Chapter 13: The Eerie Crime Scene
Yeah, why would a vicious Evil God suddenly go crazy and do good deeds?
Yuan Zhu couldn’t help but question his own heart: Of course it’s because the Kitten is actually me?!
A super big Kitten that can swallow dozens of Mutated Evil Demons in one gulp—aren’t you terrified just thinking about it? As for why I came back from the dead and had the Deviation on my body conveniently wiped away, is it wrong for the Kitten to treat itself a little better?
The Game Sprite also bounced out: “Ah yes! There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on immortals or emperors. We’ve come this far through thorns and thistles, enduring wind, frost, and setbacks (half a day), all thanks to our own relentless efforts! Without external Blessing, we make ourselves our own external cheat.”
[Great Desolation Immortal Scripture]: ??? What kind of human talk is this from you two? You’ve already assumed I’m dead and tacitly divided up the inheritance?
The Young Man surnamed Han noted the suspicious points on Yuan Zhu in his notebook and ordered, “Show the wound. I need to examine it.”
They were conducting an investigation, so naturally they couldn’t just take Yuan Zhu’s word for it; verification was still needed.
Yuan Zhu confidently raised his hand and pulled back the ill-fitting sleeve, revealing an old scar on his wrist that looked like it had healed years ago.
On his fair Skin, the inner sides of both wrists each had a glaring hypertrophic scar, looking like an old injury from four or five years ago. But from the outline of the wound, it was clear the cut had been very deep, obviously aimed at successful suicide.
Friends who often cut their wrists should know that ordinary people lack the relevant Experience and the courage to face Death head-on. They often stop at a shallow taste out of fear of pain. They always think that as long as they cut open a blood vessel and blood gushes out, it will flow endlessly all the way to the Immortal Realm.
However, the incision is often not deep enough, usually only slicing the slower-flowing superficial veins rather than the spurting deep arteries. Add to that the physiological pain amplified by full mental focus, and the psychological fear infinitely heightened, creating the illusion of having successfully ascended to immortality.
But Humans have evolved for so many years—fragile as they are, the Body is hardly that useless. It comes with clotting functions, and veins have unique valve structures. Under layers of passive self-rescue Programs, the person may faint from excessive blood loss, but the wound often clots and solidifies after flowing for a while.
Then, in a half-dead state, your life Horse Lantern starts playing. Finally, you sit up in shock from your deathbed, laughing uproariously at the heavens for 110 times. Stock losses, unfinished mortgages, son dyed with soy sauce… none of it matters.
From today on, be a happy Cattle and Horses. Love life, work hard. Cherish Life so you can work overtime better! Work overtime to make money, to afford medical treatment, then get up and keep striving!
However, the old wound on Yuan Zhu’s wrist was different—it was clearly aimed at successful killing.
And to ensure the mortality rate, the perpetrator made deep cuts on all four limbs for massive bleeding. Finally, a knife pierced the heart, ensuring death beyond death, and a quick one at that.
Garbage [Great Desolation Immortal Scripture], this crappy external cheat can’t even do scarless repair. Clearly 100% health restored, yet it left a scar. At this rate, with Du Ling Star so dangerous, if I die dozens or hundreds of times later, won’t the stacked scars directly disfigure me? How am I supposed to get a girlfriend then?
After examining the scar on his chest, the Middle-aged Man surnamed Wang nodded in approval, then patted his shoulder and comforted, “Very professional modus operandi. Based on autopsy reconstruction estimates, you died very quickly at the time. You wouldn’t have struggled long before rapid Death—no major pain felt.”
“……?! ” Yuan Zhu widened his eyes in surprise and hesitated, “But I’m not dead yet.”
“Don’t get hung up on these trivial matters. From your injuries, I lean more toward you having already died. That’s the danger of illegal Sacrifice Rituals—there are always Anomalies, and revival is nothing strange. You’ve picked up a life and get to live again, so cherish it while you can. What if there’s some hidden issue and you die again soon? Listen to uncle’s advice: if the case can be smoothly closed, go find a girl and have a kid as soon as possible. Investing in futures or stocks can go wrong, but investing in offspring never will.”
The Middle-aged Man surnamed Wang advised in the tone of someone who’s been through it all.
Yuan Zhu’s eyes lit up: “Oh? From what you mean, there’s a good chance I’ll be released? Instead of being imprisoned, subjected to all sorts of tests, long-term confinement, or even sold to those big Companies as an Experimental Subject for research?”
In his predecessor’s Memory, many civilians, after living past 50, from constant labor overdrawing their bodies plus harsh living conditions, accumulated excessively high Deviation, posing huge risks of Mutation and loss of control.
Either they drop dead first from struggling for livelihood, or realizing their end is near, they proactively sell themselves to some Companies for a high price. Likewise, those unwilling to sell themselves would band together and forcibly sell off those heavily Polluted by accidents to big Companies.
Yuan Zhu’s current condition, though Deviation is 0 and he looks harmless and non-threatening, also makes him very special and highly valuable research Experimental Material.
Fatty Wang stroked his beard and agreed: “Your concerns are quite normal. If you suffered Evil Spirit Erosion with heavy residual Pollution traces, you’d be a human time bomb that must be controlled. But our preliminary tests on you showed normal reactions, no Pollution signs at all—even healthier than noble heirs. So I think, as long as you truly have no other issues and it’s not deliberate Disguise, per relevant regulations, you’ll gain freedom, not be imprisoned, but will still need periodic Body checks.”
“Additionally, cases like yours—innocently caught in Anomaly Events—are actually quite common. But becoming a victim, offered as Sacrifice, even dying and coming back to life—is rare, qualifying for compensation subsidies and mental damage claims. The organizers of the Sacrifice Ritual, the culprits, are suspected dead and missing. This Manor and other Industries will be confiscated. If you choose to waive compensation claims, you’ll be kicked out of the Security Bureau at the fastest speed.”
As he spoke, the middle-aged man’s gaze fell on Yuan Zhu’s bulging pocket, revealing a knowing smile: “But I see your Wallet is bulging—looks like you’ve already manually claimed your mental damage Compensation, no need to apply again.”
Hearing this, the Young Man surnamed Han immediately said: “Hm? Hand over the stolen goods now!”
“There are no stolen goods—these are all my hard-earned money!” Yuan Zhu clutched his pocket tightly, refusing to yield. As the victim dragged into this murder case, can’t I even get some Compensation? Didn’t you hear—there’s mental Compensation Fee for me too.
Luckily the Game Sprite reminded him not to just bury the valuable stolen goods and call it a day. He needed to carry some paper money on him, Disguising as someone with limited horizons, only taking this much.
“Alright, alright, how much are these few paper bills worth? Why make things hard for him—we’ve gained bigger real estate. Look at this Villa, built like even I couldn’t afford it. Yuan bro, come here, I’ll take a few photos of you for evidence, then you lead us to the Sacrifice Ritual site.”
After photographing Yuan Zhu’s several vital wound sites, the three carried Detection Devices, scanning as they advanced.
Sure enough, once the target was no longer Yuan Zhu himself, the instruments functioned normally. As they neared the Sacrifice Hall, the alarm noise grew louder. The Deviation value rapidly broke past 20.
“As expected, traces of Evil Spirit descent—even before entering, it’s spiked to 20. The sealed Space behind this Door may even have its spatial walls twisted and Weakened. Here, just in case, wrap this Chain around your wrist.”
With that, the middle-aged man pulled two silver Chains from his pocket and wrapped one around his own wrist.
Yuan Zhu reached out to take it and asked curiously: “What’s this?”
“Defensive Equipment from the Law Division, soaked in special liquid and Blessed. Wrapped around the wrist, it Isolates the human Body from external Pollution Power interactions. Has mild anti-Curse function to resist mental interference, but limited strength. Watch closely—if the silver Chain body gradually discolors to black, it means you’re under invisible Pollution attack. Escape the Sacrifice Hall before it turns fully black.” The middle-aged man explained.
Yuan Zhu toyed with the Chain in his hand, marveling: “This is the legendary Supernatural Item?”
At the same time, the Game Sprite activated online detection. Comparing to the collection found in the Bedroom earlier, she confirmed the silver Handchain also had Pollution radiation, but much weaker—worn close to the body for about 15 minutes cumulative to deal -1 Damage to Yuan Zhu’s human Body, which would be blocked and defended by his [Blank Immortal Scripture].
Game Sprite: “Trash! Actually fooling you with this inferior junk? Swap to anyone else, and this crap definitely couldn’t block the residual Pollution in the Hall.”
As the Game Sprite scoffed, the middle-aged man replied: “Not quite a Supernatural Item—just a one-time Item with special functions. The Chain is mixed with Silver to briefly store special Energy. Once its Power is consumed, it needs unified recovery for secondary Blessing recharge to reuse.”
By saying this, he quashed any thought Yuan Zhu might have of demanding a Chain for protection. After all, on past Missions, they always ran into case-involved parties who wheedled for Chains in every way to protect themselves against Evil Spirits and ghosts—or outright pocketed them, claiming loss.
Though not high-value or rare itself, this thing was mixed with Silver, bought with their Salary. The Security Bureau provided free Blessing, but the Chain’s sale price far exceeded cost, and it was an exclusive monopoly Business.
…
Returning to the Sacrifice Hall, the fishy stench hit them. The two Investigators remained unfazed, stepping into the room where Blood was congealing, each step pulling up Viscous blood threads.
Yuan Zhu disliked this environment, so he waited at the Door, occasionally lifting his silver Chain-wrapped arm to observe. The Game Sprite diligently calculated the defensive effects of this Chain.
Though meaningless to him, it could serve as a reference coordinate to understand how ordinary people in this World resist Pollution. How strong was this standard-issue Equipment, and how long could it last?
Collecting such data could indirectly analyze the current society’s level of Supernatural Powers usage. Deeper still, preliminarily Cracking the Power System mastered by the Human World. Ultimately, exploring the mysteries of Cracking Universe rules. And this was precisely the correct way to use the [Great Desolation Immortal Scripture].
Yuan Zhu waited patiently, watching the Chain gradually blacken bit by bit. Meanwhile, the Youth held his Equipment, constantly scanning one high-Energy node after another.
Unfortunately, the Mutated Demonic Creatures truly bearing the Evil God’s Power had all been swallowed into the [Universe Within The Belly] for containment and Seal. The few remaining scraps of meat and broken fingers, though severely Mutated, weren’t high-Energy reactions.
Finally, he locked onto one Tribute after another. These Tributes had once served as anchors in the Real World, first invaded by the Evil God’s Energy, then using Yuan Zhu as a springboard—failing to invade, it turned to that group of Believers.
The clues broke at Yuan Zhu’s link; he himself had been washed clean by himself ([Immortal Scripture]). So the finger of suspicion pointed entirely at these Tributes: crow with clipped wings, Frog skinned and headless, Mushroom with limbs…
The Youth scanned one after another, a mocking expression gradually appearing as he marveled aloud: “Illogical mishmash, just piling up Tribute quantities as markers, naively thinking luck could Summon Evil Spirit descent? And this Magic Array drawn on the floor—equally mismatched. Multiple fatal errors, yet this thing still operated, not only attracting Evil Spirit attention but leaving Pollution traces of varying strength on every Tribute. This is practically a miracle!”
The middle-aged man, with years in the field and rich Experience handling Anomaly Events, still lagged far behind the Youth in professional knowledge. He was a regular School graduate with standard education, no specialized training.
He asked: “Oh? This Sacrifice Ritual wasn’t up to spec? Can you determine the identity pointed to by the Sacrifice target?”
The Youth set the Detection Device aside, pulled several white square paper pieces from his pocket, lightly kicked a few Tributes in sequence with his toe, then waved the paper over them. Seemed like capturing some aura in the Air?
Then, he took a metal flat Alcohol flask from his inner jacket pocket, unscrewed the cap, wet the paper with Alcoholic Beverage, and observed closely. The liquor-soaked paper revealed faint multicolored traces, forming different Patterns on the white paper.
Finally, he lit the paper with a Lighter; flames of varying intensities burst in the Air, flashing and gone.
After finishing the Test Paper, the middle-aged man hurriedly asked: “How is it?”
Confusion and bewilderment showed in the Youth’s eyes: “Very strange, extremely strange! Logically, this wasn’t a professional Sacrifice Ritual at all—steps full of errors, no real Sacrifice target. The organizers don’t know where they heard a bunch of true-or-false rural legends, made corresponding Tributes accordingly, planning to luck into randomly Summoning a descent and call it a win.”
“But the weird part is right here—their Sacrifice succeeded, and unprecedentedly big. Look, every Tribute here internally Eroded and occupied by Pollution Power from different sources. Meaning, whether the Sacrifice target truly existed or not, some source took its place and appeared here. They were attracted by something, all descending together, turning a third-rate Sacrifice Ritual with only 7 Sacrifices into a tragedy killing over 40.”
At this point, the Youth looked up, eyes once again fixed straight on Yuan Zhu: “So, what exactly attracted so many filthy Evil Spirits to pay attention together?”
Why are you looking at me like that?
Yuan Zhu glared back. You want to know what attracted the Evil Gods’ attention? Fine! I’ll tell you—it’s the Old Immortal Scripture Master! A street-crossing time-traveler punk, of course it could attract Evil Spirit attention.
At this moment, the middle-aged man broke the standoff: “During your Test Paper just now, did it show any [Forbidden] aura?”
The Youth ignored Yuan Zhu and shook his head: “No, all some obscure Small Fry Evil Spirits. A few stronger ones are just secondary derivative Systems of those [Forbidden] Powers, or tertiary derivatives—not reaching special danger levels.”
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief: “Good then. Hearing multiple Powers descend at once, I thought we’d hit a Major Event we couldn’t handle—better run first.”
“Surface dangers are gone for now, but the vanished Believers and Sacrifices, plus the suddenly severed and disappeared Evil Powers, show things aren’t simple. I say, search this place thoroughly—see if we can find any useful Mouse?”
“Mouse?!” Yuan Zhu, ears perked eavesdropping, was drawn by the word, even stirring his dormant Memory Fragment, making it stir restlessly—as if some strange Knowledge was about to overflow.
Seeking votes, seeking Recommendation… comments. Also, maintaining follow-up Reading habit effectively extends lifespan.
