park in the Northern District. This was a middle aged looking man, with untamed hairs on his head, unkempt beards and a pair of angry eyes behind a pair of thick glasses, who came here in a gray van with metal bar fences on its side and a crude satellite antenna pointing upwards.


    ¡°Yes, old friend. We are here.¡± Master Liaoran bowed gently to this man: ¡°How have you been, Liaowu?¡±


    ¡°Not as bad as you, that¡¯s for sure.¡± The middle aged man sighed: ¡°So you¡¯re really doing this? With these people? I don¡¯t think you¡¯d get past all the security, even with my help.¡±


    Marcus and Gloria exchanged looks, then shrugged.


    ¡°This monk¡¯s got to try.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°This is never going to be a sure thing. But with any luck, we can deal a much needed heavy blow to those behind everything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine, fine. As long as you know that you are aware of the risk you¡¯re taking.¡± Liaowu shook his head: ¡°Even if you failed, it¡¯s still a good jab at them, huh? Okay, so before you go in, you need to bring in this - ¡± He said as he opened up the backdoors of the van and pulled out a small sports bag.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Tae Kuo asked, frowning: ¡°Some kind of - some kind of artifact? I can¡¯t sense anything from it.¡±


    ¡°The fuck you will. ¡± Liaowu scoffed: ¡°This is an EMP.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Tae Kuo was confused.


    ¡°An electromagnetic pulse bomb. Basically it explodes then releases radio waves so strong that it can fry the electronics in the area.¡± Gloria nodded at Tae Kuo, then turned to Liaowu with a frown: ¡°But this is gonna be dangerous for us as well, right? We won¡¯t have any way to communicate with each other. It would fry our phones as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why this is a low power one, only effective at a relatively short range. And you¡¯ll have to set it up in a confined spot away from you so that you won¡¯t be affected. And why don¡¯t you have any handheld radios?¡± Liaowu shrugged: ¡°I have not tested it fully myself, but if it is three floors above you, your phones should work fine. No promises though.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°This is good. But how do you plan to use it?¡± Marcus asked.


    Liaowu did not answer, he simply looked at Master Liaoran.


    ¡°Where should it be placed?¡± Master Liaoran sighed, then asked.


    ¡°The third floor, there was a room near the center of the building, the parts above ground at least.¡± Liaowu pointed at a five-storey building, standing amongst nearby buildings of equal and taller heights. ¡°You know - the center of that building is where the control center of their defense system is. I can try to hack the exterior surveillance to help you get in. But you¡¯ve gotta figure out the next.¡±


    ¡°That would be great. Thank you.¡± Master Liaoran nodded.


    ¡°Here.¡± Liaowu went back to the back of his van and brought out a thick metal box, inside of which were a handful of handheld radios: ¡°These shouldn¡¯t be affected too much by the EMP, in theory. But you should know that all your other means of communication would not stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°No matter. We can leave everything in your custody.¡± Keryn took a deep breath, then looked around: ¡°Right? We should be going radio silent anyways. Our phones are only to use as last resort. There is no way they won¡¯t tap into our phones if they¡¯re turned on.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then we can go.¡± Liaowu took a close look at everyone present, before pointing at Elvin Cai: ¡°You¡¯re not gonna go with them right? You stay with me, I can¡¯t do everything by myself.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Marcus and Elvin asked at the same time.


    ¡°No, my father¡¯s going home.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Do you think this is game night?¡± Liaowu looked Marcus in the eyes, his gaze sharp and fearless: ¡°No one leaves or acts alone. If he leaves and gets caught, what then? You want a hostage waiting to be used against you?!¡±


    ¡°But - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Marcus.¡± Elvin smiled, wholeheartedly and with a sense of relief: ¡°I want this. I am fine. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Gloria chimed in before the father and son duo could argue any longer and waste precious time: ¡°We go on foot from here, then we will deploy it as close to the defense system control center as we could when we get in.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the blueprint, my friend?¡± Master Liaoran asked.


    ¡°Just a very old one.¡± Liaowu sighed and handed a small stack of folded paper to Master Liaoran. It was photocopies of a hand drawn blueprint - the proportions looked mostly sensible, and there were ample details to help them navigate around. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the hand drawing, it¡¯s just - habits of people of old.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough. Thank you.¡± Marcus nodded at the man.


    ¡°Now. It¡¯s almost time for shift changes for the guard. So you¡¯d better hurry.¡± Liaowu checked his watch: ¡°Also, I¡¯ll need to drive closer. I will tap into one of their communication lines. I will need help opening up some metal boxes. There might be high voltage charged fences involved.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll follow. You go ahead.¡± Master Liaoran nodded.


    ¡°You, come with me.¡± Liaowu pointed at Elvin.


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Elvin came to the passenger seat door, before getting on he looked back at Marcus: ¡°Be safe, my child.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 244. Exterior Wards (Part 2)

    The group followed the van at a distance, until Liaowu parked in the shadows of a giant tree, by a lake in a park. It was already late at night, so the park was completely empty. But even so, the data center building, and the surrounding buildings, still had most of their lights on.


    ¡°Alright, you see that?¡± Liaowu reached out of his van window and pointed at a fenced metal box on the other side of the lake: ¡°That¡¯s one of their legacy outlets, Master, can you break it open and then put this thing into the main wire?¡±


    It was a very rough, old style wireless phone looking device covered in tapes with an extended antenna. Sticking out at the bottom of the device were three metal prongs.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Master Liaoran asked, he did not take the device just yet.


    ¡°Somewhat of a signal filter, wireless relay that allows me to hack into their system. These prongs should go into the cable or phone line wires. If they actually used broadband - well I¡¯ll just have to make a few adjustments.¡± Liaowu pushed his glasses up: ¡°It¡¯s not super complicated, you¡¯ll know what to do.¡±


    ¡°This monk had not dealt with complex electronics for quite a while. ¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°We only have one opportunity, and we should all be very cautious.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. It¡¯s okay, I can tell you what to do if you grab a radio - ¡± Liaowu shrugged: ¡°Then I can tell you - hey, what are you doing?!¡±


    Without pretty much any indication, Master Liaoran pulled open the driver side door, grabbed Liaowu in his arms and leapt towards the lake. The lake was at least ten or fifteen car lengths wide, yet with only one jump, Master Liaoran had already made it halfway. With a gentle tap on the surface of the water, the master and Liaowu rose again and glided towards the metal box.


    Both of them landed right beside the metal box. Master Liaoran snipped the lock with his fingers and gently pried the box open. Liaowu wanted to complain, but he had to keep his mouth shut for now so that he wouldn¡¯t be noticed by anyone unwanted.


    Inside the metal box were several bunches of wires, all of which were covered in dust, some of which were green, some were red, and the rest were blue. There were no markings on any of the wires. Liaowu sighed and pulled out his phone - one that was not of any known brand but appeared to be assembled by himself, bulky and rough. After Liaowu¡¯s clicking a few buttons, a bulb at the back of the phone was turned on, and lit up the entire box. Liaowu took around ten seconds before he found a thicker white wire buried behind a batch of green ones, and jabbed the prongs into it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It took another half a minute before Liaowu finished tuning everything, before Master Liaoran grabbed him again and brought him back to the van.


    ¡°Thank you very much, old monk.¡± Liaowu took a few deep breaths before slapping Master Liaoran on the shoulders: ¡°But don¡¯t you ever do that again, okay!?¡±


    ¡°This monk promises you, this shall never happen.¡± Master Liaoran bowed towards Liaowu with his hands in a prayer pose: ¡°Is it ready for us, then?¡±


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± Liaowu grunted before pulling up a keyboard and a monitor from under the van¡¯s dashboard. He checked a few prompt screens and typed in a few commands before turning back on everyone: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in. When you¡¯re ready to go in, tell me. I¡¯ll try to disarm the outer perimeter defense systems.¡±


    The group went on foot, and hid in the shades cast by the trees around. Metal fences around the building blocked their way. Surveillance cameras stood on top of the poles, turning side to side, watching almost every corner.


    ¡°Liaowu, we¡¯re ready to go through the fence. Let us know when.¡± Master Liaoran spoke into the handheld radio.


    ¡°In a minute. They upgraded some of the software.¡± Liaowu answered after a short delay: ¡°Still no match for my key. Though - Elvin? Lift that extra monitor up and tell me if any of the circles turn red.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Master Liaoran asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to go in now. Though, please put everything back when you¡¯ve passed the fences, so I don¡¯t have to alter the surveillance image too much. The more I change, the easier it is to be noticed.¡±


    ¡°This monk understands.¡± Master Liaoran stood up and leapt towards the fence. He pointed his right hand forward and unleashed a soft palm strike. The lower half of the metal net in front of him creaked and popped off the poles on both sides. He simply lifted it up like a drape to make way for others: ¡°Go through here then, everyone.¡±


    After the entire team went through the fence, Master Liaoran let the lower part of the metal net down and put it back to its original position between the poles, mostly.


    They made it through the empty parking area and found their way at a side door - this was all according to the crude blueprint.


    ¡°Time to go into the main building through backdoor 2A.¡± Master Liaoran spoke into the radio: ¡°If everything works out, soon we¡¯ll get to the second floor.¡±


    ¡°Just a second, I am looking into their internal surveillance feed.¡± Liaowu responded: ¡°There are guards patrolling near the staircase, and there are guard stations on your way to the second floor. You should wait a short moment and be careful. I can blur the cameras for only a short moment, so let me know before you act. And be quick.¡±


    ¡°We will go in right now and see if we can dodge the patrol team.¡± Master Liaoran answered, then waited around ten seconds before continuing: ¡°Going in in 3, 2 - 1.¡± He pushed the door, held it open and let the team in. Everyone rushed inside. What awaited them was an empty hallway, with pale white lighting above them and voices of men coming from a corner on their right.


    The group waited for a brief moment before the confirmation from Liaowu came: ¡°Alright, you can go in now. ¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 245. Exterior Wards (Part 3)

    The group went in. Master Liaoran led the group towards the direction from which the voices of the guards came. As they got closer, Marcus made out three distinct voices, all of which were slightly muffled.


    The group stopped, just when the voices came from behind a corner. There was a straight path forward, while the voices came from another path to their left. Master Liaoran raised his hand, ready to strike these guards, while signaling the group to go past the corner and continue.


    Gloria took a deep breath, before going past the corner and into the other side of the opening. She turned around and made a ¡°come, come¡± gesture to the rest of the group.


    Marcus signaled to Kevin and Mick, telling them to go next. Both of them hesitated, but still moved forward at the same time. Keryn went next, then Marcus.


    The guards were in some kind of coffee room located on the side of their hallway. From their angle they could barely see anything in the intersection. No wonder it was safe.


    Master Liaoran walked over to their side, nodded at everyone, then continued leading the way. They were apparently walking in a pathway that encircled the exterior of the building, as they walked past several windows facing outside. There might be some air conditioning in the building, because the further they went in, the chillier the air became. Even for Marcus, he could feel his skin surface temperature dropping the longer he remained.


    The interior design and decor of this building did not help either. The lighting was pale and flickering, everything was gray and very crudely painted, with some patches even showing signs of water corrosion or solidified paint droplets dripping down from higher places. The floor was mostly cold hard marble and obsidian but at times they ran into sticky tar-like substances scattered around, like old gum, but more stickier and worse smelling.


    Master Liaoran checked the hand drawn map and passed it around a few times, signaling others where they could go. He was way too familiar with this area, for even at places that seemed confusing to Marcus and Kevin, he could still make the decision on where to go in an instant.


    ¡°This entire building was built like a giant array. The first array that gives life and power to the rest of the substations. Each wall, each pathway was designed according to his design.¡± Master Liaoran explained as they headed up the second floor through a narrow and dim staircase. ¡°He didn¡¯t live to see his visions come to life. He surely didn¡¯t plan on his ingenuity to be misused and abused like this.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°So - that means you would know where its center is right, Master?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°In theory, yes. But according to his own manuscript, he designed this array specifically to be durable and highly available - that means there would be several ¡®centers¡¯ that could be used either independently or all together. Four of them - if this monk remembers correctly.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°Now - when we get to the second floor, we would need to be careful - because our path would be through one long straight pathway, and find the right place to put this - EMP.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so we need to prepare to fight.¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°Will they be armed?¡± Keryn asked.


    ¡°Possibly.¡± Master Liaoran nodded and stopped before a gate at the end of the staircase: ¡°Alright, this monk will go in first, you follow. Detectives, one of you should stay behind, and one at the front. Should there be anything unexpected, you would be able to handle everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the tail.¡± Keryn nodded, then patted Kevin on the shoulder: ¡°Be careful, duck if there¡¯s anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Kevin took a deep breath before nodding back.


    ¡°And you, be careful, use the gun if necessary.¡± Keryn nodded at Mick.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mick swallowed, before checking his holster. They did not have many guns or bullets, both Mick and Kevin were given one handgun and two full magazines.


    Master Liaoran continued leading the way. The long straight hallway was going straight towards the center of the building, and thus all of the group could directly feel the change of temperature as they made their way through it.


    Apparently, the creeping chillingness and even coldness was more than just the atmospheric effects of the environment on their minds. Frost was gathered on some of the windows and doors. As they went further in, spots of dark tar were distributed more and more densely around them.


    Marcus looked up at the ceiling. The ceiling used to be pale white or pale gray like the walls on the outer parts. But right now, the ceiling above their heads was covered in spots of black tar. It was almost as if the rooms above were flooded, and it was seeping through the floorboards.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Marcus couldn¡¯t help but ask, pointing at a big black spot of tar at the foot of a wall on their right side, next to a closed metal door: ¡°It¡¯s everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Liquified malice.¡± Master Liaoran and Tae Kuo answered at the same time.


    ¡°In places of foul Fengshui or toxic Qiyun flow, energy of all kinds could be corroded and absorbed by dirt, waste, water or other substances like cement, asbestos and rubber, or even glue.¡± Tae Kuo proceeded to explain what he knew on behalf of the master: ¡°Yeah I noticed this from the moment we came in. I am now 90 percent certain that we are at the right place.¡±


    ¡°90 percent? What was your guess before?¡± Gloria chuckled.


    ¡°Maybe at most 70 percent, because I couldn¡¯t see or smell much foul energy from out there. Hell, I can¡¯t even feel anything now.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head, frowning: ¡°How is this possible? Unless it¡¯s in - ¡±


    ¡°Internalization.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°This is something he told me before - it¡¯s when the center of evil energy became so dense, that energy around it could no longer escape, but be pulled back in, thus forming a more hardened center of energy.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Tae Kuo gasped and rubbed his temples: ¡°Alright. 100 percent.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 246. Prices And Emissaries

    In one of the higher up floors of the building, was a round meeting hall spanning across the entire floor, with twelve chairs arranged in a circle. At the center of the circle was an altar made of six different kinds of stones - each kind made one sixth of its round cross section.


    Of the twelve seats, only six of them were occupied by human-like figures. And of the six figures sitting in their chairs, only four of them displayed any signs of life. Aside from these four seats, all others sat either shriveled and decaying carcasses or just simply piles of ashes, bone fragments and skin.


    A pale young man in a dark red suit stood outside of the circle with his head and shoulders held low. His body was trembling, and fog formed from every breath of his.


    ¡°There are some more disturbances in the flow of Qiyun. We have to control it.¡± A hoarse, elderly male voice echoed in the meeting hall.


    ¡°Feedback stopped coming in from the Old Pearson House Site.¡± A squeaky elderly female voice cried: ¡°They have failed, yet again. This cannot be allowed to go on. Everything is losing its stability!¡±


    ¡°Silence, you cowards!¡± Another voice shut the previous voices down. This was not one singular voice, but one made up of two voices speaking in almost perfect unison: ¡°You should have already thought of this. How are you even still pining for the circle¡¯s completion?¡±


    ¡°It will complete. All we need is just earth ¡­ ¡± The female voice argued.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even complete the fire circle. And the difficulty of completion is growing exponentially.¡± The voices in unison roared: ¡°You¡¯ve bitten way more than you can chew and you know it. You¡¯ve doomed this ritual from the start! It¡¯s your own stupidity! You should handle it!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The hoarse elderly male voice barked: ¡°It¡¯s something we ALL have to deal with! It¡¯s threatening ALL OF US and ALL THAT WE HAVE! The chains - they connect and bind all of us! Don¡¯t you forget that!¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Only when you¡¯re trying to use the power of the council will you call it ¡®us¡¯.¡± The voices in unison scoffed: ¡°But when the offerings are in front of you, you just can¡¯t help yourselves, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The two elderly voices went silent for a brief moment, as if they didn''t have any meaningful ways to respond or retort.


    ¡°Just know that I will be coming for you for recompense.¡± The voices in unison let out a high pitched and satisfied laugh: ¡°What else do you have that we can use? Don¡¯t expect us to foot your resources for you.¡±


    ¡°We will send our top executors on it.¡± The elderly male voice answered: ¡°Our best. We need to start using the back up sites. We have backup watchers in the lineup to take them up as well. ¡±


    ¡°And with whose preparations? Whose papers, whose wood, whose cinnabar, whose incense and whose ink? Have you thought about it?¡± The voices in unison asked, with a rather insinuating tone.


    ¡°We will cover half of it.¡± The elderly female voice answered.


    ¡°Eight.¡± The voices in unison countered.


    ¡°Six.¡± The elderly male voice sounded even more frustrated than usual: ¡°This concerns you as well. And don¡¯t forget, the earth circle is going to be yours. If this circle is not correctly and carefully concluded, don¡¯t think for a minute you can conclude it successfully?¡±


    ¡°Seven and a half, and we¡¯ll send each of our own top executors to help you activate the backup sites and calm the collapsed ones. ¡± The voices in unison giggled: ¡°What do you think? I just counted our days, your circle¡¯s are due in - what, three days? Even if you pile on a bunch of smaller rituals to suppress the darkness, you can stretch it to - maybe a week? Our circle is still 15 years away from when you finish it.¡±


    ¡°Six and a half, and you do all the other offerings you just mentioned.¡± The elderly male voice responded.


    ¡°Deal.¡± The voices in unison giggled: ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll send out our men.¡±


    The other two voices sighed and grunted, before chanting a spell in low voices together. After a short while, a wave of dark energy exploded from the center of the meeting hall and propagated through the rest of the building.


    The voices in unison chuckled after decoding the message in that energy blast, so they chanted right after and unleashed another blast of dark energy shockwave.


    ¡°There¡¯s a disturbance in the building.¡± The voices in unison said.


    ¡°What?!¡± The elderly male and female voices gasped at the same time.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you sense it earlier? There is a disturbance inside the building.¡± The voices in unison asked, their voices full of impatience, despise and a hint of frustration: ¡°A few bodies that don¡¯t respond to our calls and our commands. They don¡¯t belong in this building. We have intruders.¡±


    ¡°What?! How is this - ¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been stuck in your chairs for too long, you''ve lost touch.¡± The voices in unison cursed: ¡°They need to be dealt with and handled. ¡± Right after this, they began chanting again.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Before the chant would complete, a muffled explosion came from below. And almost right after, the energy inside the building gushed and shot everywhere, as their containment measures were put out of commission.

 Book 2 Chapter 247. Uncaged (Part 1.)

    ¡°Master? Master Liaoran?¡± Liaowu¡¯s voice came from the handheld radio right after the makeshift EMP was activated: ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°We used your EMP. ¡± Master Liaoran responded: ¡°But - it seemed to have disabled more than just electronics. Did you add some ritualistic ingredients or arrays to it?¡±


    ¡°No! No - you know I am not able to do that!¡± Liaowu responded, his voice was breaking over the radio, as interference of unknown sources took effect somewhere along the way of their transmission. At the same time, the lights grew dimmer, the air colder, and the dark spots all around them began spreading and expanding.


    ¡°Then it is the designs of this place. They went beyond his original designs. They used electric devices to guard the intrinsic curse and negative energy of this place.¡± Master Liaoran responded, nodding: ¡°Things will become chaotic. You be careful and go on lockdown.¡±


    ¡°And you as well. Because I just saw - holy fuck!¡± Liaowu gasped: ¡°There are Blood Rainbows forming around that building. Several of them, oh - there¡¯s more! Holy shit! Holy shit!¡±


    ¡°Alright, go into lockdown mode and cut off communications for now. When you¡¯re safe, just break radio silence.¡± Master Liaoran ordered, then put the radio back: ¡°We need to move. Go up first, and maybe down later.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Marcus¡¯ heart could not stop pounding his chest after what he heard. Blood Rainbows forming in an area and in increasing numbers, that sounded beyond catastrophic and nightmarish. His father and Liaowu were both civilians out in the open, they would not stand a chance. ¡°Is there something wrong? Is - ¡±


    ¡°Liaowu had a ton of experience surviving through paranormal situations as a civilian. Your father¡¯s in good company.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Marcus: ¡°His van may not look like it, but it¡¯s actually a carefully designed paranormal shelter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get out in time.¡± Gloria held Marcus by his left elbow: ¡°We will.¡±


    ¡°Sorry - I - ¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°I should have been calmer. There¡¯s no use panicking right now.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to walk the stairs now.¡± Master Liaoran thought for a brief moment: ¡°Everyone, back off a little.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Marcus instantly knew what the master meant, so he just pushed everyone around him back, leaving some room around the master. ¡°We¡¯re gonna jump up there, and when it¡¯s safe I¡¯ll throw you upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± Master Liaoran unleashed a fist strike directly upward, blasting a hole with the diameter of the width of the hallway above. Before the dust even settled, his feet tapped the ground and launched himself just at the floor above. Streams of Qi shot from his fingers, and a few male grunting came from the above. ¡°Alright, come.¡±


    The first one to go up there was Mick, the one with computer skills and some training with both standard martial arts and marksmanship. The second was Kevin. Then it was Tae Kuo.


    ¡°You go first.¡± Marcus looked at Gloria.


    ¡°No, you go, I¡¯ll follow.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Keryn stepped forward and jumped up.


    ¡°Hey! Who are you!?¡± Just when Marcus was about to speak to Gloria, a voice came from behind them. Both of them jumped upwards at the same time, evading the bullets shooting their way and breaking a few more slivers off the edge of the hole made by the master.


    The room right above the hole was indeed a security control room, which now was full of screans that were now dark and the smell of burned electronics filled the air. Several technicians and security guards were either on the ground or on the desks and tables, breathing but not responding to any disturbances. They were hit by Master Liaoran on their pressure points; according to Marcus¡¯ own experience, they would be immobilized for at least an hour or even two, unless someone with close to equal skill levels came to their rescue.


    ¡°Looks like nothing can be used here indeed. We don¡¯t need to hack anything.¡± Mick looked through several of the keyboards and monitors: ¡°They¡¯re all fried. Most of these complex electronics are not properly warded off - I can¡¯t tell if the mainframes are affected though.¡±


    ¡°Look for analogue systems, like old style phone lines, fiber optic cables, and - and maybe morse code machines.¡± Kevin searched through the drawers on a tall locker. Inside these drawers were mostly folders and envelopes with disks, magnetic tapes and even cassettes in them. He took a few moments to look through the folders - they seemed to be reports and official documents of some sort. So he chose a few with graphs and pictures and stuffed them in his backpack.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here for long.¡± Marcus looked down from the hole through which they came up, wondering where those guards that shot at them went: ¡°We were discovered when we came up, but - ¡±


    Gloria was equally confused, her fingers playing with a thin throwing blade: ¡°Yeah, where did they - ¡±


    ¡°Bang bang bang!¡± Someone knocked on the door to the control room, through the obscured matte window, they could see a tall and muscular shadow wearing a helmet and holding what looked like a baton was right outside.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! What¡¯s happening in there!?¡± It was a hoarse male voice, one would expect from this kind of build: ¡°Open up! What the hell is happening?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer.¡± Master Liaoran immediately ordered in a low but stern voice: ¡°Don¡¯t even acknowledge. Let¡¯s wait for a few minutes before leaving. Keep searching, if the system¡¯s down, we should be going down, undeground.¡±


    ¡°Underground? Is that where the core of the entire array is?¡± Tae Kuo asked: ¡°I thought it would be up there - ¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you are correct.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°But like this monk said, there are multiple cores. And the most important core should be below the ground. Not too deep, not too shallow, but a clearly defined distance from the surface of the lake.¡±


    ¡°Open up! OPEN UP!¡± The figure outside the door banged the door again, even more irate and aggressive. ¡°If you still don¡¯t open, I¡¯ll shoot this door open! OPEN UP! RIGHT NOW!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 248. Uncaged (Part 2.)

    ¡°No matter, keep searching.¡± Master Liaoran assured everyone.


    The team paused only briefly from the initial surprise of the knockin figure before they proceeded to do what they came here for: to find out as much information about the building as possible and to sabotage their internal defense system as much as possible.


    ¡°Marcus?¡± Gloria called out with a frown as she pried open a sealed locker box: ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    Marcus came over in an instant, just in time to see Gloria raise an old black and white photo of a sword-like structure. When he took a closer look, it appeared to be an entire piece of stone, carved into the shape of a sword. A sword without a sharp edge, and with a shorter, symmetrical blade in comparison with the size of the handle.


    ¡°I - I don¡¯t know what this is called.¡± Marcus scratched his head.


    This also attracted the attention of Tae Kuo, who opened his eyes wide and said: ¡°This looks just like that thing we got from the walls of - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sword plate, or a sword pillar. ¡± Master Liaoran answered just after one look from a distance: ¡°It¡¯s an old way of creating pillars without actually using living humans. Many could consider the art of carving powerful symbols on sword plates the origin of talisman making.¡±


    ¡°But why would they hide - ¡± Tae Kuo frowned, then shook his head: ¡°Nevermind, not important right now. Master, do you know if they had them here in the cores of the array?¡±


    ¡°It is to be expected.¡± Master Liaoran nodded: ¡°Especially when using the right kind of stones with the best compatible wooden case. This monk would expect nothing less from inside of an array this size.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?! Who are you?! What are you doing here!?¡± Just this moment, two gurgling voices came through the hole on the ground, two guards walked to the position right underneath the hole. At the same time, they looked up with dilated, unfocused eyes.


    ¡°Open up! Open up!¡± Two more figures appeared outside the door, both of whom seemed to be wearing similar outfits. Now there were three of them, all of whom were pounding at the door with similar frequencies and force while uttering pretty much the same demands. ¡°If you still don¡¯t open, I¡¯ll shoot this door open! Open up right now!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± The two guards from below somehow floated upwards and reached their hands through the hole on the ground. Their pale gray fingers grabbed the edge of the hole, and began pulling themselves up.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Keryn hopped over and swung her arm at one of the guards¡¯ wrists. The guard did not react at all, and took this directly without even flinching. Keryn almost bounced up into the ceiling after a brittle crack.


    The guard¡¯s wrists were flattened by this one strike, the bones were all fractured into tiny splinters, many of which poked out of his skin. His facial expression did not change at all. His eyes fixed on Keryn and Kevin as the skin holding his arms and his hands together stretched and broke off, dropping him to the floor below.


    ¡°Their bones are all weak and brittle. I did not do that.¡± Keryn pushed her Qi into her hand to burn off some gray smoke she caught after the strike: ¡°That guy - he was almost hollow inside.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?! What are you doing here!?¡± The other guard still with his hands on the edge of the hole had pulled himself up enough to poke his face at everyone¡¯s ankles. By the time he glanced through half the people in this room, his eyes had already begun to melt, his face and his arms had shriveled, and his hairs half grayed.


    Master Liaoran shot at this guard, his right hand formed a single-hand seal and bashed the guard right on his forehead. The guard¡¯s helmet broke and exploded into dozens of pieces. A golden symbol was slapped onto his forehead. A desperate cry and moan came from his open mouth, before his fingers and arms lost the strength to support his body.


    When the first guard fell down, his body broke and splashed like a balloon filled with foul dark red liquid, tar and pieces of light yellow pellets. And when the second guard fell, his head exploded. Red hot flames burst from this explosion and the guard¡¯s body, igniting the filth poured from the first guard.


    A screech full of anger and grudge blasted through the hallway below, as if someone was just dealt a heavy and painful blow.


    ¡°Too many foul beings inhabit this place. What we just did seemed to have set them free.¡± Master Liaoran frowned: ¡°What else did you find? And is there anything we could break?¡±


    ¡°This is kind of a bad news, but the computers all went down, at least from what I can tell, they¡¯re all fried.¡± Mick sighed and shook his head: ¡°This means that whatever defense system these computers are in charge of would be down as well. But it also means that we cannot actually use them to gain access to other defense systems - I mean, I just realized this now, but if I were to design the system, I would design a few separate layers and not be centralized in one place.¡±


    ¡°No matter, we will deal with them when we get to it.¡± Master Liaoran nodded.


    ¡°Open up! Open up!¡± The figures outside the door were still banging on it. Different from the guards below, they were much stronger than even a normal man, and the steel door frame and metal door creaked and whined from their attempts to break in.


    ¡°I found something!¡± Just this moment, Tae Kuo raised his right hand up, tucked in his fingers was a small piece of paper card - one that was blank and light blue in color. ¡°This is - this is an unfinished talisman!¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is.¡± Master Liaoran accepted it from Tae Kuo, and with a little bit of his Qi and blood infused into it, a simple map of red appeared on its surface: ¡°Looks like a map to a safe room in this building. It¡¯s close to our path down.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 249. Uncaged (Part 3.)

    ¡°Okay, Master, which way should we go?¡± Marcus posed the question he had the moment he learned that they needed to head downward instead of upward like he thought.


    ¡°From the looks of it, there must be a way down from this very floor, and not the floor below.¡± Master Liaoran fixed his eyes on the card with a simple red map: ¡°They built a hidden staircase right next to a - an elevator shaft. ¡±


    ¡°So we have to go out through the door? ¡± Keryn sighed, still checking her hand.


    ¡°Seems so.¡± Kevin read the card from the side: ¡°Where¡¯d you find this, Sifu Kuo?¡±


    ¡°In this envelope, in one of the cabinets.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged and pulled up a torn envelope made of red paper, ¡°Probably one of their emergency escape cards?¡±


    ¡°But why not just have a regular map here?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°Very astute question.¡± Master Liaoran took a look at the back of the card, then he handed it to Gloria, who showed it to the rest of the team before returning it to the master: ¡°This monk would only presume this was also a key to the room. Since it required blood to activate, there would be a protection and tracing charm on it. But no matter, we should proceed if there¡¯s nothing here.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I think if we go down, we might be going into the server area.¡± Mick raised his hand, like a good student: ¡°Judging from the size of the building and the square footage of the entire area, most of the servers would be below ground. Maybe because they¡¯re using the lake¡¯s water to - ¡±


    ¡°Which means it¡¯s gonna be way more dangerous.¡± Kevin nodded and took a deep breath: ¡°Mother of gods this is gonna be a fun trip isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No use speculating.¡± Master Liaoran smiled: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The door to the control room was blasted off from inside by a forceful palm strike. The three figures behind the door were thrown all over the floor in the hallway. Their eyes were unfocused, their mouths were drooling, and their noses were bleeding. They still tried to get up but were hit by the master¡¯s hand seal. The same kind of glowing golden symbols were left on their foreheads, and in an instant, black smoke poured out of their noses and ears.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What happened to them?¡± Marcus looked around. The guards¡¯ hearts stopped beating and their skins grayed the moment the smoke left their bodies.


    ¡°They¡¯re killed by the dark energy of this place, from what I could tell it was from a while back as well. They just didn¡¯t know it.¡± Master Liaoran responded: ¡°They are a product of this array and this lake. Still, we need to be careful, because the breaking of whatever containment this place could make them more violent or turn them straight into malevolent spirits.¡±


    ¡°How about these people?¡± Marcus asked, taking a look at the two staffers he held on his shoulders: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they suffer the same fate?¡±


    ¡°This monk thinks they would, in time. But probably due to the nature of their work they are not there yet. ¡± Master Liaoran led the way through the hallway while responding to Marcus: ¡°And they would suffer horrible deaths if we do not put them somewhere safe. ¡±


    ¡°And there goes any potential insider information we could have.¡± Tae Kuo sighed.


    ¡°Oh! Look what I just found!¡± Just this moment, Gloria took a few steps forward and showed a small metal mirror to Marcus. It was the bagua mirror on a string, the same kind that he and she found after battling some henchmen of those who organized the mass kidnapping of children.


    ¡°Concave bagua mirror.¡± Marcuse sighed: ¡°Why am I not surprised at all?¡±


    The fact that the staffers working here all had the same kind of mirror just made him suspect that the people who ran this place were far more sinister than he previously imagined.


    ¡°Master. Per his earlier designs, would they need people running this place?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s for maintenance only, they just need to make sure that enough electricity flowed through the circuits and arrays around the cores, and became imbued with enough power to suppress the paranormal energy and even stall the flow of Qiyun having to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gloria and Tae Kuo almost screamed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a wise choice of design. But it¡¯s the only way.¡± Master Liaoran paused for a moment, shaking his head: ¡°It was never a perfect solution.¡±


    ¡°How can it be!? ¡± Gloria barked her question: ¡°Everything that tries to influence the flow of Qiyun will become cursed! I thought this was common sense back then!?¡±


    ¡°It was not, it became a common sense since then.¡± Master Liaoran sighed.


    This answer shocked everyone present. Though none of them stopped following the Master¡¯s lead.


    ¡°Many things have happened since then. And days before what happened to him, this monk was entrusted with some knowledge about this very array he designed. ¡± Master Liaoran paused in front of a crossing in their path, for there were footsteps incoming.


    ¡°What happened?! What happened?¡± The voices were gurgling: ¡°Something happened!? What is it? What - what happened?¡±


    ¡°This monk will take care of them.¡± Master Liaoran took a look at the card: ¡°Then you¡¯ll go straight forward, you¡¯ll make a right at the second crossing after this. You¡¯ll see a flight of stairs, head down for a bit and you should see the safe room. Wait for this monk there.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Be careful, master.¡± Marcus nodded, then looked back and nodded at everyone else.


    Master Liaoran nodded back and handed the radio to Marcus, before leaping into the crossing and unleashing two palm strikes at two directions from which the voices were coming. Golden shockwaves of Qi blasted through the hallway, tearing the surface of the walls up, shredding the flooring.


    Shadows made of black smoke were blasted off from the backs of the guards and staffers. Some of them were instantly burned off, while some escaped into the vents above and cracks on the ground.

 Book 2 Chapter 250. Mirrages (Part 1.)

    The number of living staffers and guards in the room was seven, this meant that Marcus, Keryn and Gloria would have to each carry two, while Kevin and Tae Kuo would have to carry the final one, leaving Mick to be the one to keep watch on their surroundings at all times.


    Faint cries, moans and mumbling crept all around them through the walls. Dark spots were spreading and growing on the already pale gray walls. The paint began melting and dripping around them. Even the air grew colder as they ran through the hallway.


    Before long, an opening in the wall appeared in front of them. But they had yet to reach the second crossing.


    It turned out that they did not miss it, but it was a crossing in a bridge in the air that span across what looked like half the diameter of the entire building. Below the bridge was a hole through which one could see what looked like several floors below ground, and when they looked up, this giant shaft was sealed at two floors above them. The bridges were lifted by the steel wires above connected to the concrete ceiling and supported by horizontal concrete beams under their soles. And the right turn they needed to take? It was a flight of downward stairs in the air built with chains and concrete plates, connecting to the bridge one floor below.


    ¡°Alright, you heard the master.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°I¡¯ll go down first, then you guys follow me. If you find it hard to maintain balance, just wait for me to help you, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tae Kuo and Kevin answered at the same time, this advice was surely only meant for them, as it would be hard to believe that either Keryn or Gloria would need help.


    Marcus took one step on the first step of the stairs - there was only a little bit of movement under his foot, so he took a few more. The chains were tight, and the concrete plates were also stabilized. It was only slightly wobbly than the appearance would suggest, so he looked back and announced: ¡°Okay, this is actually sturdier than it looks. I¡¯ll speed up a bit and come back to help you as soon as possible.¡±


    He rushed down, using only minimal amount of his Qi in the process. Before long, he reached the bridge on the same level as the second floor. This bridge had only one exit, which led to the outer area of this floor but not to the interior. Instead, it forked into two separate flights of stairs on the inner end, each would connect to a separate bridge on the first floor.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Two flights, Master Liaoran¡¯s instruction was that there would be a flight of stairs after making this turn. Marcus took only a moment, before taking the one on the right - the one that looked slightly older and whose cement sheets showed more cracks.


    At the end of the bridge below, was a heavy metal door with a small glass window. Marcus tried to look into it from the window - it seemed behind the door was an empty room with wooden beams and red threads lined on the walls - one that looked exactly like a safe room from potential paranormal threats.


    ¡°Marcus!¡± Gloria¡¯s call came from the other bridge connecting to the left, through the empty space spanning across the center of the hole: ¡°The safe room is right here!¡±


    ¡°What!? It¡¯s right here as well!¡± Marcus frowned. After considering for a short moment, he put the two staffers on his shoulder down by the door in front of him and ran up the stairs behind him halfway, so he could see the opposite side more clearly.


    And there it was, on the other side of the building, two flights of stairs apart, Gloria was standing on the other bridge waving at him.


    For a brief moment, Marcus was almost tempted to go over there and take a look. But after some quick consideration, he ripped a small piece of metal from the handrail next to him and threw it at Gloria.


    Gloria was still waving at Marcus, calling out his name. But even as the piece of metal was shooting at her forehead, she kept on waving. The very next moment, ripples spread from her forehead as the piece of metal broke through her forehead, leaving traces of smoke and paper-like shreds floating in the air.


    Chilling fear exploded from Marcus¡¯ mind, he immediately focused his Qi on his eyes and ears and ran up the stairs. After a few steps he almost ran into Gloria, but he just did not have the time to explain everything, because at this moment, Keryn and the rest of the team were walking in the opposite direction, and in just a few steps they would fall from the bridge and to their deaths.


    ¡°STOP!!¡± Marcus roared, before unleashing a few finger strikes from a short distance aiming at his friends¡¯ backs. This was not to harm them, but to hit their pressure points from behind in an attempt to stop them from going forward, or even just to push some Qi into their bodies trying to clear the illusion.


    Mick, Tae Kuo and Kevin were all hit right on their pressure points, and were temporarily frozen in their movement. Keryn, on the other hand, was not, because she too was a practitioner of mystic martial arts. Instead, she stumbled a few steps and looked around, looking worried and concerned. Even though Marcus, Tae Kuo, Kevin and Mick were right behind her, her facial expression suggested that she did not see any of them at all.


    ¡°Keryn Lance! Tae Kuo! Kevin Loo! Mick Cramer! See and hear me!¡± Marcus raised his voice and concentrated his Qi to blast a loud roar aiming at his teammates: ¡°Wake up and see before you!¡±


    The roar was unleashed with essentially all Marcus knew on how to use Qi to cleanse and blast off paranormal energy from a distance. It was not damaging to an experienced fighter like Keryn by any meaningful degree, but hopefully it would be enough to strike her out of her illusion.


    Keryn grunted and began rubbing her temples. The staffer and guard on her shoulders fell to her side, just in time to be caught by Marcus.


    ¡°What - what happened?¡± In but an instant Keryn¡¯s forehead and neck were covered in cold sweat.


    ¡°Follow me. You were duped by illusions. We all were.¡± Marcus turned to check on the civilian teammates: ¡°Come! We must get away from this area.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 251. Mirrages (Part 2.)

    There was no fork at the end of the bridge. There was only one flight of stairs, which was the slightly older looking one. Had he set foot on the newer one, there would be no saving Marcus. Just this thought alone covered his back with sweat.


    ¡°Keep your eyes open and check on our positions at all times!¡± Marcus commanded as he helped Keryn with the guard that she carried: ¡°Something powerful is here and it¡¯s able to trick us with illusions. There would be no saving you if you step off these bridges or stairs.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tae Kuo wiped his forehead and took a step forward, after making sure that the concrete plate under his foot was solid, he could finally walk forward with ease and relief.


    ¡°What the fuck happened? ¡± Keryn asked Marcus with her voice lowered: ¡°I saw you going over to the left, so I just followed. Shit, I can¡¯t even tell when I was put into that illusion!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. ¡± Marcus shook his head and responded with a similarly low voice: ¡°I almost got tricked - it¡¯s not just illusion that only influences our mind, it appears to have some kind of physical projection as well.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°How did you tell?¡±


    ¡°I just felt something different - I reached the end and then saw Gloria waving at me from the other side. There was no reason she would just go the other way after seeing me go down this path. So I just threw something at her, and then found out it was all an illusion.¡± Marcus took a deep breath.


    ¡°Are you real?!¡± Mick and Kevin were hesitant when Gloria approached them after setting the staffers down beside the door to the safe room.


    ¡°What kind of questions do you ask when you meet with your friend from the cafe?¡± Tae Kuo asked, with a knife in hand.


    ¡°Specials. We ask each other about specials.¡± Gloria paused with her hands raised, showing that she bore no ill will: ¡°Like Sunday Specials, Holiday Specials, things like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tae Kuo let out a sigh of relief before leading the way forward, setting the guard they were carrying to the side of the door. Only now did he realize that the small platform they were standing on was also hung in the air and supported by some metal bars below and no metal wires. At least the body of the safe room seemed to be well supported in all directions and angles.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Marcus and Keryn made it to the platform. Everyone formed a temporary circle, to keep an eye on each other as well as the passed out staffers and guards they brought over here. Tae Kuo, Mick and Kevin were in charge of studying the door to the safe house. The master did not mention anything about the safe room having a strange metal lock with a paper talisman wrapped around it.


    ¡°Fucking hell, they must have some kind of key for their staff, right? It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t found it.¡± Kevin spoke through his teeth: ¡°Are any of them awake? We should ask them where the key is.¡±


    ¡°The master knocked them out cold. It could take a while, or some effort.¡± Marcus looked around, his eyes glowing: ¡°What do you think the talisman is? If it¡¯s not anything dangerous or critical to the safety of the room, we can just brute force our way in.¡±


    ¡°Wait for a bit. This is some kind of modified evil repelling talisman, mixed in with symbols from the classic talisman of thunder and fire, so I guess it¡¯s going to be both a seal and a tripwire - in talisman terms.¡± Tae Kuo hissed: ¡°This fucking talisman - it¡¯s made by someone who really knows his stuff - I mean, I have tried to make composite talismans before, and I was only able to combine some simpler ones.¡±


    ¡°And a thunder and fire talisman exploding here would be horrible, at least from what I understand.¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°This room is filled with unclean energy, so - chain reaction.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Mick frowned, looking left and right: ¡°Did you hear something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus and Gloria asked at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s from above.¡± Mick scratched his nose, his forehead then looked up.


    Marcus hesitated for a moment, on whether he should help Mick clear his illusion. But he decided to check out the direction where Mick was looking at first.


    A thin layer of gray cloud formed above. There was no indication on what it was made of. Marcus checked the bridge on the upper level. It seemed Master Liaoran still did not make it out of the hallway. Was he having difficulties dealing with the possessed guards? That would seem quite implausible.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting louder.¡± Mick¡¯s frown only grew deeper, he looked around and noticed that everyone else was looking at him: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard anything.¡± Gloria shook her head: ¡°What is it? Describe to us what you¡¯re hearing right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like - like some kind of dripping sound - like water dripping on a metal plate.¡± Mick scratched his head: ¡°I - I might be hearing things, I - ¡±


    ¡°Wait - what¡¯d you say?¡± Kevin shivered before posing this question.


    ¡°I - I said it¡¯s a dripping noise, like water on - on a metal surface.¡± Mick was more hesitant: ¡°I¡¯m hearing things, aren¡¯t I? It¡¯s usually you - you Qi havers who hear or see things that are not there, right?¡±


    ¡°No - but not in some very specific circumstances.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°Can you tell me the rhythm? Is it a constant one, or does it have a certain pace?¡±


    ¡°It has - a certain pace.¡± Mick answered directly: ¡°It¡¯s like this - one drop, long pause, then two quick drops, long pause, then another drop. And then an extra long pause, before it repeats.¡±


    ¡°Long, short, short, then long.¡± Tae Kuo and Kevin exchanged looks.


    ¡°Fire gua - of course. Of fucking course!¡± Kevin smacked himself on his forehead.


    Right when they reached this strange conclusion, a deafening scream exploded from the direction from which they came.

 Book 2 Chapter 252. Old Friends, New Enemies

    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± A voice came from behind Master Liaoran, just when he cleared up the pathways off the possessed guards. This voice was clear but cold, one could not tell if it was from a man or a woman, and with each syllable uttered. Each word was imbued with some kind of special power, enough to confuse or even paralyze any normal person.


    Master Liaoran turned back with a frown on his face.


    It was a person with long hair, a large frame but slender arms and legs. This person was in a loose buddhist robe, and had an extra arm protruding from under the left armpit. All of the fingers were slender as well, with black, long and sharp nails at their ends.


    ¡°Master Jiankong.¡± Master Liaoran bowed gently to the person: ¡°It seemed your cultivation had all but reached a different level. ¡±


    ¡°You sound displeased.¡± The person smiled, combing their hair draping in front of their face: ¡°Back in the days, you had wished me success in my endeavor, and told me you would look forward to the day to see me transcend who and what I was. And yet, you¡¯ve shown me nothing but your disapproval. Are you contemptful about what you see, Master Liaoran? The monk who wields a blade? The Black Blade Vajra?¡±


    ¡°This monk had wished you transcend who and what you were, but not fall beneath them.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°And this monk was looking forward to our meeting, yet not like this, not here, not under these circumstances. Certainly but surely, not when you are in this state.¡±


    ¡°What state, Master Liaoran? What state? One you disapprove of, or a state that¡¯s simply different?¡± The person narrowed their eyes.


    ¡°A state of indulgence, dwelling and fell.¡± Master Liaora shook his head: ¡°And now, your whole being is tainted, almost beyond cleansing or repair. Why did you choose to do this? This monk thought you knew better.¡±


    ¡°I DID and DO know better.¡± The person sighed and shook their head as well. Crimson light glowed in their pupils, and thin traces of dark tar seeped from every pore of their forearms and concentrated on their hands and fingernails, coating them with malicious curse and poison. ¡°And yet, you remain almost the same as you were. Tell me, old monk, where¡¯s your blade?¡±


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    ¡°The blade had seen too much bloodshed, too many lives lost. It¡¯s become a heavy symbol of sin for this monk.¡± Master Liaoran gently pulled his sleeves up: ¡°And thus, it¡¯s safely stored in this monk¡¯s place of repentance and meditation. Namo Amitabha. Master Jiankong, do you wish to stop this monk, and the duty at this monk¡¯s hand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. Master.¡± Master Jiankong chuckled: ¡°For you are trespassing into my place of meditation and cultivation. The monk with a blade I know would not let trespassers leave without a beating. I guess I was more true to your philosophy than you are now.¡±


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Liaoran did not respond, only bowed gently.


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Jiankong bowed back.


    A simple exchange of gestures, but one that would signal the end of their friendship dated decades back.


    Master Jiankong moved first. A string of afterimages made of black smoke were left behind them. Two arms on their shoulders thrust forward, aiming right at Master Liaoran¡¯s shoulders. The lower, slightly deformed additional right arm raised its middle and index fingers, jabbing at Master Liaoran¡¯s lower waist like a sneaky dagger.


    Master Liaoran waved his left hand across the air in front of him. The claws from his opponent¡¯s both arms collided with his left forearm. While the opponent¡¯s fingernails from the lower right arm rammed into Master Liaoran¡¯s left knee.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s right hand was free and unguarded. A golden palm strike was unleashed, landing right at Master Jiankong¡¯s chest.


    Dark red blood spilled from Master Jiankong¡¯s mouth and nostrils as the strike sent them in the air flying backwards. Their body almost tumbled on the ground, but with some last minute movements of the feet and legs, the landing was not completely graceless.


    The golden palm print still burned on the pale gray flesh, making a sizzling sound and releasing light smoke in the air.


    Master Jiankong roared, waving all three arms and each hand making a different hand seal. A screen of dark smoke formed behind him. A few moments passed, a face manifested on it. It was the face of a human-like creature. Horns above the temples, mouth wide open as if it was crying and laughing at the same time, and two fangs protruding from the upper jaw.


    ¡°Yakshas WERE demons, but they repented and are serving the righteous path.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°If you truly aspire to achieve greatness on this path of yours, you ought to see that as well.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Master Jiankong swung all three arms forward, three concentrated streams of smoke shot from the Yaksha face¡¯s eye sockets and mouth. Two bloodshot eyeballs and a forked tongue with three prongs were at the forefront of the three streams of smoke.


    Master Liaoran grunted and cleared his throat. He crossed his arms gently before him and rocked his shoulders with a pulse of Qi. A ring of golden light exploded from him. The eyeballs and the tongue exploded the moment they made contact with the golden light, and the three streams of black smoke began burning short like three ignited fuses.


    But before the flames on the streams of smoke could even reach the Yaksha face, Master Liaoran had already made it right in front of Master Jiankong with his fists glowing in golden. Two fists thrust at the shoulders of Master Jiankong.


    The three-armed master tried to block the attacks with all of their arms. Thick black tar hardened around every inch of the arms, like a layer of armor.


    The golden fists crashed into the claws and palms, like a speeding truck into a house of glass. The black shell crumbled and exploded, and the pale gray arms were thrown back at the three-armed master.

 Book 2 Chapter 253. Old Karma, New Path

    It was but two hits, one per fist, yet almost all the bones in Master Jiankong¡¯s arms and fingers popped out of their sockets. The bones in the forearms sent a long-missed tingling sensation to the three-armed master - they were cracked.


    This was only for a moment, at most a couple of seconds. Master Jiankong flailed their arms again, and all the bones popped back into their places. The cracks on the bones were worrisome, but they were not fatal.


    ¡°It seemed your trick¡¯s still as old as back in the days.¡± Master Jiankong scoffed, their arms thrusted outwards, each hand making a different hand seal. In a moment¡¯s time, three symbols made of dark smoke appeared on the three palms.


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Liaoran frowned at the symbols, sighed and bowed gently with his hands in a prayer pose: ¡°You have truly gone over the line, Master. In but a notion, one could be Buddha, one could also fall as a demon. Why did you choose so?¡±


    ¡°Simple. Because there¡¯s no way for this dreadful city.¡± Master Jiankong closed their eyes for a moment, dark marks began crawling through their skin, forming another layer of flesh, hide, scales and shells. A black-skinned Yaksha with three arms, blood red marks all over the muscular body and spiraling horns coming out of both sides of the forehead. ¡°Its mind, its will and its presence is all consuming and all devouring. The only way out, is for the cycle to run its course.¡±


    ¡°That may be. But this monk will not stand idly by as ruin comes for everyone.¡± Master Liaoran huffed, Qi exploded from every meridian point of his body. He pulled his robe off his body, threw it on the ground behind him before raising his two hands in a fighting pose: ¡°There are things one can do; there are things one cannot do; there are things one should do. You have studied the scriptures just as this monk, for longer and in greater depth. It is indeed a cruel turn of fate that our understandings and paths diverged so.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And your path will end.¡± The three-armed Yaksha lunged at Master Liaoran. The claws on all three arms sliced through the concrete walls on both sides with the same ease as a hot knife through butter. The residual dark energy from the claws and nails chewed through the concrete and rebar, and only stopped until seconds after initial contacts.


    The Yaksha¡¯s charge was met with a golden palm strike. Then another. Then another. Then at least ten in a blinding flurry. Each golden palm strike was unleashed from a distance, at the center of each palm strike was a red symbol, after which a golden and red palm print was left on the Yaksha¡¯s body.


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    Master Jiankong grunted, the palm strikes were too fast to effectively dodge or guard. They landed on each of the meridian points on the Yaksha¡¯s body and in turn their body. The integrity of the Yaksha form began to collapse the moment the first palm landed, and with each subsequent strike it was further weakened and slowed. It was really a shame and a shock, for this form of theirs had withstood many powerful attacks from different sources. Yet right now it was these tame looking palm strikes that were breaking this form.


    More would definitely become something the Yaksha could not stand. So after a short grunt, the Yaksha pushed the energy into their chest, directing it to the lower right arm. At the next moment, the shorter and slightly deformed lower right arm was pushed out of its place and shot at Master Liaoran like a crossbow bolt.


    Clashing head to head with this destructive bullet of a severed arm was a finger strike. The severed arm stuck out the index and middle fingers forward like a spear, and their fingernails clashed against the simple fingertips of flesh and blood from the human master.


    The sound of metal blades swinging and cutting into each other exploded from the impact. Master Liaoran was pushed back and had to take three steps to stabilize himself, while the severed arm was rendered into a broken bag of shredded foul flesh and shattered bone fragments.


    The Yaksha did not hesitate for even one moment before they lunged at Master Liaoran again after activating the healing power to suppress the effects of the palm prints. If they could help it they would definitely strike at the old monk the moment he was pushed back. But using any sort of power while the energy from the palm prints was burning through the very fabric of their being would be tremendously hazardous.


    Master Liaoran huffed again, this time unleashing a fist strike at the Yaksha from a distance. A giant golden fist made of golden light and Qi blasted through the ruined hallway. The Yaksha had no choice but to cross the arms to guard against this incoming hit.


    Golden energy demolished and incinerated almost half the Yaksha shell on Master Jiankong¡¯s entire body. An explosive scream burst from the air behind Master Jiankong the moment the Yaksha form was broken. Traces of smoke arose and dissipated the next moment. Their two remaining arms were broken, and their entire chest caved in. Their already ragged clothes were burned and blasted off, leaving only a bony body on the ground.


    Master Jiankong chuckled as they sensed Master Liaoran coming close: ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve out-cultivated me, Liaoran. Maybe - maybe you understand more than I - ¡± They swallowed, took a hoarse breath before continuing: ¡° - and my seeing the void for what it is seems no match for you.¡±


    ¡°Namo Amitabha.¡± Master Liaoran uttered a prayer then sighed: ¡°Your form and your tether are broken. If the quest this monk is set out to do is achieved. You won¡¯t have long after that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe - maybe it¡¯s for the best.¡± Master Jiankong coughed, unable to even breathe faster without struggling: ¡°There¡¯s no joy or enlightenment anymore. There is only - only to be and watch the rot grow.¡±


    ¡°The biggest core, the central pillar, they¡¯re below us aren¡¯t they?¡± Master Liaoran asked.


    ¡°Yes, and no.¡± Master Jiankong chuckled, coughing once again: ¡°There are changes made to the original design. I know that one is below and one above, I don¡¯t know about the others.¡±


    ¡°Then this monk will find them.¡± Master Liaoran sighed.


    ¡°And they added a bunch of smaller pillars to the array. Maybe you can do something with them.¡± Master Jiankong let out a long exhale: ¡°There¡¯s a lot of changes made because they had to. They¡¯re not - they¡¯re not as smart, or wise though.¡±


    ¡°Nobody was and nobody has been.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you have to do then. ¡± Master Jiankong laughed, blood spilling out from their mouth and nostrils: ¡°They will try to stop you. And they will play dirty.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 254. Safe House?

    ¡°Why fire?¡± Keryn asked while still facing outward.


    ¡°It¡¯s the fire gua, the intervals between each of the dripping sounds heard by Mick.¡± Kevin raised the lock before his eyes and pointed at one row of symbols on the talisman wrapped around it: ¡°This is the fire symbol, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I think we need to cut the thunder symbols first.¡± Tae Kuo took a deep breath: ¡°Fire - fire is in the cycle, right?¡±


    ¡°Right - right.¡± Kevin shivered, ¡°Alright, do you wanna do it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Why the thunder symbol?¡± Mick frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s - it¡¯s kind of a riddle.¡± Kevin shook his head: ¡°Thunder and fire talisman is a common talisman when used to cleanse evil and attack unclean entities - it literally calls down thunder and fire on the evil spirits. And the cycle of sacrifice has reached the fire cycle, while thunder is not among the five elements, right? Metal, wood, water, fire and earth, no thunder, so - ¡±


    ¡°So this is how we can get in.¡± Tae Kuo took a look at the guards and staffers by their side, whose faces all seemed to have become pale, gray and sweaty, while their breathing patterns were getting weaker by the second.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s - ¡± Gloria wanted to express her doubt, but she could almost hear the heartbeats and breaths of the guards getting less noticeable by the moment: ¡°Marcus, I¡¯ll watch for you. You protect them in case anything was to come out of that talisman.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus backed off, knelt down by Kevin and Tae Kuo¡¯s side, who were both hesitating and struggling to make the decision. ¡°Tell me which is which.¡±


    ¡°The line on the left is the thunderline - ¡± Tae Kuo wiped his forehead and explained: ¡°And the one on the right is the fire line. But be careful - ¡± Before he could say anything, both of Marcus¡¯ hands glowed and grabbed the lock. His left thumb nail scratched across the thumper symbols, just hard enough to rub off the ink but not heavily damaging the talisman paper.


    The metal lock vibrated, rang and glowed. For a brief moment even Marcus could feel the heat penetrating his palms and fingers. But it was only for less than a second, before the lock clicked open.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Shit, you fucking geniuses, go in!¡± Marcus laughed before pulling on the metal door - it creaked open only by a hair, but it did open. It was heavy, but not as heavy as Marcus was expecting.


    Gloria stayed by the side of the door with Marcus as the rest of the group brought the staffers and guards into the safe house. Afterwards, they closed the door and waited inside by the door - they would need to wait for the master here. And if possible, it would be best that they could find out any information from the barely breathing baggages.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Just after they closed the door down, Marcus asked Keryn.


    ¡°Not yet, we just brought them in - they may need a few.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Their heartbeats are really slow, and their body temperature is low too. I think when the EMP broke whatever protection there was, the dark energy here started getting to them.¡±


    ¡°Well - let me try something then.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Can you guard the door for me for a bit? And let us know if you see Master Liaoran?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Keryn nodded.


    Gloria was already trying what Marcus was planning to do when he got close to the staffers and guards.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking for them?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Some kind of dark energy is in their meridians and even hearts. I can try to push some out or suppress it. But it¡¯s going to take way too much effort and Qi.¡± Gloria shook her head as she wiped the corner of her forehead: ¡°I can try to awaken one, maybe two. But all of them? I - ¡±


    ¡°Let me try.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Maybe I can try to burn off some of it and help lighten it for you - ¡±


    ¡°Be careful, these are ordinary civilians, and their bodies are weak - hell, they¡¯re weaker than most other civilians.¡± Gloria reminded him: ¡°If your Qi burns too fast, it¡¯s gonna burst their meridians.¡±


    Marcus retracted his arms and considered for a brief moment: ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll watch out for that.¡± He proceeded to pull a muscular looking guard up and had a feel of his physical state. Gloria wasn¡¯t lying, the man¡¯s breathing was as weak as it could be, and his meridians were like those of a sickly elderly person, one careless push he just might end up dead by a burst of Qi. He could only let a tiny stream of it into the man¡¯s left arm to see if he could burn off the lingering: ¡°How the hell did they get like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s the exposure to the energy here, breathing it in, marinating their whole body¡­¡± Gloria shook her head.


    The guard in Marcus¡¯ arms groaned and turned his head, yet remained unconscious. Marcus¡¯ Qi was indeed effective in burning away the dark energy in his body. It came with a cost though: the man¡¯s meridians seemed to have become more brittle with the dissipation of the dark energy. After prolonged exposure, this man, like the others, had developed dependency on the dark energy of this place. Marcus¡¯ method would have helped if applied earlier, but right now, it was like doing a procedure on someone without medicine or suture.


    Just when Marcus hesitated whether he should proceed further, the guard coughed and opened his eyes.


    ¡°Hey! Are you okay?!¡± Marcus asked, at the moment he could not control his volume and startled Tae Kuo and Mick.


    The guard opened his mouth and his eyes wide, while his hands frantically pointed at his throat and his chest. He appeared to be trying to make a sound, but something in his throat just would not let him. He gurgled, retched, then a stream of thick, dark green liquid shot up from his throat. Marcus backed off in an instant, and the liquid fell on the guard¡¯s chest and the ground beside him.


    ¡°What the - !?¡± Mick and Kevin almost fell on their backs, not because of the projectile vomit, but because of the tiny pieces of red flesh in the liquid, and the small malformed crying faces on them.

 Book 2 Chapter 255. Different House!

    Chills shot up from Marcus¡¯ spine right to his head. He let the guard down and shot to Mick and Kevin¡¯s side to protect them should anything happen. Gloria did the same and stood in front of Tae Kuo. Keryn caught the commotion and rushed to their position to help.


    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Keryn opened her eyes wide and cursed as she fixed her sight on the small pool of dark liquid vomited by the guard, and his entire body.


    The guard retched one more time, dark liquid seeped from the corners of his eyes, his nostrils and ears. And as the dark liquid pooled on the ground and on other guard¡¯s bodies, more pieces of red flesh floated to the surface, revealing more and more deformed tiny faces.


    ¡°No - nonono - this is - this is not a safe house.¡± Tae Kuo looked around. They did not pay too much attention to the interior of this place at first, but right now they all noticed that the walls were becoming redder and more wrinkly by the moment. ¡°This is an incubation house! We should get outta here!¡±


    Before the last word from Tae Kuo dropped, more of the guards began retching and vomiting, the first ones to start doing so were the ones that had dark liquid spilled on them. Thus a series of chain reactions ensued, before long every one of them was vomiting black liquid.


    ¡°Now!¡± Tae Kuo yelled as he pulled Gloria¡¯s arm. No one knew what he was afraid of, but everyone followed his lead and rushed towards the door.


    The door was shut, but the bolt was not slided in. Kevin and Tae Kuo brought the lock in with them, so there should not be anything that would keep them from opening the door other than the weight. Yet when Tae Kuo pushed, the door would not budge.


    ¡°Something blocked the door.¡± Tae Kuo¡¯s voice was trembling.


    ¡°Alright. Let us do it.¡± Marcus moved forward, giving Gloria and Keryn a look: ¡°On three! One - two - THREE!¡±


    All three mythic martial artists kicked the door at the same time, with their Qi infused into their legs. Dust and smoke burst from the frame, a faint tearing sound of cloth or flesh came as the door swung outward and the hinges whined.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    They rushed out of the room, just in time to see the change to the exterior of the ¡°safe house¡± - a slowly moving, twitching dark flesh-like substance. It covered almost the entirety of the ¡°safe house¡±, like a twisted cocoon.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes at the sight he had never seen or even imagined before.


    ¡°Incubation room for the curse-ladened. ¡®Spirit Gu¡¯ I think they¡¯re called. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re matured yet but - ¡± Tae Kuo pulled on the door and tried to shut it: ¡°Shit, give me a hand! We must lock them in!¡±


    Marcus and Keryn lent him their hands at the same time, while Gloria took the lock from Kevin and put it back in its previous place. Unfortunately, the lock could no longer work after Marcus had broken the talisman seal.


    Cries and weepings from several child-like voices came from inside the ¡°safe house¡±. And the dark flesh-like substance continued crawling. Before long, they drove every living human present away and covered up the entire door.


    ¡°We must go.¡± Tae Kuo¡¯s voice was trembling: ¡°GO! WE MUST GO!¡±


    ¡°Down.¡± Marucs nodded at Gloria and then everyone: ¡°Master Liaoran said the cores of the array would be somewhere below us. We must go down.¡±


    ¡°In formation!¡± Gloria pulled Tae Kuo back, who just tried to rush past Marcus.


    There was a staircase at the end of the open air hall to their left. The lights here were flickering, and some kind of dark mist roamed the air. But it seemed they had no better options right now.


    ¡°Hey, um - I have a question: why was I able to hear that stuff?¡± Mick asked Kevin through a whisper: ¡°It¡¯s creeping me out right now.¡±


    ¡°You remember getting hit in the arm by a bagua mirror?¡± Kevin responded.


    ¡°Well - yeah - I mean - I just remember my arm hurt for a few days but then it just went away.¡± Mick frowned: ¡°But I don¡¯t remember telling you - ¡±


    ¡°You were drunk. ¡± Kevin cut Mick off: ¡°But - the thing is - I learned about this not long ago, that the energy from bagua mirrors could give you some kind of ¡®wound¡¯ on your soul, and when you heal from it, you might develop certain affinity to certain - certain signals in the environment.¡±


    ¡°But how did you tell - ¡±


    ¡°Mostly a lucky guess. I¡¯ve memorized all of the gua symbols and it¡¯s still fresh. ¡± Kevin sighed: ¡°I¡¯m just really glad it turned out to be correct.¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Just this moment, Gloria, who was at the front of the team, raised her hand and shushed everyone: ¡°Something¡¯s ahead.¡±


    Footsteps closed in as a long shadow was cast into the downward stairs in front of them. Two separate human-like shadows holding hands, one tall and one short. The taller one did not have a head and was holding what looked like a large cleaver, while the shorter one was missing one leg and one arm. The shadows seemed to be communicating and playing with each other, with the taller one walking slowly, the shorter one hopping as it walked and waving the only arm.


    ¡°Mother and Daughter Butchers.¡± Kevin whispered, his voice trembling.


    Marcus and Gloria exchanged looks, then lowered their bodies ready to ambush.

 Book 2 Chapter 256. Carvings (Part 1.)

    Mother and Daughter Butchers might not mean much for those who were new to the city, but they were once a symbol of the horror stories circulating amongst the city folks, especially the South-Western District residents. There were several versions to their origin story, the most prominent one being that they were the victims of a crazed and violent father. Another theory with a lot of supporting ¡°evidence¡± was that they were victims of an organized gang or clan, where the father of the family made a series of mistakes in messing with their businesses and the mother and daughter paid the price. But whatever the actual origin was, one thing remained - that anyone, literally anyone, should run at the first sight of this ghostly spirit duo lest they do not value their life.


    Idea after idea flashed through Marcus¡¯ mind. He too had heard about the stories about this duo - mainly about how the unlucky wanderers and gutful but brainless teenagers who crossed paths with them ended up dismembered. There seemed to be no solutions or tips to escape an encounter, hard as he tried to remember. They might just need to fight their way out.


    ¡°Mama, what is that?¡± A little girl¡¯s voice came from the staircase. The pronunciation was somewhat strange, as if there were wounds in her throat or mouth.


    ¡°That is the smell of men.¡± A muffled female voice responded: ¡°That is the smell of bad men. Very bad men.¡±


    Unnatural chills burst from Gloria¡¯s back. Something was coming from behind her. She turned, just in time to see a tiny thin gray thread wrapping around the neck of Tae Kuo. ¡°Tae, don¡¯t move!¡± She yelled, leaping over and swinging her hand at the upper section of the gray thread.


    A high-pitched ting needled everyone in their eardrums as the side of Gloria¡¯s palm slashed through the gray thread. Immediately followed was two screams from an adult female voice and a young girl¡¯s voice in unison.


    ¡°They found us! Stick together!¡± Gloria yelled.


    ¡°Oh my fucking god where¡¯s the master?¡± Mick cursed as he hid behind Marcus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, guard yourselves!¡± Marcus raised his voice and pushed his Qi. Blood dripped from Gloria¡¯s palms, it was not a serious wound, but it was shrouded by a small puff of dark smoke. This would surely be not a big problem for her, but for any civilian it could be deadly.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What are bad men, mama?¡± The little girl¡¯s voice came from behind Marcus: ¡°Is this one?¡±


    Marcus turned back, and saw a bloody little girl whose head was almost completely split in half by a grievous chopping wound on the top of her skull. Blood, brain matter and maggots spilled from the crack. Her right eye was only a bloody hole filled with torn and minced flesh, and her left eye was bloodshot. Her left arm was missing and was holding Kevin¡¯s left arm with her blood-covered right hand.


    Kevin gasped, yelled then slammed his left hand on the young girl¡¯s bloody and horrendously wounded face. An unfolded talisman was left on the girl¡¯s face. In but one second, it burst into flames and the young girl disappeared after an ear-piercing scream.


    The muffled but still burning furious screams of the mother shocked and stunned everyone for a brief moment. And within less than a second from the disappearance of the young girl, a shadow made of dark fog shot down from above at Kevin, a hand with crooked fingers and long sharp nails grabbing at his throat.


    Before this shadow could land this attack, Marcus¡¯ upswing claw attack cut right into its trajectory. A bright orange clawmark of Qi shot through the narrow space in the hallway, broke through traces of fog and defaced part of the wall on the side of Kevin. But just as the shadow backed off, Marcus¡¯ right hand launched a palm strike at the direction of its retreat. The bright orange shadow of his palm blasted the tail end of the shadow and burned off a chunk of it.


    ¡°Kevin!¡± Keryn yelled from behind Kevin and Marcus, before she unleashed a swift kick at the space behind Kevin.


    The little girl, who reappeared behind Kevin and jammed her right arm into Kevin¡¯s lower back disappeared into a puff of smoke after a frustrated yelp. Kevin¡¯s entire body was pale, frail and sweaty from this brief but still solid contact.


    The shadow circled in the air and shot right back at Marcus. It was the headless woman, who did not even fully manifest herself before swinging the cleaver his way. In Marcus¡¯ vision, he saw a blade made of gray smoke slashing at him from above, while another blade manifested almost immediately after the first aiming at his neck.


    With Qi concentrated on his arms to the best of his abilities, he stepped to the side to evade the slash coming from above, while trying to block the blade coming from the side - for simply, if the horizontal slash was to miss him, it could land on someone behind. The blade collided with his palms, and he felt the cold blade cutting into his skin. Blood spilled, but that was it - his Qi had stopped the invasion of the blade. Also almost at the same time, Gloria came to his aid, by unleashing two rapid claw slashes at the space behind the two slashes.


    Sounds of cloth and fabric being torn and ripped came as Gloria¡¯s attacks landed. The woman growled with frustration and fury as she turned into a puff of smoke once again.


    ¡°They¡¯re too slippery! We need to get a solid strike!¡± Gloria darted back to Marcus¡¯s side: ¡°How¡¯re your hands?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad. She didn¡¯t get to the bones.¡± Marcus shook his head, as he used his Qi to seal the wounds and burn off the lingering dark energy: ¡°We need to move to a smaller space, she would then only have a small space to hop around like that.¡±


    ¡°Kevin! Breathe!¡± At this moment, Keryn stayed behind Kevin and pushed her Qi into Kevin¡¯s body: ¡°Marcus! We need some help over here!¡±


    Another, smaller puff of smoke moved to Mick¡¯s side. Yet Mick seemed to have sensed the incoming danger and jumped to the side, just an arm¡¯s length from Tae Kuo.

 Book 2 Chapter 257. Carvings (Part 2.)

    Mick was still processing the fact that, thanks to an accidental injury from a mirror he was able to sense things even Marcus, Gloria and Keryn couldn¡¯t. He was a little skittish, and the fact that this injury somehow awakened at this inopportune time just put another layer of stress on his body and mind. The moment he heard a string of laughter from the gruesome looking little girl coming straight to him, he just jumped. ¡°Get away from me!¡± He yelped and tried to reach for the talismans tucked in his pocket. But his hand was sweaty and trembling, he could not find it in time.


    The little girl let out a giggle and tried to rush to his side again and hold his arm, while his way was blocked by Tae Kuo, who had no idea what he saw at this moment.


    ¡°Stay back!¡± Tae Kuo pulled Mick behind him while fist-striking the general direction of the little girl with a talisman tucked in his palm and a string of beads on his wrist. In his vision, there was nothing in front of him, but out of pure professional instinct he kept unleashing this attack in hopes of buying them time and space.


    The talisman cracked and burst into flames again and it scorched his palm. The little girl screamed, turned to smoke and shot up into the air, giggles turning into weepings and angry cries.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± Tae Kuo grabbed and shook his right wrist. His palms were red hot as if he just touched a grill barehanded: ¡°Rice wine in my backpack, now!¡±


    Mick opened Tae Kuo¡¯s backpack and found only a small plastic bottle of light yellow liquid that fit the description, he twisted it open before handing it back to Tae Kuo.


    Tae Kuo poured some wine on his palm, then began mumbling some kind of spell. The wound was more severe than it looked, for his entire face turned red and veins were popping out of his forehead.


    ¡°Duck!¡± Keryn yelled at both of them. She shot over and pulled them onto the ground. A gust of cold air blew past above them, and a long gash appeared on the wall behind.


    Keryn slammed her right hand and right forearm on the ground to launch her body up after pulling the two men down. Her entire body was in the mid air and almost horizontal. Two consecutive lightning fast kicks were unleashed at the cloud that appeared in front of them out of nowhere.


    ¡°Poof poof¡± the two kicks landed, and once again as if they landed on cloth or fabric. Her Qi exploded at the soles of her shoes, and blasted two holes in the cloud of smoke.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Mama!¡± The little girl cried and lunged at Keryn from behind, her body was already less solid, and her clothes were showing some scorch marks. Marcus lunged over and swung his right hand at the little girl like a sword, hoping to force her to back off. Yet she was dead set on making Keryn pay for her actions, she did not even stop for a moment.


    Marcus¡¯ Qi blade extending out of his forearm slashed the little girl from top to bottom, blasting and burning her entire body, leaving her little room and space to fight back or evade. Her attack was thwarted, and her body exploded into a cloud of cinder and dark smoke.


    The mother screamed. The entire hallway darkened with her rage and thirst for payback. But it did not stop either Keryn or Gloria, who took the opportunity of her moment of shock and devastation to land their kick and claw slash at her chest and left waist.


    Both hits struck true and solidly, her body crumbled and burned with the two women¡¯s Qi rampaging in her ghostly body.


    Tae Kuo and Mick yelled and rushed over, tossing two talismans onto the headless woman¡¯s body. The headless woman¡¯s right arm raised the bloody cleaver, but her upper body turned to ashes before it could swing the weapon.


    The weepings of the little girl came from the space right behind the crumbling figure of the headless woman. She wiped her one good eye with her one good hand. Tears, instead of blood or any other liquid, dropped from her face. Her voice was clear and sad, for a moment, she sounded just like a real girl.


    Gloria took the rice wine bottle from Tae Kuo¡¯s left hand, pulled out a folded talisman and poured some rice wine on it, soaking it while infusing it with her Qi. Before anyone could react, she shot the talisman at the little girl.


    Bright white light exploded from the contact point when the talisman struck the little girl¡¯s forehead. Her facade of a crying, injured little girl crashed like a glass sculpture met with a flying brick. Her face, now shrouded in intense dark smoke and covered in blood and dark tar-like substance, was covered in terrifying anger. None of those present could ever imagine they would see this kind of emotion from a young girl - her only good eye opened as wide as she could barely any hint of human warmth inside; she was gritting her teeth, and the corners of her mouth were slightly lifted, as if she was smiling - smiling at the poor, defenseless souls she and her mother would exact their revenge on.


    The talisman broke through the dark smoke and shot into the open gash on the little girl''s head, bursting into molten flames and spreading all over her body. She began screaming and struggling with the fire, light gray smoke burst from her body and ashes spilling around.


    An idea flashed through Marcus¡¯ mind, as she lunged at the little girl, his Qi concentrated on his right hand: ¡°DO IT!¡± Before he finished his command, his right hand swung through the space in front of him, shooting a Qi claw mark at the little girl.


    Keryn also pulled out a talisman, infused it with a bit of her Qi while crunching it and threw it at the little girl like a grenade.


    Marcus and Keryn¡¯s attacks landed on the body of the little girl one after another. The flames on her body burned brighter and hotter, even from a distance, Marcus could feel the heat.


    The little girl¡¯s scream stopped after a while. Her one arm kept waving in the air, trying to distinguish the flames but she was not able to do anything. Soon after her entire body being covered in fire, she lost the power to stand solely on one leg and fell on the ground.


    She struggled for only a few more seconds, and eventually crumbled into ashes just like the headless woman.


    Left on the ground when the ashes dissipated, were two small pieces of wood - wood carvings.

 Book 2 Chapter 258. Water in the Corner (Part 1.)

    ¡°What the - ¡± Gloria walked over, tore up a piece of her sleeve, covered her fingers with it to push the wooden pieces around - they were two pieces of the same carving. When put together they would become a crude carving of a round shield - the main surface of which had the relief sculptures of a mother and daughter - the Mother and Daughter Butchers, before they met their terrible fate. On the back of the wooden shield were some arcane symbols. Marcus could not read it, and judging from the looks of Tae Kuo, Gloria and Kevin, they didn¡¯t know how to read them either.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Marcus took a deep breath and shook his head: ¡°I have a bad feeling about this - let¡¯s find a place and rest for a bit before we continue.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Gloria hesitated for a bit, then finally pushed down the urge to pick the carving pieces up - the last time she did it to the one inside of the cat granny, she fell into a trance with illusions without any means of fighting back. She survived that, but it would be much more dangerous if she did that again right now: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you alright?¡± Kevin was still pale and weak from the little girl¡¯s touch, but he still wanted to check on Keryn, who expended a lot of her Qi in that fight and used the one last talisman she had on her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine.¡± Keryn waved her hands, but still not refusing Kevin¡¯s help: ¡°Damn - first time fighting - I guess it¡¯s second time fighting a legend.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the first time?¡± Kevin chuckled and pushed his hardest in helping Keryn forward.


    ¡°First time would be fighting that - that rotten woman who might or might not be Big Sister Zhu.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Damn - I still need to talk to Brian about this, hope he¡¯s safe in all of this mess of a situation.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Kevin handed a talisman to Keryn: ¡°You don¡¯t have anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°But - ¡± Keryn hesitated for a moment, then decided to accept and put it inside of her inner jacket: ¡°If something happens, stay behind me or Marcus, alright? How are you feeling? ¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Like crap, to be honest.¡± Kevin hissed as he pulled a muscle in his back and waist: ¡°Have you ever felt ice cold fingers that can make you depressed AND delusional at the same time? That was it.¡±


    ¡°I - I can kinda feel that.¡± Keryn nodded and sighed: ¡°This is - truly disgraceful - ¡±


    ¡°Who made them?¡± Mick asked while looking around: ¡°Who - who the hell could have possibly made them? ¡±


    ¡°Yeah I wanna know as well.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°They¡¯re obviously people running everything here - ¡±


    The sound of waterdrops came from the floor below them as they made a turn. All of them instantly lowered their bodies and stuck to the wall. After what just happened, everyone was high-strung.


    Marcus stuck his head out from the corner to take a quick look. For once it was exactly what it sounded like: water dropping on the ground. The water came from the ceiling at a corner below them. One at a time, clear water dropped from a stained mark onto the ground, making a clear and unmissable sound.


    ¡°It¡¯s just water.¡± Marcus let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°Any particular rhythm to it?¡± Mick asked, almost out of newfound instinct.


    ¡°No - it¡¯s just water dripping from the floor above.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Hey - weird, we don¡¯t have water leak from the floor above.¡± Keryn raised her voice.


    Everyone went silent for a moment, before Kevin busted out: ¡°We should head down, get away from it. Water in a fucking haunted environment, that¡¯s no good now matter how you look at it.¡±


    No one objected to this, so they simply sped up and rushed downstairs. The water continued to drop from behind them, still nothing happened. Without hindrance, they went down another flight of stairs. But here again, they encountered another corner below them, with water dripping down the same position from the ceiling.


    ¡°Wait - wait wait wait!¡± Gloria raised her voice as well as her right arm slightly: ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah - I think we¡¯re back to the same place.¡± Kevin nodded.


    Marcus thought for a moment, then concentrated a bit of his Qi on his right index and middle fingers and shot a stream of Qi at the wall near the corner, leaving a small dent on it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The group went down another floor, finally coming to another corner where the corner ceiling was leaking water, and on the wall beside them, they saw the same dent Marcus left.


    ¡°Holy fucking shit.¡± Tae Kuo sighed.


    Kevin and Mick turned to the other direction - a direction they did not consider for even one moment - the door in front of them out of the staircase. It was a door with a long transparent glass window placed vertically beside the handrail. Yet, even though the window was transparent, behind it they could only see a screen of darkness.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯re collective in the Ghost¡¯s Labyrinth.¡± Tae Kuo wiped his forehead: ¡°And - okay, everyone, remember this, stick together, but also see and remember clearly who¡¯s next to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And if possible, remember clearly what they look like.¡± Kevin gritted his teeth: ¡°Get this - the more we go down, always check who¡¯s around you, okay? Remember who¡¯s next to you and what they look like.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus and Gloria answered at the same time.


    Everyone¡¯s sight turned to Keryn - she was the only one who had not responded.

 Book 2 Chapter 259. Water in the Corner (Part 2.)

    ¡°What - what?¡± Keryn appeared to be surprised at the sudden attention she was getting and she flustered: ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer. ¡± Marcus narrowed his eyes: ¡°Were you distracted?¡±


    ¡°No - no - I - ¡±


    ¡°Where is your desk?¡± Kevin asked all of a sudden: ¡°Where¡¯s your desk in the whole floor plan?¡±


    ¡°Floorplan? Why are you asking me this?¡± Keryn shrugged and giggled: ¡°Heheh - why are you - why are you asking me this? You know - I¡¯ve been following you all this way, and - ¡±


    ¡°Where is your desk on the floor!?¡± Kevin almost growled his question. And right at the same time, Gloria and Marcus shot at Keryn from both sides and grabbed her by her arms and shoulders. She raised her head, her face showing in a twisted and creepy grin. Before she could even utter a word, a talisman was slapped on her forehead by Kevin. Smoke started coming out from under the talisman. A gurgling moan popped from her throat. She tried to break free from Marcus and Gloria¡¯s control, but was not able to do it in a moment¡¯s time.


    ¡°Who are you!? ¡± Kevin barked: ¡°Get out of her body!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that - I don¡¯t even know myself.¡± Keryn laughed, then coughed, then laughed again. The talisman was hurting ¡°her¡±, or whatever¡¯s possessing her. But it did not show any signs of actually pushing the thing out of Keryn just yet. It was still her voice, but the tone and the intonation was that of an entirely different person. Never could Kevin and Marcus expect this kind of expression from her: ¡°But - but this is good - I can only feel what it¡¯s like to have flesh and blood - hehehe - ¡±


    ¡°Get out! Before we make you.¡± Tae Kuo came over with a talisman tucked in his and ready to pour some more rice wine on his hand: ¡°And we WILL make you - don¡¯t test us.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehehe¡­ ¡± ¡°Keryn¡± let out a laugh with strange tones and echoes: ¡°Then you won¡¯t get out of this labyrinth. You wanna try? Even the most powerful exorcists in the city can¡¯t break out of it. And there were many of them¡­ Much less you - three muscle heads, two civilians and a half-ass exorcist.¡±


    Everyone went silent for a moment. The talisman on Keryn¡¯s forehead finally burned off, leaving a small pile of ash on her forehead.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Now, let me go! ¡± ¡°Keryn¡± barked: ¡°Even I feel hurt now! Don¡¯t you even care how your friend feels? Get off me!¡±


    ¡°Tell me what you know.¡± Tae Kuo took a look at Gloria and Marcus, who stopped pressing ¡°Keryn¡± but did not loosen their grip either: ¡°And what you want. Speak, now!¡±


    ¡°I want to get outta here! Just like you!¡± ¡°Keryn¡± grimaced as she tried to pull her arms out of her captors¡¯ grips: ¡°I¡¯ve been locked in here for god knows how fucking long! I want out! I want out! I want OUUUUUT!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Mick knelt on the floor with closed eyes, his hands on his temples and shaking his head: ¡°Shut up! Shut up!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tae Kuo turned back to check on Mick - he was obviously hearing some presences that were not intelligible to even the Qi users right now.


    ¡°Some - some people are speaking right next to my ears.¡± Mick looked up at Tae Kuo, his eyes were bloodshot, and blood was dripping from his nostrils: ¡°I - I don¡¯t know - I just can¡¯t make it stop - ¡±


    ¡°Hold on - ¡± Tae Kuo raised his right hand, his eyes shifting between Keryn and Tae Kuo.


    ¡°He¡¯s already being affected by the labyrinth! Hehehehe - ¡± ¡°Keryn¡± laughed: ¡°Let go of me! And I¡¯ll show you a way outta here. Otherwise you can just die here, and get stuck here with me and so many more! Ahahahahaha - ¡±


    ¡°I see what this is now, I think - ¡± Tae Kuo sighed and grunted, before dipping his right index finger in the rice wine, then biting a small wound on his fingertip: ¡°Marcus, Gloria, hold her for a bit. Let me see what happens with this - Mick, were you injured by some kind of artifact before?¡±


    ¡°Yes - a bagua mirror.¡± Marcus answered.


    Mick groaned, and did not respond at all. Apparently, the audio assault on him from the voices was getting to him more and more.


    Tae Kuo hissed as he wrote on his left palm using his bleeding finger dipped in rice wine. Then he pulled out a talisman from his pocket, and a small folded red and yellow paper lantern. Gloria recognized it, for he used this one to help get her and her friends out of the city archive where they were ambushed.


    ¡°Kevin, lit up the candle inside.¡± Tae Kuo turned to Kevin: ¡°Then, when I say so, you turn the lantern sideways and face me with the tip of the candle, you got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± It took Kevin a few tries, but he eventually lit up the candle using a spare lighter.


    Tae Kuo put the talisman in his left palm, where a bloody, arcane word was written using his own blood. ¡°Mick, you better hear me, or you¡¯re gonna be in big trouble.¡± He said with a calm but stern voice.


    This time Mick seemed to have heard him, he looked up at Tae Kuo, eyes redder than before, still blocking his ears with his hands.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tae Kuo let out a sigh of relief, before slamming his left palm on the top of Mick¡¯s head. A glimmer of golden light flashed between the space of his palm and Mick¡¯s hair. And within the blink of an eye, three shadowy, crooked, gruesome and broken looking human-like shadows appeared standing behind him. All three shadows had one hand on Mick¡¯s body, one on his head, and two others on his shoulders.


    Tae Kuo mumbled a spell below his breath, then swung his right hand with his index and middle fingers extended at the red and yellow paper lantern: ¡°Foul and grudgeful spirits, seek your light and life elsewhere!¡±


    Kevin turned the lantern sideways, and pointed the small candle inside at Tae Kuo and Mick. Almost right at the same time, the three shadows were shrunken and sucked into the lantern.


    Kevin¡¯s arms shook, the lantern in his hands had suddenly grown in weight and the suction delivered a bit of impact to his body. Mick gasped and fell on his back.


    ¡°God! What - what happened?!¡± Mick took a few deep breaths before answering.

 Book 2 Chapter 260. Water in the Corner (Part 3.)

    Tae Kuo did not answer, he ran to Kevin¡¯s side to observe the candle inside the lantern. The candle flickered and popped a few times. Then all of a sudden, green and purple flames shot upward, almost scorching his and Kevin¡¯s eyebrows.


    ¡°You go help him, I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± Tae Kuo let out an exhale of relief and took the lantern from Kevin¡¯s trembling arms. It was heavy and hot, the ¡°weight¡± of the malevolent spirits, or at least their temporary projections onto the poor young officer.


    An injury from an artifact can sometimes render a person more susceptible to spiritual possessions and influence. Usually it was due to incorrect use of talismans, touching the sacred and blessed trees inside temples or being burned by larger incense burners. Bagua mirror was a very ¡°sharp¡± artifact that could in theory injure a person if not used carefully, but it was also widely distributed and cheaply manufactured, which meant there were not many authentic ones out there that could really work.


    ¡°Thunder, fire and the righteous Qi of the world. Purge the unclean and poisonous ill will that lingers.¡± Tae Kuo uttered a prayer as he ran his fingers along the upper rims of the lantern, then he turned to Keryn, who was staring at him with a surprised look on ¡°her¡± face.


    ¡°Furnace Lantern. ¡± ¡°Keryn¡¯s¡± voice was a bit more serious than before: ¡°Looks like I underestimated you - who made it? Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the family.¡± Tae Kuo narrowed his eyes at Keryn: ¡°Now I ask once again - who are you? And what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Tell me the truth on who made that lantern, then I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°Keryn¡± responded, leering at Tae Kuo and his lantern: ¡°Or else - ¡±


    ¡°Or else you¡¯re gonna stay inside her forever. Yeah.¡± Tae Kuo took a deep breath, as he reached his hand into the lantern to pick up some melted wax from the short but girthy candle. ¡°But - I think I already know who you are - or who you once were.¡±


    ¡°How?!¡± ¡°Keryn¡¯s¡± eyes opened wide: ¡°How could you know anything about this place here?!¡±


    ¡°Because I am not a half ass exorcist.¡± Tae Kuo stood up straight, his right index finger holding the little droplet of candle wax. He walked over to Keryn and dropped it on Keryn¡¯s forehead: ¡°It¡¯s very obvious, you are everyone who¡¯s been here, and you¡¯re also no one.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    This answer left everyone, including Marcus and Gloria, silent. Marcus and Gloria exchanged looks as they both strengthened their grip quietly. Kevin gasped, but then immediately started pulling Mick away.


    ¡°You are not ONE person, or ONE spirit.¡± Tae Kuo continued: ¡°You are a piece of memory, a nugget or stone formed by all those who could not make it out. You are not ¡®you¡¯. You don¡¯t even know what you are.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! You¡¯re fucking lying!¡± ¡°Keryn¡± screamed: ¡°I am here! I was here! I was alive and I was a person!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. Ghosts, even those who died in horrible labyrinths like this, don¡¯t tend to forget about who they are.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head and poured some rice wine on his still bleeding right index finger. He hissed once again, then proceeded to write on his left palm just like he did before exorcizing Mick: ¡°You want out. You don¡¯t know who you are. But you know enough about the outside world to know about Furnace Lanterns and to ask me who built this lantern. This points to only one thing - you, are not a single person. You are a piece of amalgamated memories.¡±


    ¡°Keryn¡± lowered her head slightly, as if she was really pondering Tae Kuo¡¯s words. But Tae Kuo did not give her too much time or any kind of window of opportunity, he poured some rice wine into his mouth, blew it onto Keryn¡¯s body and slammed his left palm on Keryn¡¯s forehead.


    Keryn¡¯s head and neck began shaking, with an almost inhuman frequency. A deafening high pitched scream exploded from her throat. Tae Kuo grimaced and stepped back for a moment, but it did not stop him from drawing a symbol in the air with his right index and middle fingers. With the silent chant of an arcane spell, Tae Kuo tapped Keryn¡¯s forehead with his two fingers, swung his hand around and pointed at the lantern on the ground.


    Gray mist and dust was knocked out of the backs of Keryn¡¯s shoulder and neck. Before long everything began taking shape. As Marcus fixed his eyes on it, it was a human-shaped blob of twisted faces, eyes, nostrils and mouths. All of these shadows of human features were held together by dark threads and the crooked teeth in those gray mouths biting into different spots.


    ¡°Continue holding her! Don¡¯t let go!¡± Tae Kuo dropped some rice wine onto his right hand, then splashed the wine on Keryn¡¯s body before mumbling another spell. As he swung his hand and pointed at the lantern once again, the shadows were sucked into the lantern just like those before. The candle cracked and popped, dark green flames flared and shot into the air, almost burning off the paper exterior.


    Keryn struggled for a brief moment before settling down. Her breathing soothed, but she was still not conscious.


    ¡°Calm her down. Keep holding her.. ¡± Tae Kuo took a few deep breaths before sitting down, looking at the lantern: ¡°And - we should get outta here soon. This lantern is very old and I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t last another try. We must get outta here.¡±


    ¡°How - do you know?¡± Kevin asked as he checked Keryn and Mick¡¯s pulses and breathing: ¡°I - I don¡¯t think we should go down the stairs again. Something¡¯s not right - every time we go down, something around us gets grimmer and darker.¡±


    ¡°Yes, everytime we go down, there¡¯s more voices, and they grow louder as well.¡± Mick¡¯s face was pale, there was barely any color on his lips.


    ¡°I think I know what to do - luckily I brought just about the right stuff for this - I was kinda thinking that they wouldn¡¯t be useful.¡± Tae Kuo sighed and reached into his backpack. After a few seconds he took out a small red cloth pouch, from which he pulled three dirty, dull nails - wooden nails.

 Book 2 Chapter 261. Water in the Corner (Part 4.)

    ¡°Coffin nails!¡± Kevin, Marcus and Gloria instantly recognized the nature of the three dirty wooden nails.


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Tae Kuo sighed and shook his head: ¡°And they¡¯re lifted from a - a pretty old grave, at least three decades old.¡±


    ¡°But I thought the city had banned them since - since at least fifty years ago.¡± Kevin asked, frowning: ¡°They¡¯re not from some ANCIENT conffin, right? They can be a bit - a bit dangerous to use - ¡±


    ¡°No - just regular coffins. I lifted them off an old coffin from somewhere not in the city.¡± Tae Kuo smiled: ¡°Relax, I checked the history before I did so. I used to go out there and do some - some side jobs to get my hands on some extra cash and things that are hard to find or not sold in the city.¡±


    ¡°So, how do you want to use it?¡± Marcus nodded.


    ¡°First, we need someone with Yang Qi, meaning it might have to be you.¡± Tae Kuo handed the red cloth pouch to Marcus: ¡°And - uh - I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gonna ask you this, but are you still a - a virgin?¡±


    Marcus was stunned by the question for a short moment. Then he realized what it actually meant, sighed and shook his head: ¡°Unfortunately no, Sifu.¡±


    ¡°Either of you?¡± Tae Kuo turned to Kevin and Mick.


    ¡°No.¡± Kevin shook his head, then raised a thumb up at Marcus: ¡°But Marcus, congrats, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not a good time.¡± Tae Kuo pushed Kevin¡¯s hand down: ¡°Then - Marcus, come with me - Gloria, can you keep an eye on everyone and the lantern? And if there¡¯s anything - no matter how small or insignificant, tell me. Also, tell me when Ker - Detective Lance wakes up. DO make sure it¡¯s her and not anyone else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it.¡± Gloria took a deep breath and pulled Keryn to Kevin and Mick¡¯s side.


    Tae Kuo led Marcus to the corner of the staircase, under the spot where water was dripping from the ceiling: ¡°Now Marcus, I¡¯m not sure how familiar you are with ghost¡¯s labyrinths. But here¡¯s the rule of thumb: when you are in one, the first thing or the most memorable location you notice is usually the anchor, or joint point, or eye, or whatever else you call it.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°It¡¯s the ¡®center¡¯ of the illusion, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct - it¡¯s the thing that draws your attention at first, then kinda like hypnotization, misleads you into forgetting the details of your surroundings. Which in turn will further fool and mislead you. And you will end up finding yourself going in rounds.¡± Tae Kuo nodded and scratched his jaw: ¡°And when you¡¯re anxious and confused, that¡¯s where the energy here clouds your judgment and memories. I know, kinda sounds like an excuse for not noticing and remembering it earlier - ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t - just tell me what to do.¡± Marcus interjected.


    ¡°Alright. Now first, infuse your Qi into the nail, and shoot it right at the spot where the water was dripping from.¡± Tae Kuo pointed at the corner ceiling: ¡°Be as precise as possible. ¡±


    ¡°And the Qi, does it need to have some kind of balance or ratio of Yin and Yang? Or one hundred percent Yang?¡± Marcus asked.


    Tae Kuo raised his brows at Marcus, impressed. He thought for a moment, then nodded: ¡°I suppose one hundred percent Yang would be ideal - if you can. But don¡¯t try to push too much, the nail is wooden, after all. Try to get as much in as possible without damaging it too much.¡±


    Marcus understood what the Sifu meant, so he was extra careful when pushing his Qi into the coffin nail he chose. The nail itself was somewhat rotten on the outside but still mostly firm on the inside. His Qi dried up the layers on the exterior, which cracked and flaked before they fell off. After around ten seconds, the nail itself was close to collapsing, so he just flung his hand and shot it at the corner ceiling.


    A droplet of water just formed when the nail broke it and embedded into the ceiling board. Ripples of thin but still visible black fog spread from the contact point.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tae Kuo took another deep breath: ¡°Then nail the spot where the water dropped down to - try to aim for the center - or if you can see where Yin energy was concentrated the most, nail it there.¡±


    Marcus took a deep breath before tuning his Qi concentrated around his eyes. The water stains on the floor was an irregular shape, just like most water stains. There was no obvious center, and a very faint spot of darker color revealed itself only after a few seconds of intense staring and studying.


    ¡°There!¡± Marcus wasted no time before launching another Qi infused nail at the floor. The wooden nail penetrated the concrete looking floor, leaving only a small butt above ground. A pleasant ring propagated through the entire space. And between the rears of both nails, an extremely thin, light refracting line of energy appeared and connected to both.


    ¡°Okay, good, good, good.¡± Tae Kuo let out a breath of relief: ¡°You see that line? Cut it with the last nail. Try not to miss.¡±


    ¡°What would happen?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Well, if you missed, then you need to try again with your hand or a weapon, but it might not be as effective - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah but what if I don¡¯t miss?¡±


    ¡°Good point - ¡± Tae Kuo turned and raised his voice at the others: ¡°Everyone be prepared for something sudden! Stay calm and don¡¯t move! Remember? Stay calm and don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The rest of the team responded.


    ¡°Okay? Three - two - ¡± Marcus aimed the nail like he was aiming a dart at a board on the wall: ¡°ONE!¡±


    The wooden nail cut through the thin transparent line. Another, louder and less pleasant ring burst. Everything in front of their eyes flashed and blurred. For a brief moment, it was as if they were tossed in the air, violently pulled down, then thrown into the air again.


    When their sense of position, balance and weight returned to normal, Marcus realized what Tae Kuo meant by ¡°stay calm and don¡¯t move¡± - he was standing just a few steps away from the edge of the bottomless hole at the center of the entire building.

 Book 2 Chapter 262. Armed Company (Pt. 1)

    Marcus turned back - the whole team was already on the other side of the door to the staircase. Judging by their respective locations from the hanging bridges above, it was safe to say they went down around two floors.


    ¡°Marcus, Sifu, come in.¡± Gloria held the door open after helping Kevin and Keryn get back into the staircase: ¡°We still have some way to go.¡±


    ¡°Alright, one sec.¡± Tae Kuo looked around for those coffin nails, but all he and Marcus could find was some splinters on the ground at the edge of the platform they were on - the nails had probably dropped to the deep hole in front of them already.


    ¡°Do you have more? Those are - more than useful for us.¡± Marcus asked as he held the door for Tae Kuo.


    ¡°I wish. I came back here in a hurry, I have a few more things but those are all the coffin nails I have. Fucking hell I never expected to have to use them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope whatever Master Liaoran is dealing with, is not giving him too much trouble. Because things here are really getting a bit above my pay grade.¡± Marcus sighed and followed.


    ¡°Young man, give yourself some credit.¡± Tae Kuo chuckled: ¡°Especially when you¡¯re dealing with the things we¡¯re dealing with right now. You know why curse words and expletives are said to possess the power to repel unclean spirits and evil? ¡±


    ¡°Because they carry with them the inherent intent and emotion of malice, anger and fearlessness?¡±


    ¡°See? You get it - and that¡¯s just words, empty words. You¡¯d think only old and ancient curse words would work. But no, apparently all kinds of curse words work. Even words that are invented in TV shows or movies, after a short while of circulation they began to show similar effects.¡± Tae Kuo sped up slightly with Marcus¡¯ help in order to catch up to the rest of the team: ¡°I guess - all I¡¯m trying to say is - your having more confidence and faith in yourself is in itself a kind of power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, Sifu.¡± Marcus chuckled: ¡°It¡¯s easier said than done though.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the truth of everything.¡± Tae Kuo chuckled.


    The team went down a level, they stopped before making a turn at the corner. No water dripping from the ceiling. The details of the environment were different, including scratch marks and dents on the walls, the worn patches on the floor, and tarnished paint on the handrails. They made it to the floor below.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Liaoran, Liaoran.¡± Just this moment, the handheld radio rang, and out came Liaowu¡¯s voice, distorted and cutting on and off: ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re heading downward per the master¡¯s instruction.¡± Marcus responded: ¡°Master Liaoran stayed behind to cover us. What happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got company, not a lot of them but they are all heavily armed.¡± Liaowu responded: ¡°I think ¡­ at least twenty ¡­ all in some kind of black tactical gear and they are entering the building and blocking all possible exits. ¡­ helicopters as well ¡­  they are going to go in through the top¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you? Are you safe? ¡± Marcus asked: ¡°Make sure to keep a safe distance from us - ¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, we¡¯re already at a safe distance. ¡± Liaowu responded: ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re out, we¡¯ll guide you to meet us.¡±


    ¡°Alright. And radio silence unless you absolutely have to reach us.¡± Marcus sighed.


    ¡°Be safe.¡± Liaowu cut off the comms.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kevin asked, looking back at Marcus and Tae Kuo.


    ¡°Armed forces are coming in. Not sure who.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°Let¡¯s get on with our path. The master should catch up to us soon.¡±


    ¡°I think we need to find a place to rest for a moment - let me go out the door on the next level and see if there¡¯s any corner we can hide in.¡± Gloria sighed as she pulled Keryn¡¯s arm to wrap around her shoulders: ¡°If anything finds us again, we¡¯d be in terrible danger.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Tae Kuo nodded.


    Marcus sighed, he was not fond of the idea. But they had no other option right now.


    They went down another level. And even though it was still cold and grim, there was slightly more space for them to stay and rest, and a metal lockbox on the wall as well as another door to what they could only assume would lead to some more platforms hanging above the central hole.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break here, and keep an eye on both the staircases.¡± Marcus found a spot near the wall facing the door: ¡°If you see anything, let me know.¡±


    ¡°What, you¡¯re going somewhere?¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°No - I just want to take a look at this.¡± Marcus pointed at the metal lockbox.


    Gloria nodded: ¡°Be careful, I¡¯ll ask you questions every few seconds and you¡¯ll answer me, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Smart. I¡¯ll try to not - well, you know - ¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°Hope this thing is safe.¡± He hesitated a short moment before knocking on it. It sounded hollow, but the box itself was thick and sturdy. He put his right hand on it to hold it in his palm, then squeezed. The box caved in a little, his fingers sunk around halfway into the metal, making five sizable dents on the metal exterior, but nothing greater.


    ¡°Marcus - what¡¯s your full name? How old are you? And are you married?¡±


    ¡°My full name is Marcus Cai. I¡¯m 31 - almost 32. I¡¯m not married. Never had.¡± Marcus pulled the box slightly - it was firmly bolted on the wall. He needed to use more force, so he put both hands on the box. He took another deep breath, then pulled with both hands.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The box flew off, revealing a small device inside.


    ¡°What is it? And what is your day job?¡± Gloria came over, but stayed one arm¡¯s length away.


    ¡°Looks like some kind of comms.¡± Marcus picked the device up, only to find it leaking thick black tar. He immediately threw it on the ground, then pushed his Qi to burn off the residual tar on his fingertips: ¡°And - uh, my day job is a detective from the PCPD, 17th Precinct. I arrested you earlier.¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Gloria was about to say something but suddenly raised her hand to shush everyone.


    Footsteps, coming from the space behind the door they were facing.

 Book 2 Chapter 263. Armed Company (Part 2.)

    ¡°Hide in the corner, we¡¯ll handle it.¡± Gloria whispered to the rest of the team, then turned and followed Marcus¡¯ lead to head to the both sides of the door.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Kevin hesitated on whether he should join the two, but decided to go hiding in the lower staircase corner with the rest of the group. It could be those armed men, and if that was the case he would only be a burden.


    ¡°Approaching black black box on level B-0, we¡¯re entering from the interior platforms.¡± A faint, muffled voice seeped through the wall and the cracks around the door frame.


    Gloria raised three fingers at Marcus, while mouthing the word ¡°three¡±. Marcus nodded back and lowered his body, ready to attack the moment whoever behind the door would come in.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The door was kicked open and two men in black rushed in with their guns pointing sideways to clear their flanks. But before they could swing full way and take aim at anything or anyone, Gloria and Marcus hand already grabbed their guns from the side.


    ¡°Crack!¡± ¡°Crack!¡± Gloria¡¯s elbow and Marcus¡¯ palm broke the two men¡¯s helmets and bashed them in the nose and chin. Both men grunted. Before they could fight back, they were pulled from their positions and slammed into the ground. The ground cracked beneath their bodies.


    ¡°Hostile - ¡± The final man in the middle tried to warn somebody on the radio, but his head endured two strikes from both left and right. His helmet crumbled, hardened fiber splinters burst in all directions. Blood shot from his nostrils and mouth. Even if he was to survive, it would take him forever to recover.


    ¡°Shit - they have comms!¡± Gloria whispered.


    All three men were knocked out by the attacks. Gloria and Marcus checked their helmets - all of the communication modules embedded inside the helmets were damaged by their attacks.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Each of the three men brought two guns with them - one rifle and one pistol, both seemed like some kind of standardized issue firearm but never seen by either Gloria or Marcus. There also appeared to be some kind of electronic component on the trigger as well as the handles. From the looks of the spare magazines, they were using non standard caliber bullets with dark red tips and cartridges with symbols engraved.


    ¡°Cinnabar tip, blessed cartridges, are these - are these anti-spirit bullets?¡± Gloria frowned: ¡°That - that¡¯s a first for me but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    ¡°These are sensors.¡± Marcus pointed at two strips of metal on one rifle¡¯s handle and trigger: ¡°I - I remember there was talk about some DNA-encoded weapons in development, but - maybe let¡¯s ask Mick.¡±


    In order to be safe, they dragged the rifles using straps the guns came with to the rest of the team. All three of these men brought the same kind of defensive artifact, like jade buddha amulets, small but comparatively more meticulous bagua mirrors, talismans and even leather armor with array or talisman-style writing engravings. None of them brought any identification with them, though.


    ¡°So - they probably are the armed men Liaowu warned us about?¡± Kevin nodded at Gloria and Marcus: ¡°They will notice they¡¯re missing sooner or later, we must hurry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positive that you are right, Marcus, unfortunately.¡± Mick shook his head and pushed the rifle and pistol back to Marcus: ¡°They look almost exactly like some of the DNA-encoded firearms I¡¯ve seen from demos. I wouldn¡¯t suggest we use this - they may come with some kind of self-destruct mechanism, which can be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°And the bullets don¡¯t fit, they¡¯re specialized calibers.¡± Kevin shook his head while raising a bullet: ¡°I don¡¯t think our guns could fire them.¡±


    ¡°Well - there¡¯s - there¡¯s one way to test if there IS a self destruct mechanism without putting ourselves in danger.¡± Marcus shrugged after a few seconds of thought, his eye drifting towards the men in black they knocked down.


    ¡°Marcus, no!¡± Gloria and Kevin raised their voices at the same time.


    On an upper platform near the giant hole, Master Liaoran picked up a few pieces of decayed and cracked wooden carvings on the ground. The integrity of these carvings was already heavily compromised, and they just simply crumbled and turned to ashes as they stayed in the master¡¯s hand for only a few moments.


    ¡°Mother and Daughter Butchers.¡± Master Liaoran mumbled, his eyes gradually turning sharp.First it was the incubation room of malicious spirits, now it¡¯s these carving spells. It was surely something he would need to handle himself, and not let Marcus and Gloria get too involved.


    Before he was ready to leave, a somewhat familiar gong sound came from behind him.


    ¡°Fresh meat. ¡± ¡°Fresh meat!¡± Two voices came along with the gong, one was hoarse and lower pitched, one was squeaky and higher pitched.


    Master Liaoran looked back. It was a floating spirit with two gruesome, bloody heads that were mirror images of each other, but with only one obese, rotten and grotesque shared body wrapped in a dirty white gown.


    ¡°Fresh meat! ¡± ¡°Good eats!¡± The two almost identical heads exclaimed at the same time, their crooked, bloodshot eyes fixed on Master Liaoran, their slender arms and fingers covered in pus oozing sores extended forward, aiming at the master¡¯s neck: ¡°FRESH MEAT!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 264. Old Enemy, New Face, New Projection

    ¡°The Twin Crooks¡±, this was the name for the creature with two heads, one shared body, freakishly slender arms and fingers, wearing a dirty, ragged white gown. A creature from urban legends and horror tales, and one whose name was mentioned less and less in the records as time went by. Like other creatures from urban legends, there were many stories about its origin. But most of them pointed to the same thing - that it used to be a conjoined twin coming from a poor family, and eventually it perished in the mother¡¯s care. There was not enough evidence to suggest where it was due to prolonged neglect or outright murder, but either would not change its fate - it became a malicious spirit full of fury, malice and bloodlust, always indiscriminately attacking anyone in its sight.


    In the air behind this terrifying creature, floated a short headless human-like creature in ragged clothes. This creature¡¯s neck and chest were split open by one single grievous wound, revealing its broken rib cage, its damaged and twisted internal organs and even its spine. This creature was holding a gong in its right hand, and a drumstick on its left hand. A ¡°Driver¡±, or ¡°Spirit¡¯s Guide¡±, a creature whose origin was still unknown even till this day.


    ¡°Gong!¡± The headless creature banged the gong, whispers and curses came right after. The Twin Crooks¡¯ eyes opened wide, their already red eyes became more bloodshot. Its ragged gown flapped as it shot through the space, lunging at Master Liaoran with its claws extending forward, ready to tear any flesh or bones apart.


    Master Liaoran did not hesitate at all before unleashing a single powerful palm strike. A golden palm mark made of pure Qi shot from his hand, swiftly expanding in size as it manifested. By the time it was about to collide with The Twin Crooks, it already grew to the size of a door. The sharp nails, slender fingers and the tree branch like arms were crushed, burned and turned into smithereens. Subsequently so was its white gown and its entire body. A small wood carving was blown backwards by the energy strike, yet left intact deliberately by the master.


    The creature with a gong tried to turn around and fly, but a stream of golden Qi shot it right in its back and incinerated it from inside. Another small piece of wood carving fell from the ashes and smoke, with a burn mark on one end.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Master Liaoran rushed over and picked up the two carvings. They were crude, simple yet much more effective than what he would have expected from this kind of craft. It must either be this environment, or that the maker was unusually powerful.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but you¡¯ve grown much more powerful than anyone could ever imagine.¡± Two voices said to Master Liaoran in unison from behind: ¡°Do you like how we¡¯re using your old craft? Did we make you proud?¡±


    Master Liaoran turned back, it was a pale young man, in a dark red suit with his hands behind him like a butler.


    ¡°Who are you? ¡± Master Liaoran narrowed his eyes: ¡°Emissaries from the council?¡±


    ¡°He used to be, yes.¡± The pale young man stared at Master Liaoran: ¡°But he, like many others, just did not have the right qualities. Unlike the others, though, he was blessed with a body and birth time perfect for our use.¡±


    ¡°So you are members of the council - two seats, aren¡¯t you?¡± Master Liaoran asked: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We could ask you the same thing.¡± The young man responded, twisting his neck left and right: ¡°After all these years of solitude and keeping your end of the deal, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°You have violated the deal and his wishes. Therefore there would be no legitimate bindings of any kind on this monk.¡± Master Liaoran responded: ¡°Reveal and stop with what you are doing here, seek penance, and there could just be a chance for you, and the city itself.¡±


    ¡°Who are you trying to trick here?¡± The young man smirked: ¡°We both - we all know that is not going to happen. You, of all people, should know how powerful and meaningful what we are doing here is. We are already in this form, because we have our plans outside of everything here. You, or the other seats, don¡¯t have a chance here. ¡±


    ¡°Then you should know that this monk, being here already. Will not stop.¡± Master Liaoran sighed and shook his head: ¡°You and the rest of the council be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Looks like there¡¯s no other way.¡± The young man snickered: ¡°Are you the one who sabotaged our sites these few weeks?¡±


    ¡°This monk is already your enemy, what difference does it make?¡± Master Liaoran chuckled: ¡°Supposedly, it would be in this monk¡¯s best interest to help and cultivate those who would be so brave as to stand up to you and those who are serving you.¡±


    Before the young man could respond, Master Liaoran¡¯s right hand glowed in gold before he thrust his arm forward at him with his hand in a hand seal. A golden manji shot from his palm and landed right on the young man¡¯s forehead.


    The young man gasped before his figure dissipated in the air. It was only a projection. Master Liaoran sighed before rushing at the direction Marcus, Gloria and the rest of the group went.

 Book 2 Chapter 265. Recuperation

    ¡°Oh god, this place is deep, how many more floors do we have to go? ¡± Kevin grunted as he took a look at what was behind the door on their side. It was still the giant hole, and from his position he could already see something glistening below, and he could see gray mass scattered around the distant depths.


    ¡°Come back. Don¡¯t risk anything.¡± Marcus sighed as he retreated his palms from Keryn¡¯s back. For the past three to five minutes, he had been gently pushing his Qi into her meridians to help her push the freezing and numbing negative energy out. They did it every two levels and after this round. Keryn coughed, heaved and vomited some more dark liquid.


    ¡°Thank you Marcus.¡± Keryn wiped the corners of her mouth, her face regained a little healthy pink, a good sign that she had recovered from the nasty possession she just suffered.


    Gloria came over and sensed Keryn¡¯s wrist pulses, her neck pulses and back, then she nodded at Marcus and Keryn: ¡°We¡¯re good now - the energy is almost all extinguished - one more time, then you¡¯d be fine.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about what happened - ¡± Keryn signed: ¡°I thought I¡¯d be more useful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it - no one is safe here. It¡¯s just bad luck.¡± Marcus shook his head.


    ¡°Can you tell us what happened? Do you remember anything from before your losing consciousness?¡± Gloria helped Keryn stand up.


    ¡°Well - let¡¯s see¡­¡± Keryn rubbed her temples, then shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t really remember when exactly, last thing I remember was us beating The Mother and Daughter butchers - I only had some very vague memories of us going down the stairs, but - ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s common in possession cases. She¡¯d need more time.¡± Tae Kuo said as he rubbed some ointment with a tingling smell on Mick¡¯s temples: ¡°Give her time - it¡¯s often very unpleasant, even traumatic to regain those memories, so pushing it won¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sifu.¡± Keryn sighed: ¡°And thank you again, Marcus, I¡¯ll try my best to remember - it¡¯s just - I¡¯m coming up really empty right now.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    They went down five floors after breaking out of the Ghost¡¯s Labyrinth already at this point, and they were still stuck in the staircase, with little to no indication whether there was an end to their path they were on yet.


    Just when they got ready to move on downward, footsteps came from the staircase above. Light ones, but enough to be noticed. Between each step there was a long pause, and the distance between each step appeared to be long as well - whoever it was, they were light on their feet.


    ¡°Marcus, are you there?¡± A simple question from a familiar voice - it was Master Liaoran.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Marcus was about to let out a breath of relief, but before he did that he turned back at everyone else.


    ¡°Yes - sounds like the master.¡± Kevin nodded.


    ¡°I heard it too.¡± Gloria raised a thumb up: ¡°But - confirm, will you?¡±


    Marcus nodded at everyone behind him, got ready in a fighting pose and turned to the flight of stairs leading up. The footsteps slowed. As everyone waited with bated breath and readied to fight or flight, the master¡¯s figure appeared on the stairs. His robe was slightly ragged, a few scratch marks here and there, and two burn marks.


    ¡°What did you say to me when we first met?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°That you are of talent and personal tragedy, but you shouldn¡¯t let your fury mislead you and send you down the abyss of self-destruction.¡± The master responded: ¡°And, what¡¯s more important, what you¡¯ve learned from different places and different masters did not match well with what you¡¯d want out of them. You needed proper practice and good ways to resolve your different styles and your conflicting ideas.¡±


    ¡°What was my primary style before I started practicing at your temple?¡± Marcus asked again.


    ¡°You practiced three separate styles, all from the streets. The most notable was a Qi cultivation style named ¡®Mantra of Green Bull'', and you were practicing a fighting style based on basic standardized fighting technique from the city, and a body tempering technique called the ¡®Eagle Claws¡¯.¡± Master Liaoran responded with a smile: ¡°Good times for this monk as well, detective.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Marcus let down his arms: ¡°Thank you, master. What happened?¡±


    ¡°It appeared that you defeated a creature conjured through wood carvings.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°This monk also encountered a few creatures of the same nature - after an encounter with an old friend from the old times.¡±


    ¡°There were more of those?¡± Gloria frowned.


    ¡°It is very likely there will be more - and more to come.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°It is the - the unintended and untamed work of this monk decades back coming right at us. And for that, this monk needs to apologize.¡±


    ¡°What - what do you mean?¡± Tae Kuo wiped his forehead: ¡°You - you were involved in the creation of the carving spell?¡±


    ¡°Some modifications that made it more usable and less costly, yes. While this monk was working for him, this was a - a project for this monk was tasked with. He deemed it useful when the arrays needed protection. ¡±


    ¡°And - was it used as a defense?¡± Gloria asked: ¡°If we go down, will it be integrated into the array?¡±


    ¡°This monk does not know.¡± Master Liaoran thought for a moment: ¡°The array never completed construction, and thus the defense spells that would have been located close to the centers and cores were never tried.¡±


    ¡°And if we encounter it, can you help us diffuse it?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°This monk will try.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 266. Close to the Bottom

    ¡°... to put it simply, the core of the carving spell is strong impressions or imagination, or a combination of both. This visualization of symbols, creatures and other constructs would serve as blueprints and frameworks for the conjuring.¡± Master Liaoran led the way down the stairs as he took the opportunity to explain the internal mechanisms of the carving spell, using language that was as simple and straightforward as possible: ¡°But like other spells and talismans, it needs an energy source. Unlike talismans, carvings are three-dimensional, and the energy could not come from the cinnabar ink and specialized paper itself like talismans.¡±


    ¡°So - the fuel for the carving spell would be Qi, or whatever spirit form of energy that fuels the malicious ghosts and monsters?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Yes - in a way. In the typical case of this monk¡¯s earlier experiments, strong, positive emotions like happiness, devotion, loyalty, bravery were quite useful as well. You might have heard of the stories about how certain accomplished monks, taoists, scholars or just brave warriors had their will and minds burned into their frequent places, their personal items or their sarira. But as all of you would know, negative emotions, under almost all circumstances, will outlast positive ones. They brew, they fester and they infect. And thus, it¡¯s almost destined to be weaponized to reawaken horrible creatures from the past and in legends at one¡¯s enemies.¡±


    ¡°But should that be the case, how could it be used as a defense array?¡± Keryn could not help but ask: ¡°Creating any sort of those creatures near the cores would destabilize the array itself, right?¡±


    ¡°Illusions?¡± Gloria asked after a brief moment of thought.


    ¡°Yes - but not entirely.¡± Master Liaoran snapped his fingers at Gloria, smiling: ¡°It¡¯s using the byproduct of the array - normally unusable energy that would make thoughts, especially subconscious ones, to manifest more easily. So - in a way it could create illusions and constructs out of the invaders¡¯ thoughts, fears and worries, and therefore stall and thwart them.¡±


    ¡°We encountered a ghost¡¯s labyrinth on our way down. Was it a possible effect of this kind of defense?¡± Keryn asked.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Possible - but this monk does not know of any real cases of it being used that way.¡± Master Liaoran sighed again: ¡°Like this giant array itself, its fate and use escaped their original plans and purposes.¡±


    ¡°Well - at least you¡¯re here.¡± Marcus let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°Who is that old friend you mentioned?¡± Gloria asked, having waited for an opportunity to throw this question out.


    ¡°They¡¯re - they¡¯re members of the ¡®council¡¯, at least that¡¯s when they were called.¡± Master Liaoran scratched his jaw, frowning: ¡°It was hard to tell if they were the same ones this monk had met before, or they were just bearers of the seats from their families. This monk had lost touch on how they would inherit their seats and their monikers. ¡±


    ¡°Chef Tang¡¯s documents! They also mentioned ¡®the council¡¯. I thought they were just some kind of middle or lower management.¡± Kevin raised his hand: ¡°They all said that something something is required by the council - but - I guess we finally know what that means now.¡±


    ¡°Would the chef happen to know what it means?¡± Gloria asked.


    ¡°He for certain did. But this monk can not presume what he will do with this information.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head with a smile: ¡°The chef is a wise one, with a strong code of his own and a - a unique sense of justice. But he is also a strategic one, for this he was able to deal intelligence and remain neutral even when the city¡¯s power is at its highest.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully he¡¯d - ¡± Marcus mumbled, then decided to not jinx his wish.


    ¡°We are close.¡± Just this moment, Master Liaoran looked around him: ¡°This monk senses the the central pillar. It¡¯s calling.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then we will be ready to fight.¡± Marcus nodded and turned to the rest of the team: ¡°How¡¯s everyone?¡±


    ¡°Better now.¡± Keryn took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. ¡± Mick raised his hand.


    ¡°Then we can proceed.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at everyone before continuing down the stairs. The staircases got longer each level they went down, and just like before, the air grew colder as well. The team swarmed around the master, for there appeared to be an aura of warmth radiating from him. Marcus and Gloria deliberately walked further, to allow the civilians to get more coverage.


    ¡°This is it.¡± After a long flight of stairs, they reached the bottom. There were two doors on both sides, one was leading to the direction of the giant hole in the middle of the building, and the other one was much thicker, heavier and made of solid metal.


    ¡°Are we at the bottom?¡± Keryn asked, coming slightly closer to the master.


    ¡°Not yet. There must be some more.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head as he opened the door leading to the hole.


    Indeed, they were much closer, but not at the bottom. As they walked on the platforms on the wall and over the space above the bottom, they could see what was below: a forest of dark spikes shooting up from the depths. Patches of gray were distributed among them - bodies of bare men and women laying belly up flat bug mangled, with their necks, chests, limbs and abdomens impaled.

 Book 2 Chapter 267. Unpersoned

    ¡°What are those?¡± Gloria focused her sight on one of the female bodies. The body basically had no hair, but still ¡°fresh¡± looking skin, if only overly pale and showed absolutely no signs of veins or wrinkles anywhere. They were breathing, their limbs were twitching, and their mouths were moving as if they were trying to speak.


    ¡°Boxes, empty vessels, containers. ¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice was solemn with palpable fury: ¡°It was but a theory worthy of nothing more than oblivion - an idea of the old days regarding the nature and exploitability of humans themselves as - as a kind of extractor and transformer for the kind of energy in Qiyun flow, making it usable for humans. But - as you could see - ¡±


    ¡°This method is utterly evil, and however one tries, however it¡¯s set up, the energy would still be tainted.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head at the sight below: ¡°Not to mention - this is - this is gonna cost a lot of actual humans, right? These are just bodies, and there¡¯s got to be something that infuses them with actual human spirits or souls, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly right, Sifu Kuo. Looks like you¡¯ve figured it out already.¡± Master Liaoran let out a long sigh as he led the team downward on yet another flight of stairs, only this time the stairs were on the interior of the hole, and with some rusty metal railings on the side. ¡°These poor people - in theory, they needed to be selected, based on their time of birth, places of birth and ¡®produced¡¯ at a certain age during certain time windows.¡±


    ¡°... Yin year, Yang month, Yin day, Yang hour, born in a natural White Tiger Fengshui Spot, ¡®produced¡¯ when one is at seventeen and a half years of age?¡± Tae Kuo asked after a short moment of silence: ¡°The ¡®heavenly perfected medium¡¯?¡±


    ¡°This is one of the effective ways, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°But there is no one so perfectly fitting. Not one that could make it to that age naturally, anyway. So there were a number of ways to adjust for the lackings. If you could believe it, this was a real course of research and study back then.¡±


    ¡°The study of pillars - the actual, ritualistic pillars of man.¡± Tae Kuo could not help but spit: ¡°Fuckers - those waste of air and space who studied it shall have no heir, no legacy and bear only the shame.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Before anyone could respond, a loud moan came from several bodies from below. They had already descended to a level that was quite low, and just a few stairs lower they could even reach their hand out below and touch the dark spikes. They fixed their eyes on the bodies that made the sound, just in time to see dense white fog rise from their mouths, eyes, nostrils and ears.


    ¡°This is not good. GO!¡± Master Liaoran sped up his steps.


    The fog coming from these bodies began taking shape almost immediately. First it was faces, each cloud of fog manifested one face, looking almost completely similar to the body that released it. Then came hands and arms, and then the chests and the rest of their upper bodies.


    But before these shadows of fog could completely take shape, their faces began grimacing as though they were in pain. Before long, their newly formed upper bodies contorted, twisted and mutated. More faces grew on their necks, pecs chests and backs, their fingers branched like trees, and their arms forked into bigger tree-like structures of flesh and bones.


    ¡°Flesh! New flesh! Take over for me! TAKE OVER FOR ME!¡± One of the white shadows screamed in dozens of voices in unison. Three more mutated white shadows lunged at the team, all screeching for fresh, living humans to take their places on the spikes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t attack! If you don¡¯t know how to tune your Qi, they could infect you.¡± Master Liaoran pointed forward and downward at a small arch while he concentrated his Qi on his palms: ¡°You go forward and find a place to hide, wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Master, be careful!¡± Marcus nodded at Master Liaoran before heading first in the direction Master Liaoran pointed to - there was a turn at the end of the stairs, past which they would enter the arch and go further down.


    Behind the arch was another flight of stairs with smooth solid metallic gray walls on both sides. The height between the stairs was uncomfortably higher than all the others before. They were a bit sticky as well, like newly laid tar.


    Behind them, Master Liaoran chanted an arcane sutra with a soft, gentle tone with his hands in a prayer pose. A golden aura radiated from his body, forming an impenetrable wall around him. The mutated white shadows tried to surround him, but the golden wall of light became harder to squeeze through the closer they got.


    At the same time, the calming, cleansing energy from the golden light suppressed the mutating influence raging from inside the shadows. The additional faces were silenced, then gradually merged back into their upper bodies made of white smoke.


    As Master Liaoran finished the last line of his sutra, then raised his hands above his head. A small metal bagua mirror rose from between his palms. The mirror rotated in the air, ripples of energy pulsed from the face of the mirror, creating a golden vortex.


    ¡°Light! It¡¯s light!¡± ¡°I need it! I need to go back!¡± ¡°Light! Light!¡± The white shadows made of fog cried and laughed at the same time as they flooded towards the vortex. In less than half a minute¡¯s time, these shadows dissipated without a trace.

 Book 2 Chapter 268. Council Meeting (Part 1.)

    The bodies calmed after the shadows released from them disappeared from the light. Master Liaoran knew that it would only work for a short while, and they would definitely come back to attack the team if they still lingered in this place. Depending on how long these bodies had been made into these soul containers, and the conditions of their ¡°maintenance¡±, it could take them a few hours to days.


    If he destroyed the spikes, it would free these bodies from the terrible torment. But without proper materials to build a neutralization or cleansing ritual or array, these bodies would only be wildcards to their quest here, if not outright obstacles and additional hindrances.


    The downward stairs behind the arch were designed with some deliberate, malicious intent - the stairs were further apart than normal, which would lead to anyone descending them taking their legs further apart. He knelt down to take a more careful look at the material that made the stairs - buried inside each step was black cement mixed with glass shards and lime nuggets - a set up to slowly drain Yang energy from people as they walked, the wider their steps, the more proficient the drain. This would be relatively ineffective out there, alas its effects would no doubt be amplified by the dark energy roaming in every corner of this place. He then counted the number of steps, it was in total 79 before he would hit a turn - an inauspicious number.


    Without further delay, he glided down the tunnel to search for the rest of the team. To his relief, exactly as he instructed, the entire team was waiting for him at a spacious turn in the tunnel.


    ¡°Wait - what¡¯s the name of your first official student who could stay in the temple!?¡± Marcus raised his hand at Master Liaoran.


    ¡°His name now is Wuzui, his original name was Bai Gu.¡± Master Liaoran stopped and nodded at Marcus with an approving smile, then he turned to Gloria, who was standing beside Marcus: ¡°What¡¯s your name? And what¡¯s your mentor¡¯s favorite choice of code words?¡±


    ¡°My name is Gloria Lee, my mentor¡¯s name is Luoshan Zi, her favorite choice of code word is holiday specials in her cafe.¡± Gloria responded.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Master Liaoran and the team nodded at each other: ¡°It¡¯s great that you are all safe. How are you feeling? Did you see anything? Feel anything?¡±


    ¡°This tunnel drains our energy as we go down, so we came slower and took frequent breaks. It does seem to help a bit.¡± Gloria sighed: ¡°But looks like there is still a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be too long. And also - when you go down, either jump across the stairs or hop with your legs closed.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°This is a - an old and dirty trick to weaken the opponents. ¡±


    The team went down three more flights of stairs before their path widened and ended with another arch. Out of the arch was an open area with tens if not hundreds of boulder-size gems and minerals laying about. The gems and minerals were glowing different colors, providing some dim lighting to their surrounding areas. The rest of the space was lit up by some flickering lights lined up like a circle around the wall.


    Master Liaoran fixed his eyes forward, and instantly saw the shadows of armed individuals in tactical suits moving at a distance. The gems and minerals were protected by reinforced glass cages, there were also metal rails and bars at the lower parts of the glass cages. Should they engage with these people, these gems would no doubt be useful as barricades.


    ¡°We have enemies in there, this monk will not be able to cover for you all the way.¡± Master Liaoran walked in front of the team, traces of golden glow crawled through all of his exposed skin, from his face to his fingertips.


    Marcus¡¯ mouth moved a little, but finally just let out a blessing and caution: ¡°Be careful, master.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± As Master Liaoran went through the arch and into the open space.


    Lights over their heads were turned on, for a moment none of the civilians were able to open their eyes, even Marcus, Gloria and Keryn had trouble seeing clearly. When they saw the armed men in black moving their way with guns pointing at them, they had but one choice - grab the civilians and hide behind the glass cages.


    Somewhat strangely, those men in black did not open fire at all. Instead, they moved to surround everyone, locking them in the lines of suppressive fire. These were the same kind of troop the team aside from Master Liaoran encountered earlier - same kind of rifles and same kind of tactical armors.


    ¡°Hang on! Let this monk buy you an opportunity and some time to escape!¡± Master Liaoran waved his palms and was ready to unleash a powerful strike.


    ¡°Or, maybe you would like to reconsider that.¡± The gunfire stopped. The same two voices in unison came from the middle position of those armed men in black. Their formation split from the middle, and the same figure in a full dark red suit came out: ¡°Master Liaoran, we meet again. Or should we call you, Luosha Yuwen, the first and last student of Master Jiewang, and the renowned Dark Blade Ranger?¡±


    The air froze for a brief moment, Marcus exchanged looks with Gloria and Keryn - none of them knew what these names meant. The only one with a hint of reaction was Tae Kuo, who, though still unable to open his eyes fully, appeared to be utterly shocked.

 Book 2 Chapter 269. Council Meeting (Part 2.)

    ¡°This monk is somewhat glad that these once blood and tear soaked names did not resonate as much as you intended.¡± Master Liaoran smiled and nodded: ¡°A good sign, don¡¯t you think? Much time has passed, generations born, grown and aged. It¡¯s long past the time when the notion that we should take debt on the children and children¡¯s children¡¯s futures be taken seriously. The council, this array, you, this monk - me. Into the history and shadows we shall all fade and the future for the future generations unlocked and unbounded.¡±


    ¡°You still do not understand.¡± The pale young man in a dark red suit shook his head, his voices were hoarse, and not as in sync with each other as before: ¡°This thing, this very endeavor of ours - it cannot be stopped. It cannot halt, it cannot even slow. It¡¯s a moving glacier, an incoming storm, an already surfaced earthquake. You cannot stop it. You cannot even think of stopping it.¡±


    ¡°Like what? Just like the old king of the desert, the perilous dragon Shyurak?¡± Master Liaoran chuckled.


    The mere mention of this name rocked the entire space. The other names, it was expected that almost no one would recognize. But the name Shyurak would not be strange to anyone - it was told and spread time and again among the streets, between children, teenagers and even the occasional adults. The catastrophic menace, the scorching storm, the volcanic horror, the devourer of villages and cities, the deadly earth dragon, Shyurak.


    ¡°You know?¡± The pale young man in a dark red suit narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Know what?¡± Master Liaoran chortled.


    ¡°You¡¯ve pretended for long enough. This wouldn¡¯t surprise me.¡± The pale young man shook his head and raised his right arm: ¡°It matters not, none of you will be able to leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think this monk is so old and out of contact with the rest of the world, as to not know what this room is for?¡± Master Liaoran raised both his arms, this move made all the men in black all pointed their guns at him.


    ¡°There is enough fuel in this room to completely disrupt the Qiyun flow of the entire city.¡± The pale young man narrowed his eyes: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°And the energy would completely destroy whatever spell you used in binding your tainted soul to that young body. All your planning and safety tricks, gone.¡± Master Liaoran smiled as both his palms glowed in golden: ¡°How are you feeling, anyway? It was only a barely noticeable strike, but looks like you¡¯re already suffering from it. Do you think the energy here would be stopped by your projection spell?¡±


    Before the pale young man in a dark red suit could respond, Master Liaoran¡¯s hands already turned to palms and unleashed two strikes at the armed formation on both flanks in front of him.


    Two golden palm shadows manifested from Master Liaoran¡¯s strikes, each swept through large sub groups of the men in black like two semi-transparent bulldozers. Right after this, his right foot stomped the ground, unleashing a golden shockwave around him.


    Several glass cages cracked from the aftershock of the palm strikes and the golden shockwave, revealing previously invisible arrays and symbols embedded in the glass walls.


    The men in black opened fire at the master. At least a dozen rifles roared at the same time, bullets hailed at the old monk, enough to turn any regular human into piles and piles of minced meat. But they did not even reach Master Liaoran, their travelling speed dropped off visibly as they approached the area around him, most of them even fell on the ground mid way. He resumed his attack on the armed men, charging at the pale young man in a dark red suit, while pointing and flicking his fingers at the enemies. At the same time, Marcus, Gloria and Keryn were only able to bring their civilian team mates with them as they tried to find shelter after hiding from the bullets, flying glass and rock splinters as they got torn down by gunfire.


    Condensed streams of Qi shot by Master Liaoran landed straight at the armed men on their chests, abdomens and shoulders, debilitating them without outright taking their lives. A few bullets fired at close range got to him, but they bounced off his glowing skin and barely left any marks.


    The pale young man opened his mouth wide and let out a screech. Black smoke poured from his mouth, with claws, hands and demonic faces manifesting from it. Just as the master got close, a headless demon with a gaping mouth on its chest lunged out of the smoke and swung two daggers made of jaw bones at his neck.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Master Liaoran unleashed one palm strike with his right hand, blasting the demon into ash and cinders. Then he landed a fist strike with his left hand on the pale young man¡¯s chest. Golden light exploded from the impact, a stream of smoke shot from the young man¡¯s back, while the young man¡¯s body exploded and splashed gray green slime and tar all over the place.


    Master Liaoran¡¯s expression changed as he sensed the incoming gray green slime. He leapt backwards as fast as he could. But still, the front of his robe was still tainted by the slime.


    ¡°The Utter Unclean¡± - this substance was once called. It could not be made, but could only come as a by-product of dark rituals. It could rarely be kept for long, and would take immense effort and material to contain. And unfortunately for him - it was one of the few things that he had no ample experience or knowledge to handle.


    ¡°Marcus, Gloria. Find your way below. There must be another level below us.¡± Master Liaoran roared, blasting away a group of armed men in black in front of him before darting to the back of a glass cage.

 Book 2 Chapter 270. Council Meeting (Part 3.)

    Marcus was holding Kevin and Mick down with Keryn behind the half shattered glass cage with a green rock inside while he heard the instruction of the master. He raised his head slightly to check on Gloria - she was holding Tae Kuo down behind a glass cage with a glowing silver rock inside. At this moment, a group of two armed men were heading their way with their weapons ready to fire.


    Without much time to think or aim, Marcus picked a piece of shattered glass from the ground and flung it at the two men in black. He was never a really good shot with throwing weapons, this time it was no different - the piece of glass shard missed the target. But luckily, it was close enough to force the two men to back off.


    Gloria noticed the especially forceful glass shard, as it shot through the air with high speed and left a small crater on the wall when it crashed. This allowed her to see the two enemies dangerously close to her. And with two swift swings, she sunk two glass shards near her into the chest and waist of the two men.


    Keryn roared, swing-kicking a man in black in his chest and sending him into a glass cage behind. Another man in black rushed over and tried to point his gun at her, she swung her left arm and flung a large glass shard his way. Before this man could open fire, he was struck in the chest and dropped on his back.


    Right when the fight started, it was as if everyone present had some kind of tacit agreement to not target or damage the rocks in glass cages. The men in black, even in their panic and frenzy, tried their best to avoid actually firing upon any of the rocks. But as the fight raged on, this caution was gradually left behind, causing more rocks stored in the room to crack, splinter and break.


    ¡°Master!¡± After caving in the chests of two men in black and cracking another¡¯s skull, Marcus noticed that the master was forced into a meditative pose behind a glass cage - a move only explainable by his being in trouble. And the dark smoke arising from his robe and the grim aura forming around him would explain why. Without much time to think, Marcus picked up a glass shard and a sharp splinter from an orange gem from the ground and launched them at the group of three men going at the master while firing suppressive shots around the ground and the glass cage.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The glass shard crushed the right shoulder of the man closest to Marcus, while the splinter slashed through the shoulder and chest armor of the other two like a tempered and hardened blade. Blood gushed and shot into the air, as the splinter barely slowed and shot right at a light blue rock at the far end of the room. The glass cage protecting the rock was decimated during the fight.


    Right after a light, even pleasant ¡°ding¡±, exploded a deafening ring. Almost everyone stopped what they were doing just to cover their ears. Nearly all of the remaining glass cages exploded from the noise.


    Rainbows, actual rainbows of different shapes - from dome shapes, to triangle, to round and even to multi-point star shapes began manifesting in the space, even though there were no water droplets in the air.


    ¡°Out! Out, out! Get outta here!¡± Marcus yelled as he rushed to cover Kevin and Mick from the flying glass and gem debris.


    An armed man in black screamed and fell against Kevin and Mick¡¯s backs. A sliver of broken gem was embedded in his throat. His face was flashing in silvery blue and green, the light was so bright and piercing even the thick face shield on his helmet could not hide it. At the same time, smoke was seeping through his neck wound and the cracks in the helmet.


    Marcus had no time to cover for this man, so he just caught this man in black using his right foot and kicked him across the room. Similar slivers and glass shards were coming his way as well, most of them blocked his Qi hardened defenses. Yet a few of them still left thin cuts and scratches on his body, with energy with different sensations lingering on his skin.


    There was no other obvious way out of the room, so every member of the team could only try their best to scooch towards the door through which they came in.


    ¡°The way is down!¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice rocked the entire open space, rings of golden light spread through the rest of the space. The next minute, the entire floor shook, a huge chunk of the floor caved in, crumbled and fell to the level below.


    The room below was empty, with only an array spanning across the entire round floor. The lines that made up the array were made with thick transparent tubes with glowing mini-tubes inside. Falling along with the master and a few unfortunate armed men were three giant gems with their glass cages.


    Before they fell, the light in the tubes was flowing like a well-paced and well-rehearsed light show. The gems, the glass cages, and the people disrupted the flow, causing the tubes to begin flashing much more rapidly like they were alarms.

 Book 2 Chapter 271. Council Meeting (Part 4.)

    ¡°Master!¡± The concerned call of Marcus came from above: ¡°Are you alright!?¡±


    ¡°Come down! It¡¯s here!¡± Master Liaoran urged - he was still fighting against the corruption of the unclean slime, which was costing him huge amounts of Qi with every breath. There was not much time for him, and therefore there was not much time for anyone else either.


    ¡°Just a second!¡± Marcus grabbed two handfuls of glass shards and broken pieces of the gems and stones from the ground and flung them at the closest group of men in black that did not yet fully lose the ability to fight.


    Qi infused debris broke their helmets and caved their body armors, bringing their wearers down on the ground as well as breaking some more glass and the surfaces of other gems behind. Gloria did something similar, also kicking two men who tried to ambush her using knives in their faces. She then launched another two kicks with similar force on their groins. The two men groaned and fell onto the ground, arching their backs like shrimps.


    Keryn grabbed Mick and Kevin, tucked them in her arms and jumped down from the giant hole created by the master.


    ¡°Catch me detective!¡± Tae Kuo crawled to the hole and threw himself down.


    Gloria looked around, then kicked the two men again on their necks to stun them before jumping through the hole.


    ¡°Everyone alright?¡± Marcus jumped through the hole after making sure that no one was left behind and no one would be able to shoot them from above.


    ¡°Some scratches her and there, but fine.¡± Kevin sighed as he clutched his left forearm with a piece of bloody rag.


    ¡°There is another level below, and that¡¯s where the specific core of this entire building would be.¡± Master Liaoran maintained a short distance from everyone: ¡°Please, stay away from this monk - they sprayed me with something utterly corrupting. So - mind your distance until this monk could fight it off.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°So - if those rocks above are the fuel, then this array here would be the - the extraction array?¡± Mick looked around, wiping off the blood from his shoulder and his forehead, frowning, light of different colors flashed through his face: ¡°Oh no - this can¡¯t be good - ¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± Before anyone could say anything else, a muffled but still powerful explosion came from somewhere above. Directly following it came the sounds of walls and floors crumbling. A gigantic sliver of heavy, spiky debris hit the already cracked ceiling at the far end from the group and brought a large chunk of the ceiling down with it. It was a thick boulder of solid stone with pikes on one side, and a living, twitching hairless pale body.


    ¡°Stay away from it!¡± Master Liaoran raised his voice: ¡°Stay away! If you have any artifact or talisman, be ready to use them!¡±


    The floor hit by the solid spiked rock cracked. The cracks spread, crawling toward the position of the group. Before long, the floor around the stone crumbled, and subsequently fell through below. Beams of silvery light blue light shot up from the hole.


    A heavy boom came up a few moments after the fall. Marcus scooted over to the side of the hole, trying to take a look down. But more of the floor around the hole fell, so he could only back off.


    Gloria tried as well, but the structure of the floor seemed to have become much more brittle after the heavy impact - they could even see the bricks and rebars turning into dust and go away with the airflow.


    ¡°The escaped energy is weakening the integrity of the building itself. The floor won¡¯t hold.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°Look around - this monk can¡¯t bring you down. There must be some kind of service ladder or stairs hidden in the wall. Try to find it - it must be a hidden compartment or some kind of latch.¡±


    Marcus and Gloria immediately began searching the walls around them. They could only hope that the master was right, and what they needed to find was indeed hidden in the walls near them and not on the other end.


    Kevin tried to knock on a few walls, but kept getting the same solid sound, so he turned to Mick: ¡°Do you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°No - no - I¡¯ll try!¡± Mick scratched his head as he tried his hardest to find a wall that would make an uncommon sound.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Keryn kicked a wall in front of her. Her leg went right through, revealing an empty compartment behind it. Tae Kuo and Gloria were the closest to her so they rushed over, just in time to see a number pad.


    ¡°Fucking hell. We need a code now?¡± Gloria cursed.


    ¡°No - this is a trap.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head: ¡°That kind of intricate electronics cannot work reliably in this environment. It must be something mechanical, not even analogue electronics can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Crack!¡± Keryn¡¯s fingers crushed the edges and the frame of the number pad before she pulled it out entirely. Behind the empty decoy metal box of the number pad, was a red metal latch. She wasted no time, not even taking a moment to breath or roll her eyes, she pulled the latch with all the might she could conjure.


    ¡°Clunk clunk clunk¡­.¡± The sounds of chains being pulled came from two walls on both sides of the latch. Shortly, the two walls themselves fell through giant, rectangular holes on the ground and directly into empty spaces below, revealing two flights of stairs downward. Through the rectangular holes, they saw what was below, a Y-shaped platform with a round center and three bridges hovering over another deep, bottomless hole. Each bridge connecting to the center were at almost perfect 60 degree angles with its neighbors.


    And at the very center, was a dark pillar connecting to the floor of array they were standing on before, to what looked like a hexagon crystal chamber at the base.

 Book 2 Chapter 272. Council Meeting (Part 5.)

    ¡°Go!¡± Master Liaoran urged and pointed to the staircase on the right: ¡°You go down this one, I¡¯ll go down the other.¡±


    ¡°Master, are you alright?¡± Marcus asked with a frown. He had never seen the master this way - he was pale, sweaty, and with gray, bruise-like marks scattered around his neck and his shoulders.


    ¡°Fighting the corruption is difficult. This monk can still manage.¡± Master Liaoran shook his head then forced a smile: ¡°Remember Marcus, when everything here is done, there is some more to be done.¡±


    ¡°I understand fully, master.¡± Marcus nodded. The scroll given to him before they embarked  on this quest, was kept securely in his inner jacket pocket and had always kept his focus on it.


    Master Liaoran took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment, the color of blood came back to his face, just a little. ¡°Go.¡± He uttered with a slightly hoarse voice: ¡°And be careful - they could still come after us, even as we went down there.¡±


    ¡°What do we need to do when we go down there?¡± Tae Kuo asked.


    ¡°The central pillar¡¯s base will be locked. And it could require the efforts of several in order to open. That, this monk could not do alone.¡±


    ¡°Go it.¡± Tae Kuo nodded at the master: ¡°Please take care as well, Master.¡±


    ¡°What is ¡®The Utter Unclean¡¯? ¡± Marcus asked Tae Kuo the moment they entered the dark staircase. There was only a little bit of lighting provided by some small lights embedded in the walls on both sides behind very thick and foggy glass, thus they all needed to be extra careful with each step.


    ¡°It¡¯s some kind of by-product of evil rituals. ¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°You know the kind of black tarry slime that oozes from the cracks and crannies of haunted places or even just deserted residential areas? It¡¯s a bit like that but intensified by more than a thousand-fold. It¡¯s - corrosive to an unimaginable degree. A droplet of it can turn a whole city block into haunted houses, killing everyone in a matter of days in the process.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°How could anyone use it?¡± Mick asked.


    ¡°No one could. It must be diluted before it could be contained and weaponized.¡± Tae Kuo frowned: ¡°But even so, it¡¯s hard to think someone could fight it just using their own strength¡­¡±


    ¡°Will he be okay after this?¡± Marcus interrupted Tae Kuo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, detective. Wish I knew.¡±


    The staircase was not long, only the narrowness and the poor lighting made their journey down trying and depressing. The moment they came out of the staircase and the wall in which it was embedded, they found themselves at the end of a bridge leading to the central pillar. The bridge was just wide enough for a small car to drive on, with waist-tall handrails on both sides and humble but somehow dirty looking gray tiles on the surface.


    Master Liaoran appeared on the bridge to their right, apparently the staircase he chose led him farther away from where the entrance was.


    Far ahead from Marcus and Gloria¡¯s position was the pillar with a hexagon base made of matte semi-transparent white crystal. The final and unoccupied bridge was connected to a closed red metal door on the other side.


    ¡°You go first, I¡¯ll stay at a safe distance.¡± Master Liaoran nodded at Marcus and Gloria from his position, as he sat down in a meditative pose: ¡°Tell me know what you see. If this monk gets too close, the uncleansed unclean could affect the arrays at the base.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marcus took a deep breath, concentrated his Qi and began walking forward. His eyes shifted regularly to the other bridge and the road beneath his feet. The giant hole made by the debris from higher levels was still dropping smaller pieces of stone and bricks, most of which just fell to the bottomless hole below, some of which fell onto the empty bridge.


    The group without Master Liaoran reached the base of the central pillar after less than five minutes. And immediately they saw what was inside of the base: a stone plate, the size of a car, and shaped like a sword.


    ¡°A sword plate.¡± Tae Kuo gasped as he went around the base, trying to find a spot where he could see through the foggy and matte crystal wall. He tried out several spots, then turned towards Master Liaoran: ¡°Master - there¡¯s a sword plate in here!¡±


    ¡°A sword plate?¡± Master Liaoran asked: ¡°Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°Yes! He¡¯s right!¡± Marcus answered for Tae Kuo as he circled the entire crystal chamber: ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no door from around - does it open from below?¡±


    ¡°Are there any symbols around the base? Or are there any symbols on the wall? ¡± Master Liaoran asked.


    The rest of the group immediately studied the entire crystal chamber, from almost every angle they could fix their eyes on.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing.¡± Gloria shook her head and said to the master: ¡°And the thing¡¯s completely sealed off from every corner. Where do you suggest we look?¡±


    ¡°No. This monk could understand what it was for now. It would seem it was designed in a way that those with physical bodies would not be able to enter.¡± Master Liaoran sighed: ¡°Which means, this would require one to be the same way in order to do what we need to do.¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡± Just this moment, two gray shadows appeared in the air above the crystal chamber.

 Book 2 Chapter 273. Council Meeting (Part 6.)

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Seeing that the group was about to unleash attacks on these two shadows, Master Liaoran raised his voice using his Qi: ¡°They are the shadows of the council - the very people who run the entire array. You can¡¯t harm them, not without interrupting the array and bring about unpredictable outcome.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do it. You can¡¯t - tou shouldn¡¯t.¡± A shadow that looked like an old woman, whose chest, neck and face were all heavily wounded by acid, said: ¡°You¡¯ll doom the entire city.¡±


    ¡°People will die. Countless people.¡± The other shadow, that looked like an old, boney old man with sores and gaping, rotten holes all over his body: ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing - this array is what keeps this entire city safe, safe from the damned spirits and apparitions born from the dragon¡¯s curse!¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± Marcus barked: ¡°You¡¯ll pay for all you¡¯ve done! All those children - how dare you pretend you even care about anyone but yourselves?!¡±


    ¡°And you sunk that cruise ship, killing hundreds of people, just so you can be in your positions of power.¡± Gloria spoke through her teeth: ¡°We are doing this. Come at me if you must! I¡¯ll rip and break all of your old crusty bones!¡±


    ¡°There is simply no way you can stop it.¡± Master Liaoran stood up: ¡°There are only four of you left. Even if you are at your most powerful, you will never be able to complete this cycle without the curse lashing back at you. Then, even granted that you get through it this time, you will not be able to pass the cycle of Earth. ¡±


    ¡°You have no idea of what the council is capable of, disgraced and traitorous monk!¡± The old man¡¯s shadow cursed: ¡°You broke your deal with us. You broke your word! And you fooled these poor souls into this quest of personal vendetta of yours. You¡¯ve failed everything you claimed you stand for!¡±


    ¡°This monk knows. And they know all they need to know.¡± Master Liaoran let out a whole-hearted laugh. A laugh of relief, a laugh of triumph. Before either of the shadows could react, both his hands lit up in golden and thrusted in the air in grabbing forms. Two golden shadows of his hands shot from his arms and landed right on both shadows¡¯ chests. Both shadows screeched in pain. They struggled, but the golden hands had locked into some crucial parts of their bodies which rendered their attempts futile and helpless. ¡°Go! Get to the tail end of the bridge!¡± The master raised his voice at the rest of the team.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Marcus and Gloria took one final look at the two shadows before leading the way towards the exit through which they came onto the bridge.


    ¡°Those - those people of the ¡®council¡¯...¡± Tae Kuo panted as he ran behind Kevin and Mick: ¡°They¡¯re - they¡¯re not dead, nor are they alive - ¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in between?¡± Kevin asked.


    ¡°No - not really, they¡¯re - NOT either.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°These people, what the fuck were they up to¡­¡±


    As the rest of the group retreated from the central crystal chamber, Master Liaoran shot at the position with his two hands still holding on to the two shadows. His entire body began to glow as he closed in. By the moment he reached the chamber, his entire body had turned into a human-shaped construct of golden energy. His robe turned to ash, scattering into the air through his entire path. In but a moment, he went through the crystal wall, dragging both the shadow council members along with him.


    ¡°No!¡± Marcus saw this and froze where he was, which led to Kevin and Mick bumping into him. He caught them in time so they did not fall off the bridge, and only after a short moment of hesitation he proceeded to run towards the way from which they came.


    ¡°Marcus, Gloria. Everyone.¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice permeated through the space before his glowing body would collide with the crystal chamber: ¡°Get ready to run. This entire place will become hostile and could even be leveled. The effects of the purple talisman should help you navigate through it. Find Liaowu after this and run as far as possible.¡±


    ¡°Master? Master!¡± Tae Kuo turned towards the crystal chamber: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Remember, there¡¯s more to be done after this.¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice echoed in the room: ¡°This monk - I, chose not to tell you this: in order to ¡®reboot¡¯ this entire array, I will need to mend this sword plate. It and I will have to become a new pillar for the array. And you - you will know what to do next.¡±


    ¡°Master! ¡± Marcus roared: ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Go! You have done enough!¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice formed a gentle shockwave, pushing the rest of the team gently at the door from which they came: ¡°I only have enough power to hold them for a moment. Leave, NOW!¡±


    ¡°You heard then master!¡± Keryn slapped Marcus, whose eyes were still fixed on the crystal chamber: ¡°Go! We must go!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± The entire crystal chamber burst into thousands upon thousands of transparent grains. At the center of the chamber was a stone sword with its tip pointing upwards at the sky. Unlike the sword plates they saw before, this one had some kind of thick, crooked black outer coating. The master, still in his golden energy form, had both his hands on the blade of the sword plate. With every pulse of energy coming from his chest, the energy from his body cracked the dark coating around the plate by just a little bit.


    ¡°Go! Get out of here!¡± Master Liaoran¡¯s voice was resounding but calm: ¡°You know what to do, and do everything you can to achieve them!¡±


    ¡°Boom!¡± Another explosion came from the master and the sword plate. The energy radiating from the old monk¡¯s body finally broke through the thick dark shell, and resonated with the energy of the plate itself.


    A beam of golden energy shot from the tip of the sword, straight up through the pillar above it. The ceiling and the levels above all began to crumble, yet no debris actually fell into the abyss below, for they just turned into dust and ash in the air.

 Book 2 Chapter 274. Council Meeting (Part 7.)

    ¡°No! No!¡± Two more shadows descended from above and shot at the position of the crystal chamber, both of whom had huge, uncured and still glowing holes on their bodies: ¡°You old fool! You cannot do this! You must stop!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late, for all of us.¡± Master Liaoran chuckled, before he took a final look at the rest of the team - Marcus stayed behind to make sure nothing and no one were to follow them, and to take one last look at the master himself; the rest of the team went up the stairs from which they came. If they hurried, they would be able to get to a safer level before everything would begin to fall into ruin. ¡°You had years, decades to stop and reverse what you¡¯ve been doing. Yet you chose the path of the dragon. You have failed before you even began.¡±


    Another golden shockwave exploded from between the master¡¯s palms and the sword plate. Both shadow figures screeched as the shockwave ignited their bodies and delivered heavy blows to the invisible chain between them and their shared physical body. The very inner fabrics of the shadow figures were burning, and the golden flames were spreading through the previously invisible chain, raging for their shared physical body hidden somewhere in the upper levels.


    The shockwave rocked the walls. Dust rose and turned into sparks and cinders. Following the chaotic wind raging through the entire space, the dust particles danced and waved through the air. In but a moment, the entire underground space was lit up like it was exposed under the midday sun, with firestorms twirling and crashing against each other.


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    It took a while, but the beam of energy shooting from the tip of the sword plate finally chewed and melted through all the concrete and rebar floors and the one pillar straight above. More than half a dozen blood rainbows above and around the top of the entire datacenter building were shattered and squashed by an invisible force field created by the energy beam. It proceeded to pierce into the thick clouds, burning a glowing hole in the sky with golden bolts of lightning shooting outward and spreading to almost the entire city.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gloria waved her hand and blocked some debris coming her way from the crumbling walls and ceilings: ¡°We must hurry! Go go go!¡±


    ¡°Marcus! Where are you!¡± Kevin put his arms above his head to block the dust and pebbles, looking left and right: ¡°Marcus! Answer me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m behind you! ¡± Marcus answered as he unleashed palm strikes in the air to blast falling debris and rocks away: ¡°Just go! ¡±


    The staircases were visibly getting lighter in color the further up they went and more time went by. Even glowing, lightning bolt shaped lines and marks began to appear along the walls and the floor. Light smoke arose from cracks and crevices around them. The dark tarry substance on the walls and the ceilings began to melt, drip and vaporize.


    They ran past at least a dozen staffers and security guards in the building, all of them were either burning or glowing from inside like human-shaped light bulbs.


    ¡°Light! It¡¯s light!¡± Faces, crying, laughing, grimacing and raging, manifested on almost all the surfaces of the building interior and furniture. These were spirits trapped in this building, or at least that was what Marcus and Gloria assumed they were. Right now, with whatever dark spells or energy keeping them dormant and suppressing them being peeled and burned away, they resurfaced and began searching for light and warmth.


    ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°Help me!¡± Some spirits manifested as gray, human-like shadows floating in the air. Some were full-bodied, while most were broken, torn and mangled. They undoubtedly found the vibrant life force from the group seductive, yet at the same time some invisible barrier and aura was keeping most of them at bay.

 Book 2 Chapter 275. Rainbows and Arches (Part 1)

    ¡°Don¡¯t look back! Just run!¡± Marcus roared: ¡°Whatever tools and items you¡¯ve got left, use them! Now or never!¡±


    It was a point understood by everyone. Gloria was in the front, throwing all her blades along with the pebbles and pieces of debris along with everything else she could find off the ground at the spirits blocking their way; Keryn remained in the middle, using what was left of her Qi to help the rest of the group to fend off the spirits that dare came close; Mick, Kevin and Tae Kuo, having noticed that having been blessed with the purple talisman created by Master Liaoran, even they could inflict small but non-negligible amount of damage to the weakened spirits, were sticking together and fighting back at the spirits tooth and nail; Marcus dashed left and right, front and back, keeping the path clear for everyone as well as eliminating any serious threats that might arise.


    They fought their way to the middle section of the interior staircase facing the ¡°forest¡± of dark spikes with pale empty human bodies impaled on them. The spirits followed and swarmed around the group. The bodies were screaming and crying. The entire floor covered in dark spikes was cracked into several major sections and was missing one major chunk - the chunk that fell through the ceiling below and crashed into the energy collecting array.


    ¡°Fuck off! Fuck off!¡± Gloria screamed, unleashing a light purple blue claw mark at a group of spirits in front of her, cutting through their bodies and turning them into ashes and cinders.


    The stairs beneath their feet all began to glow at once. Golden bare footprints appeared on the stairs before them. At the same time, the spirits scattered, having been scorched by the light. This cleared the path forward for the team. The footprints proceeded up the stairs, as if an invisible person was leading the way. The team immediately followed. Out of respect and caution, none of them would go over the positions of the footsteps and the space where they were about to appear.


    The golden footprints led them all the way through the dangling platforms, eventually into the interior staircase through which they came. None of the spirits dared follow them further, and were just screeching at the doorway behind them. All of the team were exhausted, yet they could not stop to take a breather or two, for the footprints did not stop. The space had much better lighting than when they went down. The walls became whiter, the floor became cleaner, and the dark spots scattered everywhere either shrank in size or straight out disappeared.


    The footprints went three levels up, then turned and headed toward a wall on the right side of the door facing the giant hole. A door-shaped section of the wall glowed, and the paint on the surface started crumbling. Gloria unleashed a kick at that part of the wall without hesitation. After a loud clunk, a thick door with a thin layer of metal on the outside was knocked onto the ground, revealing a narrow tunnel behind it. It had a bare and slightly steep upward slope, but judging from the straightness of the path and the wooden beams on the walls and ceiling, this seemed to be the safest path.


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    ¡°Come on! Come on!¡± Marcus tried his best to encourage all the civilians to speed up from behind, hovering his hands on the backs of Mick and Tae Kuo in attempts to help them recover their stamina faster. Keryn was helping Kevin, while Gloria remained at the forefront of the group, keeping her eyes sharp to watch out for anything unexpected.


    ¡°Are you sure we want to follow it? ¡± Tae Kuo took a few deep breaths and swallowed: ¡°I mean - I want to get outta here as fast as we can as well. But I¡¯m a bit - not - certain - ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Right now this might just be the only chance we have.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°Mick, are you hearing anything?¡±


    ¡°No - no - should I?¡± Mick¡¯s face was covered in sweat, his eyes were bloodshot and his lips were quivering: ¡°I - I can definitely try to listen if you¡¯d - ¡±


    ¡°No, just relax. If you hear anything just let me know.¡± Marcus sighed internally: ¡°Don¡¯t stress it, okay? Your - your ability is valuable, but it comes with too much cost. Be careful and take long, deep breaths, don¡¯t push it.¡±


    Mick rubbed his temples and nose bridge, before nodding at Marcus: ¡°Thank you, Marcus, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But this is enough.¡± Kevin nodded at Keryn: ¡°I - I want to keep watch along with you, and save your Qi, we¡¯ll probably need it when we get outta here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, are you sure?¡± Keryn let out a long exhale: ¡°You were panting like a - like you¡¯re out of breath earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m fine. Thanks again.¡± Kevin scratched his head: ¡°Keep your strength, we¡¯re gonna need it.¡±


    ¡°I still have some rice wine left, and the lantern.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°Then I¡¯m all out - dammit, I should have brought more stuff. But - I¡¯ve already taken everything I have out of the city and - it¡¯s a bitch to bring them back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Gloria chuckled: ¡°I still appreciate your coming. And - I don¡¯t have anything either - all the talismans I¡¯ve used up already. I¡¯m surprised we even lasted this long.¡±


    ¡°Just a few more steps.¡± Marcus said: ¡°Just a few more steps, then we¡¯re at the ground level, and we can leave this wretched building.¡±


    As if sensing their weariness and out of genuine consideration, the golden footprints slowed in pace. The rest of the group were finally able to take a few breathers. For a brief moment, Marcus almost saw the faint shadow of the old master in front of them.


    The walls in the tunnel grew to a much brighter state than when they first came in as they were about to exit. It was not obvious whether it was from the walls or the light coming from upper levels of the building.


    ¡°What the - ¡± Gloria raised her hand and stopped the team from moving forward when she was two or three steps out of the tunnel.


    Marcus went up to take a look, and was flabbergasted as well.


    Gray, semi transparent spirits were floating around in almost every corner of the empty hall on the other side, aimlessly and silently. Each of them had marks indicating past injuries or causes of death on them, yet none was gnarly or gruesome, for the presentation was softened by the smoke and cloud-like texture of their bodies.

 Book 2 Chapter 276. Rainbows and Arches (Part 2)

    Having observed everything for a brief moment, Gloria finally let out the breath she was holding and nodded at Marcus: ¡°Looks like we¡¯re safe for now. But we should still be very careful and not do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Marcus nodded, then gestured to the rest of the group to come forward: ¡°Shh - be careful, watch your steps!¡±


    The rest of the team came into the open space on the other side of the tunnel. It was a crescent-shaped hall, the tallest part of which was around three storeys high. On the far side of the hall was a three-storey high wall entirely made of slightly stained glass, through which they could see the dim, flickering street lights and parking lots outside. They had already reached the ground level, which meant they were almost out of the entire building. Should they proceed forward, they would very likely end up in the back of the datacenter building.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Kevin gasped as he saw the floating gray spirits.


    ¡°Memories, spirits, long forgotten soul fragments.¡± Tae Kuo narrowed his eyes: ¡°At least - that¡¯s what I¡¯m assuming - I¡¯ve seen things like this a few times in my career. But never this many. But I guess it¡¯s expected from this place.¡±


    ¡°Are they dangerous?¡± Keryn asked, ready to shield the civilians should anything out of the ordinary happen.


    ¡°No - unless under very specific circumstances.¡± Tae Kuo shook his head: ¡°Still - we should watch our steps. Usually when they appear, it means something ¡®stimulating¡¯ is near - and by that I mean things that can stir up the occurrence of the paranormal. But - ¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Gloria could not help but begin to worry.


    ¡°Nothing much, just - I wouldn¡¯t expect this kind of ¡®weak¡¯ spirits to actually appear here.¡± Tae Kuo frowned as he followed Marcus and Gloria¡¯s lead: ¡°They are mostly threats to only the extremely mentally weak, unhealthy or those who are on the verge of death. Even a normal ghost could easily devour them. Why would they appear now all of a sudden ¡­¡±


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    Before any of them could say or ask anything, a light orange arch appeared in the air, close to the sloped ceiling. Mick almost let out a scream before he covered his own mouth. Marcus, Gloria and Keryn immediately looked around, before locking their eyes on the orange arch.


    It was orange instead of red, and had a visible fire symbol at the top. But unmistakably, it had the exact same shape as a Blood Rainbow.


    ¡°Get ready to run. If there¡¯s even a sight of the unclean, run!¡± Marcus growled these words.


    The team hastened their steps while still trying their best to be as light on their feet as possible. Marcus and Gloria kept their eyes on the arch, even though they were close to having expended all of their Qi, they still needed to be ready to fight.


    Gray fog appeared and began to grow dense on the outside. More fights could be waiting for the team outside.


    The spirits in the hall continued floating aimlessly around for only a brief moment, before their attention was turned to the orange arch. The gentle light radiating from the arch lit up their simple faces with either only one emotion or no emotion at all. All smiling and eyes narrowed, they formed several lines and began going into the arch.


    Before the eyes of everyone in the group, spirit after spirit went into the gate and turned into smoke and ashes in mere moments.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Marcus and Kevin gasped lightly at the same time.


    ¡°That¡¯s - that¡¯s a good sign, right?¡± Mick asked, scratching his jaws and his face.


    ¡°A really good sign, for them at least.¡± Tae Kuo let out a sigh of relief: ¡°Whatever that arch is, if it could relieve these torn, zombie-like spirits of their suffering, who can say it¡¯s not? ¡±


    ¡°But - this is still unnatural right? ¡± Mick took a few deep breaths before catching up to Marcus, eager to just rush to the glass door and run out. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how people generally - go? That¡¯s what I was thinking - ¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s just - it¡¯s like pollution handling.¡± Tae Kuo shrugged: ¡°Something must have gone wrong for them to appear in the first place.¡±


    ¡°No matter. We should head out.¡± Keryn shook her head and urged: ¡°Everyone? Move! Move!¡±


    ¡°What the - ¡± Marcus almost cursed as he pushed open the glass door.


    The fog on the outside of the building - it was not entirely fog, but also the same kind of spirits that were roaming around inside the hall. And above them in the sky, two more orange arches manifested, and began taking the spirits in.


    ¡°The reset - I think it¡¯s successful. I think - ¡± Marcus stammered.


    Streams of black smoke broke through the concrete parking lot floor and shot up into the sky, inside of which were faces, limbs and bodies. All of the figures were formed by the same kind of dark smoke.

 Book 2 Chapter 277. Jumping Ship (Part 1)

    Bushes, trees of almost the same heights here and there. Poisonous plants scattered all over the place. This was what the environment would look like for someone unfamiliar with the place. But to Alex Pearson, this was only a good sign for him.


    Around two hours ago, a small, blood stained copper bell he had been keeping with him rang. So he sent his encrypted message out to his clients, before grabbing his jacket, his keys, his talismans and heading out of his hiding place, for the last time.


    Not completely surprisingly, not all of them came to him on time. In fact, only two came. Out of courtesy, he waited five more minutes at their rendezvous point. Still, not even one more his clients came.


    Eve Kim, Tanya Su, two clients in whom he had no high hopes of making it back to him, were the ones that he would be responsible for from then on.


    He handed two small copper bells tied onto red ribbons to the girls, along with two wooden plaques with symbols engraved on them that would normally be written on talismans: ¡°Here¡¯s the deal: you are to keep silent at all times unless you see something out of the ordinary; you must follow my every command. If you have any questions, ring this bell, and only speak if I ring my bell back at you. Got it!?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± The two young women nodded at him, both of whom had cut their long hair and rubbed dirt and ashes from the bottoms of woks on their faces per his command. Tanya Su wanted to ask something, but was stopped by Eve Kim. ¡°Thank you.¡± She practically whispered this sentence.


    ¡°Good. Be smart.¡± Alex Pearson nodded at the two young women before sliding open the door to his modified truck: ¡°Go in, sit on the mats on the ground. The seats are not for you, got it? And when I tell you to lie down. You lie down!¡±


    The two young women went into the bus just like he said. They sat on two mats in the middle of the walkway -  the walkway was made to sink lower on the floor than regular buses. There were dirty drapes on the window, and the seats were old and dirty too.


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    ¡°Sit back.¡± He pushed Eve Kim¡¯s feet back so that no parts of her body would extend beyond the stairs between the door of the bus and the walkway: ¡°You see that pierce of carpet before you? If someone wants to come onboard and check the bus, lie down and I¡¯ll pull it over you. Then we¡¯ll hope for the best.¡±


    The entire bus ride to their midway destination was much smoother than Alex imagined previously. It was probably due to the ruckus happening all over the city - from the radio chatter he intercepted, the city police began looking for those unfortunate detectives as well.


    They ditched the bus when they reached a hilly area at the edge of the city. When they went further there would be patrols and riding a bus would be exponentially more difficult to pass the border. When they were out of the city¡¯s limits, they would need to meet with their handler on the other side in order to get to the next destination.


    ¡°Ring.¡± One of the young women rang the bell.


    Alex looked around, then rang back.


    ¡°Can I - can I go to the bathroom?¡± It was Tanya Su, the timid one.


    ¡°Go ahead. Don¡¯t go too far. And don¡¯t touch any of the plants, most of them are poisonous and I am in no mood to drag you the rest of the way.¡± Alex Pearson turned and averted his eyes: ¡°Be quick.¡±


    Tanya looked around and gave up the thought of finding a bush to hide behind. Eve Kim volunteered to stand between her and Alex Pearson.


    Just when Alex scanned the area for any signs of patrol, his heart skipped a beat, chills ran down his spine and every hair on his body stood up. He grabbed the jade buddha amulet on his neck and recited a short buddhist verse, but it did not help the sudden unease. He turned, ignoring Eve Kim¡¯s staring daggers at him and looking towards the north.


    A faint trace of smoke arose from that direction. Could it be the old house? It could. For what he knew it was made into a ¡°site¡±, a place to relay Qiyun and to deposit corrupt energy. And sites fell, more than usual in the past few weeks.


    Eve Kim¡¯s mouth moved, she was about to say something but was hesitant due to the rules laid down earlier, by the only man who could bring them out of the city. Alex Pearson huffed: ¡°We should go. Things are about to get hairy. So stay close.¡±


    They hastened their steps, caution had become less of a priority now. They lowered their bodies and rushed through the space between the bushes, trees and uneven parts of the land.


    ¡°Crack!¡± A loud thunder came from behind them, making everyone flinch at the same time. Alex Pearson looked back, and saw only the sky getting gray. The moon was bright and its light was still piercing through the clouds, though to a less and less extent.


    They pressed on. The path before them grew steeper and steeper, which was a sign that they were getting close to the edge of the city. The land in this area used to be more clear of vegetation and uneven rocks, which would make it easier for the patrol team to see those who wanted to sneak out of the city without going through the official routes. But over the years the maintenance was not able catch up and the tough working conditions of the patrol teams led to what everything around looked like today.


    ¡°Ring¡± ¡°Ring¡± Both young women rang their bells.


    Without needing to answer, Alex Pearson already knew what it was - the sudden pungent smell carried over by the wind.

 Book 2 Chapter 278. Jumping Ship (Part 2)

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Tanya Sue asked after receiving the okay from Alex Pearson.


    ¡°Stay back. Lay low.¡± Alex Pearson raised his left hand as he crouched towards the direction from which the smell came: ¡°It¡¯s probably a dead animal, but I¡¯ve gotta be sure. If anything is wrong, run.¡±


    The two young women lowered their bodies and watched Alex Pearson crawl uphill with bated breaths. Up ahead scattered many bushes and small, slender trees, none of which looked friendly or safe under the dim moonlight. They paid a price to be here - a hefty one for their financial situation, but still not that high a number they were expecting, which meant he could have some ulterior motive and thus they had very little trust in him. Right now, the only thing they could do was focus on the figure of the man - so he would not be out of their sight for even one moment.


    The smell grew more intense as Alex Pearson climbed, and even slightly burning to his nostrils and eyes. At first he was worried that it would be a human dead body, but now it was more likely to be that of a skunk. In just a few steps, he would reach the top of the small hill in front of him, and he still did not have eyes on the source of the smell.


    After a short moment of hesitation, he poked his head over the hilltop, just in time to see a ball of black and white fur curled up by a rock. A skunk, it would appear.


    Just to be safe, he waved at the two young women, signalling them to stay put, while he looked around for signs of the patrol team before going downhill.


    It was indeed the body of a skunk, dead from unknown reasons. No other bodies were around, and no signs of danger or concern. He went back to the hilltop, and signaled the young women to come over.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a skunk.¡± He explained to the two young women with a lowered voice: ¡°Cover your nose and be careful. The smell¡¯s pretty bad.¡±


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    The two young women followed Alex Pearson¡¯s lead with hands over their faces and tears in their eyes. It took a while before they were able to escape the pungence.


    The path downhill was only slightly easier than the way up. The slope was not steep, but the terrain was rough. More potentially poisonous plants and bushes were on their path, and they had to zig zag their way to avoid them.


    ¡°Stay close.¡± Alex Pearson whispered as he lowered his speed. The night was getting darker, as more clouds gathered in the sky, obscuring the moon more and more.


    Another wave of horrible smell hit them before they reached flat land. Only this time, the source of it was somewhat easy to see - a rotten carcass of a wolf, or a coyote, covered in maggots.


    ¡°Ring¡± ¡°Ring¡± The two young women rang their bells.


    Alex Pearson groaned, he checked around before ringing his bell, asking with a suppressed voice: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hearing voices.¡± Eve Kim held her friend close, while looking around.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Tanya Sue¡¯s voice was high pitched and a little too loud, she realized this and covered her mouth.


    The hairs on Alex Pearson¡¯s back stood up again, the wetness on his back came back on his mind. He walked closer to the two young women and tried his best to whisper his question: ¡°What¡¯d you hear?¡±


    ¡°Crying - at least three voices, all crying.¡± Tanya Su frowned and shook her head.


    ¡°For me it¡¯s - grunts, heavy breathing, and - and - uh - what¡¯s that noise - ¡± Eve Kim scratched her face and then her forehead: ¡° - basically - the kind of noise when there¡¯s - uh - there¡¯s phlegm in your nose and throat - ¡±


    Alex Pearson thought for a brief moment before pulling out a small piece of teardrop-shaped semi-transparent glass and putting it over his left eye and ordering Tanya Su: ¡°Okay, look up, at my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± Eve Kim raised her hand.


    ¡°... fine.¡± Alex Pearson groaned and turned to Eve Kim: ¡°Focus on my eyes.¡±


    The young woman¡¯s pupils were slightly dilated. And upon close inspection, there was a light orange aura hidden inside of each of her eyes. In the sight behind the piece of semi-transparent glass, the auras scattered, into pieces of arch-shaped rainbows with incomplete spectrums of colors.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Alex Pearson couldn¡¯t help but curse.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You had a bagua mirror in your place, right?¡± Alex Pearson sighed.


    ¡°Yeah - and?¡± Eve Kim¡¯s frown grew deeper.


    ¡°Either you put it in an incorrect position, or you¡¯ve got a well crafted but unfinished one.¡± Alex Pearson turned around and gestured both young women to keep up with him: ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out when we¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Than - thanks.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 279. Jumping Ship (Part 3)

    ¡°Come on. We¡¯re almost there.¡± After speed walking through the border and towards the outer regions of the city, Alex Pearson urged the two young women, panting and breathing heavily himself.


    ¡°Are we - are we out of the range of the city now?¡± Eve Kim asked from behind, without ringing her bell.


    ¡°Almost. ¡± Alex Pearson nodded: ¡°Also, shut it. Ring before you speak next time!¡±


    ¡°Okay - sor - ¡± Eve Kim tried to apologize, but decided to swallow her words as she would be speaking without ringing again.


    Barely half a minute later, chills spread through the entire bodies of the three. Alex Pearson waved the group to stop, looking around, then up. A Blood Rainbow appeared in the air behind them. It was not a big one, but a clear cut blood rainbow nonetheless.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!¡± Alarms blared inside Eve Kim¡¯s stomach. Fear, dread and regret filled her mind.


    ¡°Come behind me!¡± Alex Pearson took off his jacket and inverted it. On the back of the jacket, was a complex circle drawn with red ink on a piece of light yellow cloth. He raised the jacket above, shielding everyone with his jacket: ¡°Now! Kneel down! Close your eyes and cover your ears! No matter what you hear, what you feel, don¡¯t open your eyes until I tell you to! Do it NOW!¡±


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su knelt by Alex Pearson¡¯s legs and closed their eyes. Screams, curses and moans exploded all around them. Howling and freezing wind raged. They could not help but hold onto each other. Eve Kim also took a moment to grab and wrap her left arm around Alex Pearson¡¯s leg - it was the only way she could know where she was.


    Alex Pearson had never been a fan of this kind of physical contact, even when those who held his legs were begging for mercy or showing disobedience - how could he go anywhere or hide when threats arose when his legs were bound by others? But at this very moment, it seemed to be helping instead of hindering his measures of protecting himself and his clients - upon the collision between the terrible, bone-chilling energy from the Blood Rainbow and the almost equally chilling but slightly different energy mist released from the array on the back of his jacket, his senses were getting numb and his head was getting heavy, the tight clutch around his legs and ankles was one of the few things that reminded him that he had to hold on.


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    The array was one of his oldest and best constructs - the mist released from it would lower the signal of ¡°liveness¡± of all those caught in it. Smoke bomb or camouflage against evil spirits, one could even call it. The side effect of it was obvious - while it would mask the traces and signs of living humans and hide them from spirits, it would also slightly paralyze and even poison them. Therefore, it was a tool only to buy time.


    Severed heads, ripped upper bodies, torn lower bodies, corroded boney whole bodies, and almost a dozen other versions of broken human figures made of mist, fog and smoke walked past the fog. They swarmed towards the center of the city, as if they were on a march. None of them noticed the three humans inside the fog.


    Tanya Su¡¯s lips were cold and gray, her eyes were closed and her breathing was getting softer by the seconds. Eve Kim was not much better, as she could barely keep her eyes open. Quite a few times spirits who were crawling or dragging their heads on the ground came dangerously close to her, which forced her to remain awake. If Alex Pearson, their smuggler, could not handle things, she would still need to take Tanya Su and run as fast as possible.


    Utterly fortunately for them, the Blood Rainbow dissipated after only around half a minute. The spirits continued to march towards the city, but their figures gradually became gradually more transparent after the Blood Rainbow disappeared. Alex Pearson almost completely lost the feeling of his arms and fingers by then, and had to bite the tip of his tongue so that he could clear his mind enough to cut short the effect of the array.


    ¡°Hey, wake up! Wake up!¡± A red candle was lit up and placed on the ground close to Tanya Su and Eve Kim¡¯s faces, the special warmth radiating from it pushed away and purged the numbness and chilliness left in them.


    Eve Kim gasped as she came back to her senses - she was not asleep, for she had a pretty clear recollection of what happened. It was just that her mind drifted away enough that she felt as if she dreamed all of it.


    Tanya Su coughed and wretched profusely for almost 1 full minute when she woke up. Alex Pearson stood by looking around, not offering any help or words of consolation.


    ¡°We should go. Quick!¡± Alex Pearson commanded after waiting for a short moment for the two young women to catch their breath again: ¡°If everything is going as I expect in the city, there will be a lot of similar things popping up really soon. And I don¡¯t think any of you will be able to handle another.¡±


    Eve Kim leered at Alex Pearson before pulling her roommate up: ¡°Okay, just - lead the way.¡±


    Alex Pearson sighed lightly before continuing forward. The marching spirits left tarry handprints, footprints and irregular long drag marks on the ground. The cold spots remained even after they¡¯d gone.


    As they went further downhill, their path grew more flat and the positions of poisonous bushes and trees became more sparse. The air warmed up as they went as well.


    Two headlights from a vehicle appeared at the foot of a small hill beside a dirt road. A small van. ¡°Sheng¡¯s Live Pigs¡±, so it was written on the sliding door.

 Book 2 Chapter 280. Severed Chains (Part 1.)

    A well-built, rugged middle aged man stood by the driver side door of the van. His brown leather jacket was worn, as were his dark brown pants and black shoes. He pointed a short double barrel shotgun at the three of them the moment he saw them coming. Alex Pearson raised his arms, as did the two young women.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything.¡± Alex Pearson whispered to the young women behind him, then walked forward: ¡°We¡¯re here for pig delivery!¡±


    The rugged middle aged man frowned, then uttered: ¡°The holy tower contains the beasts from the river!¡±


    ¡°The heavenly general suppresses the earth tiger!¡± Alex Pearson responded.


    ¡°How many pigs did you request?¡±


    ¡°Seven, eight including me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the feed of today?¡±


    ¡°Mugwort and potato leaves.¡±


    The rugged middle aged man¡¯s eyes scanned through the bodies of all three of his potential passengers, then pulled open the side door of the van: ¡°Alright, jump in. There was a fucking Blood Rainbow earlier from your direction. We better hurry.¡±


    The inside of the van smelled of sweat, fart, vomit and stale soup. But probably thanks to the sense-numbing fog they had to endure earlier, none of the passengers was terribly disturbed. They sat in the back of the van. A thick metal plate with only a small window sat between the driver¡¯s seat and the passengers¡¯ seats.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± The rugged middle aged man asked, his voice was slightly muffled by the metal plate.


    ¡°Sheng¡¯s Butcher Shop, Shavings Department.¡± Alex Pearson answered.


    The driver groaned: ¡°You haven¡¯t handled it yourselves?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s why we paid extra.¡± Alex Pearson frowned.


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    ¡°Prices have gone up, you know that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°A few of our people got injured. One died.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to hear that. But we have an arrangement with the Big Sister. The others wouldn¡¯t be coming, no refunds needed.¡±


    The driver grunted again, then stopped talking. Eve Kim looked out the side window, then the back window. They were driving away from Poison City, yes, but not directly away. The dirt road was leading them on a path that went along the border while gradually pulling further from it. Concerned, she rang her bell.


    ¡°No need for that here now.¡± Alex Pearson coughed: ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°To finalize our departure.¡±


    The entire ride took around forty minutes. They drove past a small valley, through a small wilted grassy area and by a lake, before finally arriving. ¡°Sheng¡¯s Butcher Shop¡± was obviously not an actual butcher shop. Instead, it was a humble looking temple with stone and concrete walls, with guards patrolling the surrounding areas. Two armed guards in light yellow tactical uniforms and had strips of brown cloth wrapped around their heads were standing by the front gate, who upon seeing the van both signaled them to stop.


    ¡°What pigs?¡± One guard came by the driver''s side window and asked.


    ¡°Poison City raised, one boar, two sows.¡± The driver responded: ¡°Need to go to the Shaving¡¯s Department.¡±


    The names made Eve Kim and Tanya Su squirm. Tanya Su held onto her roommate¡¯s arms closer, who grabbed her hand and comforted her with a low voice.


    ¡°Brands and tickets?¡± The guard asked.


    ¡°Here.¡± Alex Pearson pulled out the paperwork he hid in his pocket, also stuck a few paper bills inside and pushed it through the small window on the metal plate. The driver handed the paperwork to the guard.


    ¡°Alright. Go in and park on the right.¡± The guard took a quick look and handed the paperwork back, with the paper bills still in place.


    Alex Pearson shook his head, took the paper bills from the paperwork, added two more bills to the pile. As he and the two young women got out of the van, he handed it to the driver: ¡°For your troubles.¡±


    The driver licked his lips, hesitated for a minute before taking the bill with the second smallest number: ¡°I just need a smoke. Been working for three days straight without much sleep. And - I¡¯ve got debt to pay, not the money kind.¡±


    Alex Pearson nodded and gestured the young women to follow him.


    The entire temple looked much more fortified than any temple they would see in Poison City. If Eve Kim or Tanya Su were to call it, it looked more like a small bastion or fortress than a simple temple. There were watch posts in several corners, armed guards patrolling on the walls, and the walls themselves were thick and reinforced with steel.


    The ¡°Shavings Department¡± was a small sanctum below ground. On its ceiling stood nine wooden poles. Eight thinner, shorter ones of roughly a grown man¡¯s height were evenly distributed into a circle, while one thicker, taller one stood at the center. Thick white ropes with talismans on them connected each of the outer poles to the one in the center. Between the outer poles were metal chains with bells on them.


    A long table sat at the center of the sanctum, in the middle of which was a small stone altar with two bronze incense burners on both sides. Two peachwood swords were placed at both ends of the table.


    ¡°You¡¯re here for shaving?¡± Two men were sitting in a corner in the sanctum, one older, roughly thirty to forty years of age, while one was barely in his twenties. Both of them were in taoist robes.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Alex Pearson handed his paperwork to the older man.


    ¡°... have you showered or bathed?¡± The older man handed the paperwork back after a careful look.


    ¡°No, sir.¡± Alex Pearson shook his head.


    ¡°Go take a bath.¡± The older man gestured to the younger, who pulled out three wooden coins and handed to three of them: ¡°We don¡¯t have a line, so take your time and - try to relax. It helps.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 281. Severed Chains (Part 2.)

    The bath water was freshly made - or so they were told. Eve Kim and Tanya Su were somewhat uncomfortable with the unclear and slightly foggy look at first, then the smell won them over - it was a medicinal smell, with a touch of ginger, sage and rice wine. The same kind of smell they remembered from some of those exorcists¡¯ places they visited.


    They still had their underwear on when they soaked into the giant brick tub. The slightly tingling warm water actually had a soothing effect, on both their bodies and their minds. The sensation on their fingertips and toes came back. Then they could feel the sore on their backs and their necks again. As they sank lower into the warm brew, they could feel their tightly wound minds getting loose and the tension lifted.


    ¡°So - what¡¯s with the - the ¡®shavings¡¯?¡± Tanya Su couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m - I¡¯m not sure.¡± Eve Kim shook her head: ¡°I just know that - normally if someone sneaks out, they need to do some kind of ritual to cut off their connection to the city. Maybe - I think maybe this is it.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d they call us ¡®pigs¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Probably taken from what the smugglers used to call the smuggled.¡± Eve Kim sighed and sat at the bottom of the tub, leaving only her head above water: ¡°I heard that smugglers used to mostly bring people into the city instead of out - and they all started doing some menial job at the Northern District. Can you imagine that?¡±


    ¡°No, how long ago was that?¡± Tanya Su giggled.


    ¡°Maybe - two or three decades ago.¡± Eve Kim sighed and looked up at the ceiling. The drawings of four gods, or maybe the four heavenly warlords occupied the center. ¡°I just kinda remember hearing about it ever since the cruise ship accident, less and less people are coming into the city. Less tourists and less movers.¡±


    ¡°Is that why they started charging the tax for those that move out?¡± Tanya Su asked.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Eve Kim shrugged: ¡°With shit roads like that, they¡¯ve gotta get the money somehow.¡±


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    In the next room, Alex Pearson was having a similarly relaxing time in the bath. He was not comfortable with the idea of taking a bath in a place at first either, until he saw the workers of this temple actually pouring freshly boiled water in. He even examined the leaves and tree barks with which they made the bath water to make sure these were the right ingredients. They were, and he was finally relieved enough to believe that this place was not a place of malice and danger.


    The two young women took only about two or three minutes longer than it did Alex Pearson. Per the request of those who worked in the temple, all three of them changed into simple loose but slightly rough clothes. They were assured that their personal belongings would be safe.


    The old man in a taoist robe appeared to be the one who would perform the ¡°shaving¡± ritual. ¡°Sit.¡± He said to them while pointing at three mats on the ground in front of the long desk: ¡°Who will go first?¡±


    ¡°They will.¡± Alex Pearson pointed at the young women: ¡°They¡¯re young. They weren¡¯t heavily involved. They¡¯re roommates - friends, their lives are intertwined, so they should go together.¡± Then he turned to them, primarily focusing his eyes on Eve Kim: ¡°Trust me - or don¡¯t, but you¡¯d want to go first while the performer of the ritual is fresh.¡±


    ¡°What is this ¡®shaving¡¯ ritual about?¡± Tanya Su asked, her lips quivering.


    ¡°It¡¯s better you don¡¯t know, actually.¡± The younger man in a taoist robe interjected: ¡°The more you know, the harder it is. But it will be good for you, and you will officially leave - ¡±


    ¡°Essentially it¡¯s a cleanse.¡± The older man in a taoist robe lit up the incense sticks in the burners and poured some rice wine into a bowl-sized round groove on the altar. ¡°And my apprentice is right, the more you know the more difficult it is to do this ritual, especially when you¡¯re going at it together.¡±


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su looked at each other, still hesitating.


    ¡°Look, if we want to harm you, we would not be this careful or tell you to take baths.¡± The younger man said.


    ¡°... fine.¡± Eve Kim sighed and let out a deep, long breath: ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Great. Relax and sit straight. Stay calm and don¡¯t move.¡± The older man nodded.


    ¡°Okay, sir. ¡± The younger man gestured at Alex Pearson to stand up and go to the corner of the room: ¡°Can you wait by the side?¡±


    Alex Pearson did as asked. The younger man in a taoist robe gave the two young women two wooden coins and two copper coins, telling them to hold the wooden coins in their left hand and copper coins in their right.


    The older man raised his peachwood sword with two talismans impaled on its blade, swung it across the air above the heads of Eve Kim and Tanya Su, then chanted a spell. Fire emerged from the two talismans. The older man turned back, dipped his left hand middle and index fingers in the altar¡¯s round groove and then slid both fingers along the blade of his wooden sword. The younger man pointed his peach wood sword at the sky along with his master, then both swung their swords across the air above the young women¡¯s heads.


    Both men in taoist robes chanted together: ¡°The just and loving heavens, the righteous and stern hells. The fruit is ripened; the bird is grown; the rain is gone; the fawn is ready to live. New start, new end, new life and new death. Be at peace and burden no more. Be gone. Let go.¡±


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The sound of a metal object being slashed to two pieces resounded in Eve Kim and Tanya Su¡¯s ears.

 Book 2 Chapter 282. Severed Chains (Part 3.)

    The younger man in a taoist robe picked up the two mats used by the two younger women and threw them out of the sanctum. Then he came back and announced to Alex Pearson: ¡°Your turn, sir.¡±


    Alex Pearson took a deep breath and walked over: ¡°Can I have three incense sticks?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The older man in a taoist robe frowned: ¡°It¡¯s a bit late, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°No, you misunderstood.¡± Alex Pearson shook his head then tilted his head at the two young women: ¡°I want to collect the last bit of good karma I have - however much that is.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The older man sighed, then took out a small pack from under the table and picked three for Alex Pearson.


    Alex Pearson lit up the three incense sticks, then held them with both hands, stood straight and bowed to the two young women before handing them back to the older man.


    ¡°You know you stink, right?¡± The older man asked as he raised his peachwood sword.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee you¡¯ll survive this, unlike them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alex Pearson took another deep breath: ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision, and I¡¯ll accept the consequences.¡±


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su exchanged looks. Neither of them knew exactly what they were referring to but they both had the same rough idea. This smuggler that transported them out of the city definitely was no stand up citizen. The only things good about him were that his charge was reasonable and he had not done anything bad to them, not yet at least.


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    ¡°The just and loving heavens, the righteous and stern hells. The fruit is ripened; the bird is grown; the rain is gone; the fawn is ready to live. New start, new end, new life and new death. Be at peace and burden no more. Be gone. Let go.¡± It was the same chant, yet when it was applied to himself, the words became heavier and lower in tone to Alex Pearson.


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su sat by the foot of the wall, watching the ritual and wiping the sweat off their faces and shoulders. Their legs were still sore and the muscles on their extremities were still powerless as if they were drugged. Smoke rose from the head, shoulders and the back of the man who brought them here. It looked just like a normal ritual at first, until Tanya Su noticed the abnormal movement of the smoke - when coming from the man¡¯s lower back, the smoke appeared to move around something - an invisible pole-like object, coming out of his back and going upwards at the sky.


    ¡°The warlords in heaven. Bless this blade.¡± The older mon raised his peach wood sword higher as he chanted a new verse: ¡°Tai Shang Lao Jun, Daode Tianzun, we as your student ask for your assistance in this ritual. ¡±


    Both men in taoist robes raised their non-sword-wielding hands and threw a handful of brown dust at the space above the man. Not a grain of the dust fell below the man¡¯s shoulders. Instead, all the grains were pulled to the same invisible pole-like object protruding from Alex Pearson¡¯s back, rendering it visible and its shape more apparent.


    It was a chain, coming directly from the middle section of his back and going upward. Neither Eve Kim nor Tanya Su could tell where it led or to what it was connected.


    The younger man in a taoist robe gasped lightly, while the older one sighed.


    ¡°This is not Poison City anymore. All the old, all that unwilling to let go, all that held on for too long and with too much obsession and grudge - ye shall BREAK!¡± The older man roared and leapt forward. His peach wood sword glowed in a bright orange light, leaving a trail of glowing arc as he swung it at the chain.


    ¡°Clunk!¡± The same kind of metal cutting sound exploded, only less deafening to both Eve Kim and Tanya Su. Alex Pearson, on the other hand, grimaced and hissed while covering his ears with his hands.


    The chain was cut and burst into a puff of light green flames. It burned for less than a second before turning completely into smoke and ashes. The man sitting on a mat lost almost all of his strength and fell backwards. His head would have hit the ground if not for the younger man in a taoist robe.


    The older man¡¯s peach wood sword smoked and burned, before crumbling into several charred pieces.


    ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re okay. You¡¯re fine. You¡¯ll be alright.¡± The younger man in a taoist robe pulled Alex Pearson to the foot of the wall near the door: ¡°Deep breaths, deep breaths. And wipe your nose - you¡¯re bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Thank you - ¡± Alex Pearson gasped for air and brushed his nose with his right forearm, smearing blood all over his sleeve: ¡°How long will this last?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to walk in about an hour. But you still need to rest and avoid anything unclean for around a month.¡± The older man answered: ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to get you and bring you some congee and hot water. Remember to eat some fruit and drink more hot water when you find a place to stay. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Alex Pearson took a quick peek at the two young women, then nodded.

 Book 2 Chapter 283. No Turning Back

    With the ¡°Shaving¡± ritual done, the temple personnel were kind enough to bring back all of their important personal belongings and offer them some congee, some tea and a few pieces of bread to fill their stomach. ¡°You can¡¯t stay overnight. So I suggest you head on to the next station before noon. Things will get busy soon and - considering your situation you¡¯d want to find a safe place to rest first.¡± This was what the old man in a taoist robe told them.


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su finished their food and tea early, but they waited by the table as their smuggler tried to finish his. Alex Pearson slurped his congee and tea slowly and only one small mouthful at a time, almost as if he was doing so deliberately.


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su exchanged looks a few times - they were not told what would happen next. Eve had even checked with a few bus drivers in the temple - they could catch a ride somewhere else, the price was reasonable, just that they would need to wait till the buses were filled.


    ¡°I was born and raised in the Northern District.¡± Alex Pearson played with his spoon in the congee bowl: ¡°My family was - rich, and had high status, influential; powerful, this would be a better way to call it. ¡±


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su were rendered speechless for a moment. They expected orders or commands, but not this.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just fate that I was never meant to go through life as my older siblings. They - uh, they went to good schools, they were on track to run successful businesses or maybe compete for seats in the City Council.¡± Alex Pearson continued: ¡°That was until one day, my parents came home from some kind of meeting late at night, scared shitless and tried to gather all of us and go on a run. We did, but while we stopped at one of our safe houses to get more fuel and food, these people who - who were after us intercepted us. My parents hid me in a china box, told me to get out of the city as soon as possible and to never look for them. Then they were taken away.


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    ¡°I ran after that, and tried to get out of the city like my parents told me to. But I couldn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t know how. I couldn¡¯t show my face in either the Northern or the South-Western Districts, so I hid in the South-Eastern District. Begging in the streets, taking on random chores to not starve. This limp I got? Some street thugs broke my leg and I was not sent to the hospital in time.


    ¡°Then these two detectives found me. They found me and my parent¡¯s book. It was their share of some dark, forbidden secret grimoire. I always kinda knew they were involved in something unclean, but - ¡± Tears dropped from his face into the bowl: ¡°But I just wasn¡¯t told what it was, because I was too young. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m  - I¡¯m sorry.¡± Tanya Su¡¯s voice was weak, but still comforting.


    ¡°Then through other channels I knew what happened to my parents.¡± Alex Pearson took a deep breath: ¡°It was not pretty. Then - I knew I had to hide, so I stole the book from the detectives and ran. I don¡¯t know why I did it, maybe it¡¯s the last thing my parents left for me? I don¡¯t¡­ So while I had it, I managed to make a copy of it to keep for myself before leaving it in the safe house for the detectives to find. ¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the book about?¡± Eve Kim could not help but ask.


    ¡°Spells, rituals, and mechanisms of some related things. Dark knowledge, all of it.¡± Alex Pearson glanced at Eve Kim, then shook his head: ¡°I copied it, but it only allowed me to keep some of the information. I learned just enough to know what kind of situation I was in, how to do - certain things, to keep myself safe. But I never knew enough to do what I needed. ¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®it allowed you to¡¯?¡± Eve Kim and Tanya Su asked at the same time.


    ¡°The book is possessed by a powerful, malicious will beyond human comprehension.¡± Alex Pearson shook his head: ¡°That¡¯s why I gave up fighting - and decided to run. This whole thing of taking your asses out of the city, was just I needed the tokens - the good karma to help me sever my chains.¡±


    Eve Kim and Tanya Su looked at each other, then both deep a deep breath of relief.


    ¡°I guess what I¡¯m telling you is - ¡± Alex Pearson wiped his eyes and stood up: ¡°Our deal will conclude soon. Let¡¯s just head to the next stop, then that will be where we split. You remember what they told you - rest, sleep, find a new life, and - ¡± He sighed: ¡° - and change your names, never look back.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you will do?¡± Eve Kim asked.


    ¡°Yes, just slightly more complicated.¡± Alex Pearson nodded and answered without even a hint of doubt.


    ¡°What will happen to the city?¡± Tanya Su asked, her eyes flickered. She was concerned, for the city and the people still stuck there.


    ¡°Forget Poison City.¡± Alex reiterated: ¡°You have new lives now.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 284. Forward and Backward

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The voice of a gentle, middle-aged man interrupted Alex Pearson and his two clients, he sat down by the table, next to Alex Pearson: ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but overhear - you¡¯re from Poison City?¡±


    ¡°Who wants to know?¡± Alex Pearson narrowed his eyes and clutched tighter to his bowl. He did not have his weapons drawn, but if the situation called for it he would smash this bowl on the head of this strange man in no time.


    ¡°My name is Deng, Guangyuan Deng, if you¡¯re so inclined you can call me Senior Deng.¡± The middle aged man smiled, harmless and curious as he appeared: ¡°And - you don¡¯t need to tell me your name, it¡¯s right to be cautious, especially if you¡¯re from there. I just have some questions about Poison City. If you can help me with them, I¡¯ll happily pay for your answers, starting with paying for your travel fare. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll tell you!¡± Eve Kim interrupted: ¡°And you¡¯ll pay us, right?¡±


    ¡°As long as your information is worth the price, yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, what do you want to know?¡±


    Alex Pearson sighed, he was cautious, for per his experience, people asking for information tend to be more trouble than their payment was worth. But right now the girls offered, he had no reason to interrupt the deal.


    ¡°What happened in Poison City? Something¡¯s changed, and not small changes, but pretty drastic.¡± The middle aged man asked.


    ¡°Uh - ¡± This stumped both Eve Kim and Tanya Su. They knew something was wrong and something big happened, they had absolutely no idea what it was though.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, just tell me what you¡¯ve seen and heard.¡± The middle aged man sighed.


    Eve Kim hesitated for a moment before she opened up: ¡°Blood Rainbows are appearing more sporadically, and ghosts - spirits are somehow moving to the city.¡±


    ¡°Power outages are happening more and more often, and people are dying of strange ways.¡± Tanya Su added: ¡°And when we left the city, the cops were out and searching for some detectives. They said these people were armed and dangerous. But they were so serious about it I kinda feel like they¡¯re not telling us everything.¡±


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    ¡°Blood Rainbows?¡± The middle aged man frowned and scratched his jaw: ¡°How often do they appear? I mean recently.¡±


    ¡°Woah, that would be - every couple of weeks? ¡± Eve Kim exchanged looks with Tanya Su: ¡°It used to appear only once or twice a year. And before we left, they just appeared three times in two weeks. It¡¯s - it¡¯s horrible. And a lot of the temples, they stopped helping people in need as well, so - ¡±


    ¡°Any rumors on what caused this? Any - any buildings, temples and important landmarks being affected or - had large scale incidents happen to them?¡± The middle aged man leaned in slightly, breathing faster and was more eager, or anxious for the answers this time.


    ¡°My friend, this is a very dangerous question to ask of a couple of young girls who just made it out.¡± Alex Pearson interjected: ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this. It¡¯s bad karma.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies.¡± The middle aged man leaned back and collected himself: ¡°Never mind. Please forget I asked.¡± He pulled some cash from his pocket and put it on the table: ¡°For your troubles and honesty.¡±


    ¡°We should leave, now.¡± Alex Pearson¡¯s gaze followed the middle aged man out of the room.


    Alex Pearson and the two clients of his hopped onto the same van in which they came. The smell still lingered, and the driver was still the same man. The familiarity was at least comforting.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Eve Kim asked.


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have asked that kind of question. No one sane outside of the city would ask that kind of questions, not anyone here. ¡± Alex Pearson looked back a few times while the van drove away from the temple.


    Lucky for all three of them, they made it to the next stop without anyone following them. It was a bus station, and the other city was in plain sight.


    ¡°Your new lives start here.¡± Alex Pearson smiled at the two clients of his: ¡°Go to that city, or the next, or the next. Find a place to stay, find jobs, and stay away from Poison City.¡± He paused for a brief moment: ¡°As for the issue with the bagua mirror. I asked them to fix it for you back there. So you don¡¯t have to worry, just do what they told you.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Tanya Su asked.


    ¡°I still have one more stop to go.¡± Alex Pearson nodded and looked behind him - another van pulled into a corner outside of the station, driven by a man wearing a pair of sunglasses and with tattoos on his left forearm: ¡°This is where we part now. Stay safe, and have a good life.¡±


    ¡°How do we contact you after this?¡± Tanya Su almost extended her arms at the man, but she pulled back this urge.


    Alex Pearson chuckled and shook his head: ¡°Thank you, you¡¯re nice. ¡± He sighed: ¡°But you would¡¯t wanna do that.¡±


    Back at the temple, Guangyuan Deng put down his headphones after listening to the radio he had. He went out of his room and into a small room near the entrance. He pulled a red envelope from his shirt¡¯s inner pocket and handed it to a man sitting behind a counter.


    ¡°I have an order for a specialty.¡± He told the man.


    ¡°To where? From where?¡±


    ¡°To Poison City.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s new. You wanna go in as a pig?¡±


    ¡°Not just me. There will be a group of us.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°To be decided.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Have your payment ready when it¡¯s time.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 285. Escape the Fallout (Part 1)

    ¡°Down! DOWN DOWN DOWN!¡± Another group of armed individuals came to the destroyed subway station right after the initial two jeeps and the motorcycles. Those men in black that surrounded Luoshan Zi and the others either ran away from the scene or gave up their weapons and knelt on the ground.


    Several talismans floated in the air, shooting arcs of lightning at each other forming a temporary protection dome shielding the scholars, monks and the rest of Luoshan Zi¡¯s team. Spirits with semi-transparent bodies and creatures with contorted, amalgamated bodies screeched and screamed from outside. They kept attempting to break through the dome, and each time their body parts were electrocuted or charred.


    All the lights with symbols on their surfaces were turned to the direction of the Blood Rainbow. Their beams of light shot into the air and carved out small tunnels of warmth and clear air.


    ¡°How long is it gonna last?!¡± One man in a taoist robe asked as he maintained his stance, with his wooden sword pointing forward and three talismans active above his head.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be long! It¡¯s a small one!¡± Another man in a taoist robe answered. He was holding a round bronze mirror and pointing it at the Blood Rainbow: ¡°They are right behind us! Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about us!¡± The first man shook his head.


    ¡°Shut up and focus on the protection!¡± A woman in a taoist robe barked: ¡°Keep it safe for the medics and transportation!¡±


    There were three medics that came with the jeeps, each of them was equipped with an emergency kit with medical supplies inside as well as some ritualistic items - like rice wine, blessed water, evil cleansing talismans and a mini metal incense burner filled with ashes.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything for them. I¡¯m terribly sorry.¡± Kneeling by the bodies of the two masters who sustained severe injuries from the fight, a female medic sighed and shook her head at Luoshan Zi. Ruo and Liao, masters they once were, were no longer able to keep going.


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    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head with her eyes closed. Tears finally found their way out of her and down on the ground.


    ¡°You did good. ¡± Keying smiled: ¡°But it¡¯s not done here. You still have more to do.¡±


    ¡°I - ¡± Luoshan Zi shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can - ¡±


    Sue and Turner Ouyang were running around the scene, helping the medics tending to the wounds of the monks and scholars, sweating and bleeding to keep as many of those they rescued alive. Many perished already. The rest were either waiting to be treated or, if they were able, helping the rest of the team.


    Two vans came, more people got off to help. Yet terrified screams could still be heard. Vehicles were emptied from a distance, armed men in black were killed and dismembered. Some of them turned into malevolent spirits almost right after.


    ¡°Crack!¡± ¡°Boom!¡± Three lights from two motorcycles burst and died down, their glass covers exploded and smoke poured out, as if they were just hooked to power sources beyond their limits.


    The loss of these three lights had a noticeable effect on the malevolent spirits around them. The dark auras around them became more chilling and their temperaments more aggressive. The talismans burned faster than before, as the protection dome they created was squeezed tighter. The taoist exorcists grimaced as the pressure transferred to them.  Luckily they were able to handle it, for now.


    Luoshan Zi wiped her eyes and got up in less than half a minute. She had to force herself to get to work. Things were far from clear, they were far from safe. The scholars and monks needed help. And should the exorcists not be able to support the protective dome till the Blood Rainbow went away, she would need to help them fight off the spirits.


    ¡°Someone! Help!¡± Just this moment, a medic called out: ¡°We need to help stop his bleeding and cleanse his wound!¡±


    She was calling about a monk lying in front of her. The monk was in a ragged robe, which was barely covering his lower body. Blood poured from a grievous slash wound on his shoulder - a new wound by a spirit on the edge of the protective dome, still releasing traces of dark smoke. Pale gray coloration was gradually spreading from the wound. The medic was spraying rice wine mixed with incense ash on the surrounding areas, but it did not seem to be helping much.


    Luoshan Zi rushed over and placed her fingers on both sides of the slash wound. After a deep breath, she began pushing her Qi into the monk¡¯s body gently while applying pressure on the wound. The bleeding stopped, while the dark, corrosive energy was stopped in its spread and even pushed back slightly.


    ¡°Nice! Good!¡± The medic nodded at Luoshan Zi: ¡°Now, please just keep it this way. Don¡¯t push too hard, I¡¯ll draw the corrupted blood out.¡±


    Luoshan Zi nodded back. The medic took out a piece of clean silk handkerchief from her emergency kit. Complex patterns were woven into the handkerchief using red threads. She dipped one corner of it in rice wine, sprinkled some incense ash on the wet corner, then placed it on the wound. Luoshan Zi loosened her hands, letting the foul darkened blood seep into the handkerchief and drip on the ground. The medic then took out a skin stapler and stapled the monk¡¯s wound: ¡°This is all we can do right now. We must rush them to a hospital - or health center with the proper equipments.¡±


    The honks of a few vehicles came from a distance. It was three buses led by another two jeeps and a van. On the side of the van printed a familiar symbol: ¡°Chef Tang¡¯s¡±.

 Book 2 Chapter 286. Escape the Fallout (Part 2)

    ¡°GO! GOGOGO! ¡± Two men in taoist robes stayed behind to maintain the last bit of the protective energy dome, while the rest of them helped escort the monks, scholars and the team led by Luoshan Zi onto the buses and van.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?!¡± A woman in a taoist robe frowned as she fixed her eyes on the Blood Rainbow in the sky. A regular Blood Rainbow would have dissipated by now. But by this very second, it had lasted twice as long as regular ones would have. Even though its effects appeared to be less potent than regular ones, the length of its manifestation had built up a swarm of dark spirits around their vehicles. If not for the hardened walls, wooden plaques with talisman symbols and arrays engraved on them embedded in the walls and the protective energy dome, they would all be trapped and probably torn apart right now.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s on board. GO!¡± The last two men tossed several handfuls of dried beans soaked in wine and oil on the ground at the center of the protective energy dome before going onto two different buses.


    Just a few seconds later, the dome collapsed, and the swarm of spirits flooded the space. The dried beans glowed in red and green lights while releasing auras like those of real, living humans. In turn, the majority of the spirits swarmed towards them, screaming, crying, clawing and biting at the fake warmth and source of human smell.


    Buses and vans sped away from the scene, and thus the area under the Blood Rainbow. The two motorcycles, with replacement searchlights installed and pointing backwards, followed the group to provide the group with additional protection.


    Luoshan Zi boarded the last bus, along with the least number of injured scholars and monks and one man in a taoist robe. Far beyond the collapsed subway station, was the night time skyline of the Northern District.


    Bright golden light flashed before Luoshan Zi¡¯s eyes. It was such a brief moment, that for a moment she needed to blink a few times and asked those around her: ¡°Did something just flash? Did you see it? Maybe from the lightning? Or -  a light of some sort?¡±


    ¡°I saw it - but - I don¡¯t know what it is.¡± The man in a taoist robe shook his head: ¡°I thought I was just too tired - ¡±


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    ¡°No - apparently not.¡± Luoshan Zi frowned, her heart began beating faster, and a strange sense of unknown and unpredictability arose from her stomach: ¡°I - I am not sure how to describe this - I just feel - ¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s about to happen?¡± The man asked, nodding: ¡°Yeah, this is what the Chef told us before we came. It¡¯s - it¡¯s big, and apparently, it¡¯s big enough that he had reached out to almost all the contacts he had in the city.¡±


    ¡°And what made - ¡± Luoshan Zi almost asked ¡°what made you so late¡±, but she pushed this question back - there might not be a good time in the foreseeable future but right now it was definitely not the right time for it: ¡° - what made the Chef say so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly.¡± The man shook his head: ¡°But - since you asked for a special delivery of his, he began looking into some old documents and notes. And he even spent some time re-interrogating some prisoners of his. I don¡¯t really know what he found, but he called us in the middle of the night to get ready and come here to rescue you.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Chef has this principle of neutrality?¡±


    The man chuckled: ¡°Who would actually buy that? If it¡¯s good for our district, then neutrality will be out of the window like spoiled noodles.¡±


    Luoshan Zi chuckled as well. Just as she turned her eyes to the direction of the subway station, another flash of gold happened. This time, it lasted just moments longer that both Luoshan Zi and the man in a taoist robe could confirm that they did not hallucinate.


    ¡°Something¡¯s changed.¡± A monk with his left shoulder wrapped in bandages whispered.


    ¡°Yes, but what?¡± Luoshan Zi narrowed her eyes at the almost invisible site of the collapsed subway station.


    A beam of light shot up into the sky, from a building in a long distance. It was a narrow beam, but bright. So bright, in fact, that the buildings all around it showed their surfaces - surfaces that seemed to be moving, crawling with hundreds if not thousands of moving bodies.


    ¡°What the - ¡± The man in a taoist robe almost jumped. He pushed his face at the back window, with his eyes open as wide as he could: ¡°That kind of power - how?!¡±


    Luoshan Zi could not answer but kept her eyes on the beam as well. By rough estimates, it would be near the northern end of Lake Aqiu.


    ¡°The datacenter.¡± Luoshan Zi muttered under her breath.


    ¡°The what?¡± The man in a taoist robe asked, frowning.


    ¡°The datacenter.¡± Luoshan Zi took a deep breath before responding: ¡°My - my friend joined a team to attack a datacenter by the lake. I - I don¡¯t know what they did exactly. But - I think they - they might have succeeded?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there! ¡± Just this moment, the driver of the bus announced.


    Without Luoshan Zi¡¯s knowledge or recognition, the bus drove into some kind of temporary encampment in a mountainous area. Around the area were guard posts with armed guards inside, vehicles like SUVs, vans and jeeps, as well as flags with evil-repellent symbols on them. Many people waited in a circle, all in healer and nurse uniforms and equipped with medical gear.


    Inside the encampment were tents, a bonfire, and two more jeeps and even an armored truck.


    ¡°How the hell did the Chef pull this off?¡± Luoshan Zi asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just him. He had some allies.¡± The man in a taoist robe let out a sigh of relief: ¡°Really helpful ones.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 287. Escape the Fallout (Part 3)

    ¡°Quick! Quick! Transfer them to the closest health centers! Get all the healers on the phone! All of them!¡± One slightly chubby old woman in a colorful robe and with her hair in a long braid behind her barked at the newly arrived drivers as well as the men and women in taoist robes: ¡°How are they? How many in emergency!? How many manageable!? Report! Now!¡±


    ¡°Ten in emergency, and need immediate attention.¡± The driver of the first bus reported: ¡°And eight in manageable condition, but still need further medical attention.¡±


    ¡°One in emergency, two in manageable condition, all need medical attention.¡± The driver from the second van reported.


    ¡°Ten, all in manageable condition, three need medical attention and the rest can wait a bit.¡± The driver of Luoshan Zi¡¯s bus reported.


    ¡°Alright! You heard them!¡± The old woman said to those waiting around: ¡°Group 1 and Group 2! You handle the first bus! Triage your vehicles! Group 3 and Group 4! You handle the van and the second bus! Group 5! You handle all the medical supplies and collect all medical needs and reach out to the health centers and hospitals! MOVE! MOVE!¡±


    Those waiting in a circle got to work. The scene was a chaotic mess and crowded - just like a wartime medical center.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± Sue and Turner Ouyang walked up to the old woman and asked.


    ¡°You go rest, we¡¯ll call for you when we need your help.¡± The woman¡¯s sharp, even slightly scary expression softened, as were her voice and tone: ¡°You did great. We¡¯ll arrange some people to check on you. You just came from a dark, foul place. So you should focus on resting and calming your mind. ¡±


    Sue urged: ¡°But we want to help - ¡±


    ¡°Rest.¡± The old woman¡¯s tone was stern and left them no more room to negotiate: ¡°Your bodies and your Qi is tainted, letting you handle delicate medical supplies or things for rituals would be unwise and unsafe. This is an order. Rest.¡±


    ¡°... thank you, Elder.¡± Turner Ouyang pulled Sue back: ¡°We¡¯ll find a spot to rest. Please do call upon us if we can help with anything. ANYTHING.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The old woman nodded at them: ¡°Now go rest, and stay away from the operating area.¡±


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    ¡°Elder.¡± Luoshan Zi went up to the old woman just as Sue and Ouyang Turner went to find a place as instructed: ¡°My name is - ¡±


    ¡°Luoshan Zi, I know.¡± The elder took a deep breath and bowed to Luoshan Zi lightly: ¡°The entire district owes you a great debt.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Luoshan Zi bowed back: ¡°What happens now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do some emergency treatment on all those injured, and then we¡¯ll put the ones in emergency situations on our fastest vehicles and rush them to the best health centers, preferably those with someone trained by the temples on their staff. But if there¡¯s not enough room or time we¡¯ll have to figure something out.¡± The elder answered: ¡°And then - we¡¯ll settle them down and see what we can learn from them - about this operation, these rituals and everything - ¡±


    ¡°I think I can answer some of those questions for you.¡± Luoshan Zi nodded: ¡°But I would like some answers as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get those sorted out in due time.¡± The elder shook her head: ¡°But not now. We have plenty on our hands. You should go rest as well. And - those two brave civilians you brought with you, you could give them some guidance on how to handle all this - all this stench you have with you - ff left untreated for long it¡¯s gonna be really bad. I¡¯m assuming you know already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but can I have one question?¡± Before the elder could turn away, Luoshan Zi tried to interject.


    The elder was visibly frustrated, but still maintained her composure and calmness: ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°These people we brought back, compared to the number of missing ones. ¡± Luoshan Zi weighed and calculated her words: ¡°Do they match? Are there more - out there?¡±


    The elder hesitated for a moment, before letting out a very long sigh. Her fingers clutched onto her elbows tighter, her nails almost cutting into her sleeves: ¡°No. Unfortunately - this is - this is less than half of them. Barely made a quarter of the total estimates.¡±


    Luoshan Zi grunted, put her face in her palms and let out a low scream before nodding at the elder: ¡°Thank you very much, Elder. Thank you - ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your burden to bear.¡± The elder sighed and patted Luoshan Zi on her left shoulder: ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°... thank you, Elder.¡± Luoshan Zi took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, before turning and headed where Sue and Turner Ouyang went.


    Sue and Ouyang Turner went into a hut made of bamboo and dirt. There were four mattresses laying about, and they chose two close to each other. Sue sat on one, while Turner Ouyang just laid back on the other, taking one deep breath after another.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sue asked with a relieved smile.


    ¡°Just breathing this air of - of not being close to people who¡¯re trying to kill me.¡± Turner Ouyang answered with a wide grin: ¡°Man, it really puts things into perspective, huh? I thought I was gonna die back there - multiple times!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sue looked up at the bamboo ceiling: ¡°- yeah. I thought the same as well. It¡¯s good now. And I¡¯m just glad we¡¯re here now, safe and - ¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two.¡± Before Sue could say any more, Luoshan Zi came into the hut with two clay jars of water in both hands: ¡°It¡¯s not enough water, but you need to wash your hands, and maybe wash as much of your bodies as possible.¡±


    ¡°Now? ¡± Turner Ouyang sat up: ¡°Can we take a few?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible.¡± Luoshan Zi¡¯s eyes glowed in light green: ¡°That subway station is a cursed place. You are civilians who do not have cultivated Qi, so the corruption on you is relatively lighter but it also means you have no way of dealing with it on your own. Come, wash your hands, and rub your shoulders and your foreheads with this water. We¡¯ll still have to do more later.¡±


    ¡°What if we¡¯re exposed for a long time?¡± Sue jumped up and was ready to take a jar.


    ¡°Well, it varies based on each individual.¡± Luoshan Zi handed the jars to the two civilians: ¡°But a common symptom is being chronically ill and weak, heart and lung problems, and infertility.¡±


    ¡°Geez, Luoshan. Gimme!¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 288. Escape the Fallout (Part 4)

    The entire datacenter building was overflowing with energy released from the underground array and the breaking of containment. Energy rainbows of different colors keep manifesting and dissipating in the sky. Even though the team led by Marcus and Gloria made it out of the building alive, the burns, scratches and cold spots left on their bodies remained. And at the same time, their backs were getting hotter by the minute, as if they were running away under the scorching sun. Smoke and beams of light broke through the ground around the building, making the team¡¯s escape appear much more fortunate. The night sky was almost completely lit up by the energy shooting into the sky from the top of the building.


    ¡°Liaowu, Liaowu, where are you?¡± Marcus barked at the handheld radio.


    ¡°Somewhere south from the position I dropped you off.¡± Liaowu responded almost without delay, though with brief interruptions due to signal loss: ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at the back parking lot, the other side of the building.¡± Marcus responded: ¡°We can¡¯t go around right now! Can you pick us up on the other end?¡±


    Liaowu went silent for a moment before responding: ¡°... okay, you see the building of ¡®Barclay¡¯s Premium?¡¯¡±


    Marcus looked up forward. The large billboard was dimmed now with only a few parts functioning but still flickering: ¡°Yes! We¡¯re heading right there!¡±


    ¡°Wait by the building. But don¡¯t go inside! ¡± Liaowu sounded worried: ¡°Don¡¯t go into the building! Don¡¯t go into any building! Avoid mirrors and sources of water!¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡± Marcus barked before putting the handheld radio in his inner jacket pocket - it was bulky and barely fitted, but it worked fine so far so he¡¯d have to make do.


    They were almost at the edge of the parking lot, there were a few cars, SUVs and even trucks here and there. But all the windows of these vehicles were blackened - by some kind of tarry substance from inside. The substance was still moving as they approached to study it, as if it was alive.


    A lone security guard booth built with concrete walls and hardened metal frames stood beside the gate of the lot. Its windows were also blackened, with the same kind of tarry substance. Even more, at least half a dozen hands were moving behind the windows, revealing their movements through the spots where the tar was thin every now and then.


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    ¡°Boom!¡± Just when they made it to the edge of the parking lot, the top floor of the datacenter building exploded, shooting glass shards and debris in every direction.


    ¡°Get behind! Get behind!¡± Marcus took a quick look back before barking his order. He grabbed Kevin and pulled him to the spot behind the security guard booth. The rest of the team followed and squeezed themselves into the foot of the front facing wall.


    Debris rained down on the booth barely a second after they found this temporary shelter. Pieces of cement, tiles, glass and even rebar bounced off the walls and ceiling of the booth. They were pretty lucky - the booth was just tall enough to cover almost all of their body parts from the direct impact of the debris coming their way, they only had to deal with a few broken off pieces from time to time.


    The sound of concrete and stones breaking and crumbling erupted just right when the debris rain waned. Marcus decided to risk it and poked his head out from the side with his right arm placed before his forehead. The top of the datacenter building was gone, and the rest of the building was all but covered in rapidly expanding cracks.


    ¡°Go, we¡¯re in the clear.¡± Marcus turned back and said to the team.


    Mustering up the momentum again was painful for everyone on the team, especially for the civilians. Kevin¡¯s sleeves were ragged with blood stains everywhere; Tae Kuo¡¯s cheeks, forehead, shoulder was scratched up and bruised, and his legs were shaking; Mick¡¯s pupils were dilated and was having trouble focusing. So the three mythic martial arts practitioners had to carry them along.


    ¡°Barclay¡¯s Premium¡± appeared to be a luxury store selling high end shoes and bags, as far as Marcus could tell from the way the shelves were placed and their merchandise were presented. And the reason Liaowu warned them not to go inside the buildings became abundantly clear - as the lights flashed, the mannequins in this store began turning their heads and moving their arms as if they were alive. A few of them even walked off the spots where they were originally standing and approached the windows.


    Liaowu¡¯s armored van pulled by the street just when the team reached the other side of the street where Barclay¡¯s Premium was. Kelvin opened the side door and waved at them to come in: ¡°Perfect timing!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the master?¡± Kelvin asked after Marcus shut the door behind him.


    ¡°He - he told us to leave.¡± Gloria took a deep breath: ¡°So we did¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Kelvin was at a loss for words at this answer.


    ¡°Alright, hang tight.¡± Liaowu was stunned for a very short moment, before backing the van and sped away from the direction of the datacenter.


    They were safe for now. But their work was far from over. All of them carried injuries from the fights they had, some of which were serious and some were inconveniences. They had also lost almost all the equipment and tools they had going in. Lucky for them, the first aid kit in the van was fully filled with a variety of supplies, which allowed them to patch up most of their wounds for now.


    ¡°We need to go to a hospital.¡± Keryn checked Mick¡¯s pupils and reflection before turning to Liaowu: ¡°One of our men is injured in the head - I suspect concussion.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t! ¡± Mick grabbed Keryn¡¯s arm: ¡°Those people - they¡¯re after everyone! All of us are wanted right now!¡±


    ¡°We just gotta risk it.¡± Keryn shook her head: ¡°Someone needs to take a look at your head, right now.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s too risky!¡± Mick protested, not realizing blood was dripping from his nostrils: ¡°I can¡¯t just let you - ¡±


    ¡°Shut up. We need to drop you at a hospital.¡± Marcus interjected: ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that afterwards.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 289. Next Destination

    Riverbank Hospital, a mid-sized hospital with an emergency department of the Northern District, was quite busy today, even considering its being two or three hours past midnight, a time where most people would be asleep.


    Marcus grabbed Mick and shot into the front door of the ER department the moment the van stood still. ¡°We need a doctor!¡± He barked at the nurses sitting behind the front desk.


    ¡°Okay, what is the matter?¡± One nurse answered Marcus, with an intentionally calm tone, even though she was perturbed by Marcus¡¯ demeanor.


    ¡°My colleague is possibly suffering from a concussion. And I think he might have inhaled some chemicals as well.¡± Marcus decided to throw out the first excuse he could think of: ¡°Please, we need a doctor to take a look at him.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Take this, fill it out and wait your turn.¡± The nurse took out a clipboard with a form attached to it and handed it to Marcus: ¡°And we¡¯ll call you.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. He needs medical attention NOW!¡± Marcus raised his voice: ¡°He was hit with some heavy objects while we were inside of a building with - with harmful chemical fumes.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But you should still fill this out - ¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a police officer! And he¡¯s injured in the line of duty!¡± Marcus had to pull out the most risky card - if anyone in here decided to check their badge numbers they would be in immediate danger.


    The nurse was speechless for a brief moment, before signalling to another nurse beside her: ¡°Come, take this officer in and call Doctor Greene. ¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Marcus let out a breath of relief.


    A doctor came out from behind the door with a wheelchair and helped Mick go in. The doctor began checking the reaction to light of Mick¡¯s pupils even while they were in the walkway. Mick was able to respond, yet he was much more sensitive to light and sound than normal.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry about the tone.¡± Marcus took a few deep breaths before apologizing to the nurse: ¡°He¡¯s my partner and - you know.¡±


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    ¡°No problem. Officer.¡± The nurse nodded back at Marcus with a smile: ¡°We still need you to fill the form though.¡±


    The rest of the group came in, though none of them requested a form.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Gloria sat beside Marcus and asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Marcus sighed as he filled a fake name on the form, with as much correct information as he could remember about Mick: ¡°Did you see anything actually hitting him? Or is it just - symptom from being inside the building? Or the bagua mirror?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything.¡± Tae Kuo answered: ¡°Though - ever since he began hearing those sounds, he¡¯s been more and more off. I think the injuries he sustained from the Bagua Mirror was amplified by the environment back there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°Do you know if there¡¯s any way we can help him, Sifu? Or do we need to seek help from the community collective?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know. Having the doctors treat him is good, at least they can deal with things on a physical level. But as for - the damages on his soul or spirit,I¡¯ll try to connect with someone I know - as long as I can find a phone.¡± Tae Kuo sighed: ¡°And - uh - we probably also need a plan if they come for us. This is a hospital, there are a lot of patients here - ¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know, Sifu.¡± Marcus took a deep breath, then he thought for a moment: ¡°Tell you what, take him outta here immediately after - after two hours had passed or you see them coming. If they caught up to you, tell them I went to the - ¡± Marcus pulled out the scroll handed to him by Master Liaoran before they departed on this quest: ¡° - tell them I went to the unnamed cemetery at the Southern end of the city, near the train station and city customs.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you going to do?¡± Gloria held Marcus¡¯ left hand: ¡°Did - did the master tell you something?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m afraid I must go alone. ¡± Marcus took a deep breath then looked Gloria in her eyes: ¡°Can you stay here? Rest, get some treatment if you can, and stay alert in case those guys come. I¡¯ll be more at ease if you are here to - to protect everyone.¡±


    ¡°Tell me where you¡¯re going.¡± Gloria did not make the promise nor deny him.


    ¡°I must head to an unnamed but guarded cemetery at the South-most spot of the city, it¡¯s a place near the train station.¡± Marcus sighed: ¡°It¡¯s guarded by a watcher. And I expect a fight there. I¡¯d love it if some of you can come with me, but we can¡¯t risk it all on this. Someone needs to stay behind and regroup with everyone.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Gloria thought for a moment: ¡°Okay. But you have to contact us as soon as you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Can I come with you?¡± Kelvin asked from the side: ¡°I - at least I can be of SOME help, right?¡±


    ¡°No, dad.¡± Marcus shook his head: ¡°If I¡¯m correct, that place will be more than foul. You cannot go there. Even if you stay far away I¡¯ll be distracted because I¡¯d be worried about you. You must stay here, where it¡¯s safe - ER. Safer.¡±


    Kelvin sighed and gave Marcus a hug: ¡°Alright. But be safe, my son.¡±


    ¡°Kevin, Keryn.¡± Marcus stood up and turned to his two colleagues, who were sitting on a waiting bench by the window, side by side: ¡°I have to go do something. Can you find a safe house somewhere around here if possible? So that if anything were to happen, you¡¯d have a place to hide?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? ¡± ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Keryn and Kevin asked almost at the same time.


    ¡°An unnamed cemetery near the city customs on the south.¡± Marcus nodded: ¡°And - just in case they¡¯re here and you cannot make it out in time - tell them where I am going. They should be alarmed. I am going to destroy a gravestone or seal of some kind, or a few of those, depending on how everything looks.¡±

 Book 2 Chapter 290. Unnamed Graveyard (Part 1)

    ¡°Where to?¡± Liaowu was patiently waiting outside of the hospital, without even moving the van to a different position.


    ¡°The city exit and entry point, there¡¯s a train station there.¡± Marcus answered as he fastened his seatbelt in the passenger seat.


    ¡°What about your friends?¡±


    ¡°I asked them to stay for at most two hours, and they should find a place to hide if the people from the city come for them.¡± Marcus sighed.


    Liaowu nodded, then made a swift turn and drove onto the street.


    Neither of them spoke anything for the first five or ten minutes of the ride. Marcus was tired and kept himself in a half meditative state in order to recover as much as he could. He wanted to tell Liaowu what happened, but since the man did not ask, he had no idea how to bring this topic up.


    The van drove at a non-alarming speed, passing the cars along their way one by one and with enough time between each pass to not appear too hasty. First the two lane street from the hospital, then a one-late road on the side of a bridge, then onto the three-lane bridge. After a short while, they got off the bridge from an exit on the left and into a tunnel under a small hilly area. When they got out of the tunnel, they would be officially out of what most Poison City residents considered the Northern District of Poison City.


    ¡°Did he choose to stay?¡± Liaowu asked the moment the van exited the tunnel.


    Marcus let out a long sigh: ¡°Yes. He found the base of a pillar inside the building. It was guarded by a wall made of some kind of thick glass, there¡¯s no way any one of us could have made it inside. But he did - he just - just glowed, and went through the glass wall. He then told us to leave, and - ¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like him. ¡± Liaowu nodded as he merged right to exit the street they were on: ¡°What else did he say? Did he tell you that you need to go to this unnamed graveyard?¡±


    ¡°Yes, before we head out, actually - ¡± Marcus opened his eyes wide and turned to Liaowu: ¡° - you knew?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I knew he was about to die. And knowing him, he was probably gonna sacrifice himself - one way or the other.¡± Liaowu shrugged: ¡°You can probably tell that we don¡¯t have the best of relationships.¡±


    ¡°Well - ¡± Marcus wanted to defend the master a little, out of pure instinct, but he decided not to. ¡°Maybe - I thought you just haven¡¯t spoken to each other for a long time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also true.¡± Liaowu let out a long sigh: ¡°Because last time we saw each other, I told him to never try to find me unless he¡¯s about to die. And he adhered to that promise. That¡¯s how I knew.¡±


    ¡°So you knew him - long ago?¡±


    ¡°I know what you wanna ask.¡± Liaowu chuckled and shook his head: ¡°Yes. I knew him before he became ¡®Master Liaoran¡¯. But I¡¯m not gonna tell you his past. It was hidden for a reason. He agreed to it. He intended it. And I still want to respect that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m  - I¡¯m intending to respect that as well. But I do want to know a bit more about the city¡¯s past - the past with the master and you in it.¡±


    Liaowu clicked his tongue:¡°Do you know about ¡®him?¡¯ The one who planned the datacenter and - all those wiring.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Master Liaoran mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my father. Well, maybe adoptive father. But who the fuck cares..¡± Liaowu¡¯s answer was like a bomb just dropped.


    ¡°And if you knew about ¡®him¡¯, then you probably know that Liaoran used to be my father¡¯s assistant and security guard.¡± Liaowu continued driving: ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t know about his research - nothing in detail anyway. Neither did my mother, or my grandparents.


    ¡°Things went - the way they went when my father pushed for the whole city restructuring project. You can imagine, that pissed off a lot of people. A LOT of people. He made a few dozen enemies before he could even get the project started. But he had enough support, from both the city and the community collective. But then one day it happened, while my father and the master were away, these people launched an attack on my family¡¯s old place.


    ¡°All of our security detail were killed. My mother was severely injured - a bullet went through her lungs. Your ¡®Master¡¯ eventually made it back to our place , he killed all the rest of the assailants. But he couldn¡¯t save my mother. He just took me away. I begged him to bring my father to me, or bring me to my father. But all I got was the news that he couldn¡¯t protect him either. He was poisoned, and the last thing he asked of your ¡®Master¡¯ was to keep me and my mother safe.¡±


    Marcus took a light deep breath as Liaowu paused. Their van drove onto a small dirt road on the side of the bridge on which the train was running. If they pressed on, they would probably reach the unnamed graveyard soon.


    Liaowu was clearly agitated about this piece of history. But venting it out loud helped - his breathing slowed, and his white knuckles on the steering wheel gradually regained the color of flesh and blood.

 Book 2 Chapter 291. Unnamed Graveyard (Part 2)

    ¡° - over the years. He came to visit me a few times - making sure that I was not starving and I had a roof over my head. He had friends, my family had friends. Not many of them could or were willing to help, but I managed. And eventually, when I told him about my plans for revenge, he denied me, and told me about his deal with these people. This - this ¡®council¡¯. And that led to us having a falling out, and we¡¯ve never talked until today. I think for a period of time he might have thought I left the city. I had plans though - I guess it was just fate that I didn¡¯t follow through.¡±


    ¡°Did you try to get revenge? Or at least against those who ordered the hit?¡± Marcus hesitated, but still decided to pose this question.


    ¡°I did. But it was not successful, and it almost killed me.¡± Liaowu shook his head: ¡°And I was lucky - that and your master was a kind hearted, wise man. He got me out of trouble a few times. And eventually I had to lay low and build my life up first. It eventually led to this today. I¡¯m ashamed to say it but I haven¡¯t been very helpful to either him or you.¡±


    ¡°You got us outta there.¡± Marcus shrugged: ¡°That saved all of our lives. And we couldn¡¯t have done that without you. So you¡¯ve done a lot.¡±


    Liaowu went silent for a moment before shaking his head and chuckling: ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, Detective Marcus Cai. But you don¡¯t need to say that to me. I know that there¡¯s more I should have done, could have done better, if I was not so caught up in resentment and revenge when my circumstances weren¡¯t ready. I just - wish I had done more.¡±


    ¡°Well, WE are doing something right now.¡± Marcus turned to fix his sight at the road ahead. The path they were on was getting more uneven and crawling with more and more vegetation.


    The sun was beginning to rise, as beams of warm light lit up small but expanding patches of sky from the east. As the surroundings became brighter, the position of the unnamed graveyard became clearer to Marcus - on the other side of the bridge on which the train ran. It was a place of abandoned, half built buildings covered in gross, crooked trees, bushes and one lone rusty metal water tower that looked like it would collapse at any minute. This place was close to his precinct but technically outside of it, so he had never come near it. He had, however, heard occasional tales about bodies found around this area.


    Right now, a somewhat worrisome cloud of black mist floated above the location. It was slowly turning and spinning like a thick gray plate hovering in the air.


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    ¡°This place is no good.¡± Marcus turned his Qi vision on and off just to make sure he was not hallucinating. The mist was visible to the naked eye but only ominous and apparent when he focused his Qi on his eyes. ¡°Maybe park at a safe place and wait for me to come back.¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Liaowu shook his head: ¡°Can¡¯t always stay in the car.¡±


    ¡°But - there might be hostiles over there. And I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to look out for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Liaowu shook his head: ¡°I may not look like it, but when the time comes I¡¯ll know how to fight. Don¡¯t you underestimate me.¡±


    Marcus fixed his eyes on the middle aged man. His facial expression was stern; his grip on the steering wheel was tight but not too much; his breathing was fast yet steady. There was no sign indicating that he was a mythic martial arts practitioner.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Marcus still couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°I¡¯m not questioning you - I just - I am just not sure if we go in there together. I won¡¯t be able to cover you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don''t worry about me.¡± Liaowu chuckled: ¡°You just mind your own safety. Heck, maybe I can cover you when we¡¯re fighting. You look way too proper, like you¡¯ve never been in a truly hairy and nasty and chaotic situation before.¡±


    ¡°... well, if you put it that way.¡± Marcus chuckled along and shrugged.


    The road went across the bridge on which the train ran and went in a slightly southern direction. It ended right at a large patch of dried up grassland with large bare spots covered in dark red and black dirt and irregular black pebbles scattered around. The unnamed graveyard was ahead of them, a few degrees to their left. They stopped and parked beside a leafless tree. The terrain on the rest of their way was too rough and unpredictable, it was a better idea to go on foot.


    ¡°Here.¡± Liaowu pulled out two metal wrenches from under his seat and handed one to Marcus: ¡°This is for my self defense when things get hairy. Maybe it could help.¡± He then found a backpack in a hidden compartment at the back of the van and took it with him.


    The unnamed graveyard had no barriers other than the environment it was in. No entrances or signs. It was as Marcus would imagine - unplanned, no maintenance, a mess of a barely walkable place.


    Marcus¡¯ left foot kicked something hard in the bushes. He brushed the grass aside, only to see a side-leaning tombstone, with unintelligible etchings on it. He immediately backed off and bowed to it gently : ¡°My apologies. I did not mean to disturb your peace like this.¡±


    ¡°Detective, I don¡¯t think there''s a need for that. The place is - dead bodies are all over the place.¡± Liaowu whispered as he knelt down and pressed a patch of grass down, revealing a broken tipped over tombstone buried in the mud, and a rotten wooden plaque on its side: ¡°If you need to apologize to every grave then I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d need all month.¡±


    Marcus sighed, then moved on forward.


    Liaowu was right, the further in they went the more they encountered tombstones of different sizes, overall integrity and stages of weathering laying about, so many so that quite a few times there was no other way than stepping on some of them in order to move.


    ¡°The whole thing¡¯s planned like this. I¡¯m afraid.¡± Liaowu frowned.

 Book 2 Chapter 292. Unnamed Graveyard (Part 3)

    Marcus paused, took a look around and measured the positions of some of the tombstones and distance between them. It appeared that they did form a pattern - like slightly curved lines radiating out from a common center.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to be careful.¡± Marcus took a deep breath: ¡°Keep your steps light and - take only small steps.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh - nevermind.¡± Liaowu was confused but still followed Marcus¡¯ instruction: ¡°And - keep your eyes open, okay? I am not an expert in this, but I don¡¯t think graves forming this kind of line patterns is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, naturally. ¡± Marcus nodded as he pushed through some more weeds that were almost taller than him.


    The structure of the rusty water tower appeared less unstable the closer they came. Chilly wind blew through the area, yet the tower stood still without even a little bit of swaying. The entire structure did not make a whining sound at all, only those from when the tree branches, leaves and flying rocks hit it - something only very sturdy structures could do.


    ¡°If you are here. Then come already.¡± A familiar hoarse male voice came from before them: ¡°Come.¡±


    An unsettling feeling arose from Marcus¡¯ heart. This voice was familiar - too familiar, in fact, he for a moment did not want to believe what he was hearing. He stepped up his speed forward, even throwing the caution of keeping steps small behind so that he could approach the voice quicker.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Liaowu had to speed up in order to not be left behind.


    ¡°You stay behind and hide. Don¡¯t come out unless it¡¯s safe.¡± Marcus did not answer, and simply shook his head.


    Liaowu wanted to ask why, but after seeing Marcus¡¯ stern yet somewhat unsettled look he just sighed and stayed where he was. If he was to hide, his current position could be a good place to start looking from, as he was not standing on any stones, and he had some grass around him to cover his figure.


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    ¡°Ah, Marcus.¡± Bulu Wang, now in a ragged taoist cloak, holding a slightly crooked metal staff and with his left eye behind an eyepatch, greeted Marcus with a smile: ¡°I thought one day we would stand before each other. Just never thought it would be like this.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus asked, his breaths were out of rhythm and his lips quivered: ¡°WHAT HAPPENED!?¡±


    ¡°A lot. ¡± Bulu Wang coughed and laughed: ¡°Nothing that I¡¯m proud of, unfortunately. But - I guess the more interesting and important question is: why are you here? What happened to you?¡±


    Marcus took a few deep breaths and stepped into the ground that was cleared of weeds and bushes but littered with broken tombstones and ceremonial wooden plaques. ¡°Did the community collective force you to do this? What do they even have on you for you to do this?!¡±


    ¡°There are only two ways a man can be coerced to do horrible things like this without regret.¡± Bulu Wang slowly circled around the cleared ground, as if helping Marcus study the surrounding area: ¡°One is for the family to be held hostage. And the other, is when he¡¯s captured by a painfully great ideal, a grand drea, a genuinely honorable task.¡±


    ¡°And for which reason did you choose this?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡± Bulu Wang sighed: ¡°I did it for both. Now, tell me, Marcus - after what you have done in the city, after what you¡¯ve seen - ¡±


    Before Marcus could respond or react, Bulu Wang¡¯s already shot at Marcus, with his meta staff thrusting right at Marcus¡¯ chest.


    ¡° - did I choose wrong?!¡±


    The metal staff crashed against Marcus¡¯ palms. Bulu Wang¡¯s Qi exploded, throwing Marcus back several steps. He followed with two quick jabs, aiming at Marcus¡¯ shoulders. Marcus had no choice but to defend, blocking each attack with his forearms. The impact forced him back some more, and left his arms almost completely immovable for a brief moment. His muscles ache, his tendons hurt. Both these attacks might have cracked his bones.


    ¡°What is with you? Can¡¯t even muster up enough power to fight your old mentor?¡± Bulu Wang spat and raised the metal staff at Marcus: ¡°Bring up your Qi! Have you no pride, Stone Tiger?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna fight you.¡± Marcus panted, while pushing his Qi through his arms to alleviate the pain and reactivate his muscles: ¡°I just - I just want answers.¡±


    ¡°And do you know if you¡¯re ready for those answers?¡± Bulu Wang raised his metal staff, ready for a sweeping attack: ¡°What brought you here, at this time, Marcus? ¡±


    ¡°I followed Master Liaoran and we went into a datacenter in the Northern District.¡± Marcus stood straight: ¡°There are two groups of us - one group went to the datacenter, while the other went into a tunnel, to save all the scholars and monks abducted by those people.¡±


    Surprise flashed through Bulu Wang¡¯s face, but he instantly collected himself: ¡°And did you achieve what you went out for?¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± Marcus panted: ¡°Now - can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°You already know.¡± Bulu Wang shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s very simple - it¡¯s the only way to keep my family safe. And the city - the hell with it. I have no interest in saving it at all.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the great task you speak of? You haven¡¯t told me that.¡± Marcus frowned: ¡°And - I do need to ask - that woman who hung herself after finding out her son¡¯s missing. You wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with that, would you?¡±