Chapter 12 Everyone Has Arrived
With two earth-shattering roars sounding off, the image in Huasang’s mind froze at the moment of the turtle and snake fighting each other. She completed the suppression of the out-of-control spirit pattern and slowly awakened.
The sound of engine noise echoed in her ears, and the scent of sandalwood air freshener wafted through her nostrils. As she slowly opened her eyes and her vision became clear, she caught a glimpse of the ever-changing city scenery outside the window.
In the car? It seems we’ve already left the airport… Huasang thought to herself as she looked towards the driver’s seat, and unsurprisingly, she saw her senior brother Li Xuan.
Seeing Huasang awaken in the rearview mirror, Li Xuan raised an eyebrow and softly asked, “Awake? Feeling better?”
“Mm.” Huasang nodded.
In that moment of looking down, she noticed the towel draped over her shoulders. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly and raised her hand to pinch the damp edge of the towel.
“That’s good.” Li Xuan let out a sigh of relief. “If I had known your condition was this unstable, I would have taken you back.”
“Since the airport will be grounded for two days, you should settle down and adjust your state of mind, okay? Master asked me to personally take you back in two days and hand you over to him.”
“…” Huasang opened her mouth to explain something to Li Xuan, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she just nodded gently, responding, “Mm.”
The situation was too complicated, and explaining it was too exhausting.
Furthermore, she wasn’t sure why her spirit pattern had become so out of control this time, nor did she understand who had drained her spirit energy that exceeded the threshold of the night’s invasion.
Glancing at the empty seat beside her, Huasang pondered for a few seconds and then lazily asked, “Senior brother, where’s that guy?”
“That guy… Oh, you mean Luxianbei?” Li Xuan rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t deserve to sit in my car. I made him walk back on his own!”
Li Xuan loved his car so much that in a sense, he even treated it like a partner.
For this, he was once teased by An Qing, “You clearly have a better disposition and looks than Bai Kai, but you’re still single for a reason!”
Li Xuan disdainfully glanced at Bai Kai and sneered, “Heh, I can have many cars. Can he have many wives?”
“What’s the point of having a wife? Isn’t it more fun to be a carefree butterfly?” Bai Kai retorted mercilessly.
…
Although Li Xuan couldn’t outsmart Bai Kai in banter, it didn’t affect his love for cars.
How could he allow someone like Luxianbei, who often meddled with his “wife”, to get his hands on his beloved car?
“Oh.” Huasang responded dismissively to Li Xuan, turning to look outside the window, lost in thought.
Outside, the weary sun was sinking below the horizon, and the beautiful sunset cast a rich tapestry across the sky.
Didn’t they tell me to inform the Special Action Team that the criminal was subjugated by him…? Huasang thought in confusion.
————
Yujia Pond, Huacheng.
This is an urban-rural junction area about three kilometers from Huacheng Airport. Due to its relatively remote location and a horrific m*rder and dismemberment case that occurred two years ago, leading to a series of urban legends, the buildings here have long been abandoned.
As the sun set, the dilapidated buildings cast large shadows on the narrow streets, while a light breeze picked up scattered garbage, making a rustling sound. The air was filled with a strange odor, as if something was decaying in the dark.
Luxianbei walked from the end of the street with his hands in his pockets, kicking an empty soda bottle that was blocking his way.
“d*mn it, I only popped your tire a few times, why be so petty? If it weren’t for me…”
He grumbled, but then the events that had just occurred at the airport flashed through his mind, giving him goosebumps, and he abruptly stopped speaking.
It really is embarrassing to act all high and mighty in front of others! Luxianbei thought.
Just minutes ago, he had carried Huasang and concocted an intense story using famous scenes from various films and anime, intending to impress his brothers in the Special Action Team and let Huasang back him up.
However…
He had hardly made it halfway through his story, with the climax still to come, when Li Xuan interrupted with, “No need for that, don’t others check the surveillance? Airport surveillance has no blind spots!”
The rest of his words got stuck in his throat, and his toes practically dug into the ground.
Honestly speaking, even if Li Xuan hadn’t refused to give him a ride, he wouldn’t want to ride back with Li Xuan.
How brave one must be to keep recalling embarrassing moments that play back in their mind like a tape?
Luxianbei curled his lip, searching for a small shop with broken glass windows by the roadside, crouching inside, looking at the time, waiting for nightfall and the moment when urban legends would manifest.
As dusk approached, the last rays of the sun bathed the streets in a bl**d-red hue, with bizarre lines constantly moving in his sight.
At the moment the last light was swallowed by darkness, a dull pain shot through Luxianbei’s heart, and his heart began to race.
As he found himself engulfed in darkness, the moment his body was consumed, a sharp pain struck his heart again, then it sped up and raced.
A bloody, cold vibe spread from his chest, and in the next moment, it felt as if his bl**d had ignited, surging through his veins, the evaporating sweat forming a hazy mist on his skin.
When the heat and the cold converged in front of his chest, the familiar pain caused Luxianbei’s body to twitch slightly, and he couldn’t help but let out a soft m*an from his slightly parted, heavy-breathing mouth.
“Uhm—!”
As his pinkish-white hair fell and brushed past his face, the pain began to fade, and a hint of joy sprouted in Luxianbei’s heart.
Great! The reshaped body is much stronger than before; the pain from the urban legend is also diminished.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the surrounding air suddenly grew heavy and pressed down on her fiercely.
It was as if an invisible mountain had collapsed above her, burying her petite body under tons of earth and stone.
The feeling of suffocation intensified, joints groaning in pain; the unexpected agony made Luxianbei’s eyes widen.
It felt…
Just like the anomalies that occurred the last time she tried to contact the ancestor!
Suddenly, her legs went soft, and she dropped to the ground, uncontrollably leaning forward as her delicate white hands touched the ground.
“Boom—!”
A loud noise erupted, the earth trembled, kicking up a storm of dust and debris.
In that instant, as if in a hallucination, a layer of dark blue mist appeared in her sight, flowing like sludge, surging and spreading to the edge of her vision.
Whispers grew stronger in her ears, and an unpleasant stench surged into her nostrils.
The once deserted urban-rural junction area suddenly became crowded at that moment.
Under the cover of the dark blue mist, the deserted street, dilapidated buildings, and withered trees… everything in sight seemed to be trapped in a swamp filled with foul odors.
Figures emerged from the depths of the sludge.
Their bodies were grotesque and twisted, with large areas of swelling and sores; in the most severe cases, one could even see exposed intestines and bones.
Yet they all seemed alive, with murky eyes filled with hatred, whispering chilling words or crying in despair, stretching their bodies and stumbling toward Luxianbei.
It felt as if a horde of vengeful spirits were coming for her life!
Then, at the front, one figure reached out with a decayed, swollen hand, about to touch Luxianbei’s body. In that instant, she suddenly lifted her head, and a brilliant golden light flashed in her eyes.
【Royal Authority】, activate!
“Get away from me!”
With a delicate shout, faint golden light erupted from her petite body, rippling through the air like silk blown by the wind.
At the same time, the ground beneath her hands trembled violently, and with a loud bang, molten light burst from the cracks in the ground, surging in all directions, dispersing the mist and vanquishing the figures…
————
Huacheng New District, Sija Hotel, Room 3024, steam rose from the bathroom, and the lights flickered.
“Swish—swish—swish—!”
Warm water cascaded from the shower, falling over Huasang’s body, with beads of water rolling over her smooth shoulders, soaking her disheveled long hair, sticking to her fairer back.
On the sink, a black iron ruler seemed to sense something, gently trembling.
Huasang curled up in a corner of the bathroom, hugging her knees, her head buried deep in her arms, her body trembling uncontrollably as despairing whispers and cries echoed in her ears.
In the bathroom, her voice, tinged with a sob, faintly resonated.
“I’m sorry… everyone… I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“It’s all Dad’s fault… it’s not my fault… I’m sorry…”
Perhaps it was because of what almost happened at the airport today when her spirit pattern almost lost control and nearly harmed everyone there, triggering Huasang’s long-buried memories.
Returning to the hotel and shedding her clothes, when she began to bathe and closed her eyes, she saw those whom she had harmed in the past.
Grandpa and Grandma, Village Chief, Teacher Huang from the village school, and everyone from the village… they all came.
They cried silently, despairing and shouting loudly, wanting to know why they perished.
As if falling into the water, her consciousness began to sink, gradually dispersing.
Just when Huasang was on the brink of emotional collapse, a delicate shout echoed in her mind.
“Get away from me!”
That voice was like the morning bell, carrying a captivating power.
Hearing that voice, she felt a rush of heat coming, and Huasang’s shoulder trembled suddenly. She awoke instantly, slowly raised her head, and looked around with her slightly reddened eyes.
That voice earlier… it was beautiful, and seemed to belong to a girl.
But who could she be?
Why did her voice appear in my mind?
After pondering fruitlessly for a moment, Huasang silently sighed, stood up, turned off the tap, wrapped herself in a towel, and slowly left the bathroom.
————
Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, small conference room.
The warm light illuminated the conference room, where Jiang Li, An Qing, and Bai Kai sat around the conference table. On the table were a pistol and alchemical bullets packaged in evidence bags.
“… What I just said are the investigation reports uploaded by colleagues from various places over the recent period. There have been twenty-two cases of spirit users attacking in public places, including this incident; three of them found similar alchemical bullets at the scene.”
Jiang Li put down the materials in her hand, glanced at Bai Kai, who looked listless and distracted, and gently shook her head as she looked at An Qing.
“Mm-hm!” An Qing nodded, showing a charming smile to Jiang Li as she pointed to the alchemical bullets on the table, “I’ve already analyzed these alchemical bullets.”
“From the analysis results, these alchemical bullets were made using the acidic fluid from army ants, nitrated volcanic moss, and a certain C-grade element’s core powder from the urban legend, meaning…”
“They cost about five times as much as the standard alchemical bullets made by the Siye Society?” Jiang Li interjected.
“Exactly! These guys really have money!” An Qing nodded and continued, “According to the inscription on the alchemical bullets, the solidified spell formula is an abnormal version of the number sixty-seven precision spell formula. The usage records in the database only include the first two incidents.”
“That’s all I found. By the way, are there no interrogation records for the previous two incidents?”
In response to An Qing’s question, Jiang Li gently shook her head. “No, the spirit users involved in the first two incidents committed s*icide by b*llet just as they were about to be captured by local colleagues. Their spirit patterns look very common, and it’s hard to tell which illegal spirit energy force they belong to.”
At this point, Bai Kai raised his drooping eyelids and interrupted, “I think there’s no need to be overly sensitive; perhaps these incidents just coincidentally used the same group’s alchemical bullets?”
“…” Jiang Li glanced at Bai Kai, contemplated for a couple of seconds, and nodded, “For now, that’s also a possibility.”
With only three out of twenty-three spirit user attack incidents using similar alchemical bullets, it’s insufficient to assert a close connection among those incidents.
“But we can’t let our guard down!” An Qing stretched lazily, “If what Old Bai says is true, these incidents could involve a major illegal sale of alchemical products!”
“Yeah.” Jiang Li nodded, “It is indeed worth noting.”
Just as her voice fell, the conference room door was pushed open.
Li Xuan strode in, looking displeased as he sat down in his seat, “d*mn it, those two guys didn’t spill anything.”
“We used a lie-detecting alchemical potion and a spiritual curse, but nothing worked! Their memories have definitely been tampered with by a high-level entity; they completely forgot what happened before coming to Huacheng.”
“By the way, one of them even yelled that he wanted to complain about Luxianbei, saying he abused the suspect, disregarded human rights, and caused him immense psychological harm!”
Hearing this, Jiang Li tilted her head in confusion, “What did he do?”
Li Xuan crossed his arms and glanced around at the group with a cold smile. “Heh, the suspect said Luxianbei used binding spells on him over a hundred times. What’s the difference between that and verbal ab*se, writing it on a person until they’re covered in proper words?”
An Qing, “…… Wow, officer Li is so perceptive!”
Bai Kai, “…… He truly is Luxianbei’s son, more and more like his dad.”
Jiang Li, “…… A hundred times of humiliation? This is a bit excessive! I’ll have him write a five hundred-word self-critique later.”
