Chapter 437: Brother

Evening, Jinguan City, The Midnight Watchers Society, Inspector’s Office.

Xing Yuan sat at her desk, staring intently at the computer screen, tapping away at the keyboard.

[Tang City Crimson Owl Signal Operation Brief:

The operation in Tang City has come to an end. In this operation, a total of 358 psychics and hauntings were captured and have all been sent for trial, 134 were killed, and all obtained haunting core entities, psychic artifacts, alchemical materials, and other supplies have been stored in the Jinguan City Midnight Watchers Society’s supply vault.

A year ago, I said at the general meeting that there are trustworthy existences among the hauntings, and actively promoted the implementation of the “Moonlight Project.” To this day, I still hold the same view, even more so.

In this Tang City operation, if not for the help of certain hauntings and those affiliated with Taoyuan, the operation would never have gone so smoothly.

However, although this operation was smooth, there are still many doubts:

First, in the early stages of the Taoyuan disaster, communication between Taoyuan’s surroundings and the outside world fell into a semi-interrupted state.

According to the intelligence currently held by The Midnight Watchers Society, the number of hauntings with such abilities does not exceed five, but during the operation, not a single trace left by any of them was found.

This is truly puzzling.

Second, according to reliable information from my informants, there is a mysterious mastermind behind this Taoyuan disaster.

I believe it is necessary to investigate the cause in depth.

Third, behind the revival of Fuyang’s power, there are traces of the Eclipse Society. From my investigation, it appears they have mastered some kind of material capable of replicating haunting powers.

It cannot be ruled out that this material may originate from the Beast of Inheritance.

I believe that in the coming period, it is necessary to pay closer attention to the Eclipse Society and its subordinate organizations.

Above.

Reporter: Southwest Inspector of The Midnight Watchers Society, Xing Yuan]

—-

Late at night, in a massive cavern hidden deep within the southwestern mountains.

At the bottom of the cave, there was a huge pool artificially carved out of the mountain rock, filled with murky culture fluid. A gaunt giant beast coiled in the pool, its form resembling a skinned wildcat or lizard.

Its eyes were tightly shut, motionless, making it impossible to tell whether it was dead or alive.

Hundreds of silver metal long needles engraved with intricate incantations pierced its limbs, pinning it firmly to the bottom of the pool. Thick pipes as large as giant snakes were inserted into its body at one end, while the other ends connected to gray-black stone altars inscribed with golden incantations, distributed around the pool.

At the pool’s edge, figures in black robes hurried back and forth, occasionally stopping to add various alchemical materials to the stone altars.

After a long while, the stone door in the corner of the cave was suddenly pushed open by someone, producing a loud rumble.

Immediately after, three people in red robes entered. The leader held a stone bowl containing an eyeball in both hands, while the other two followed closely behind, holding dimly lit candlesticks.

As the three entered the cave, the black-robed figures rushing around the pool all stopped their work and gathered at the largest altar by the pool.

The three red-robed people crossed the cave and stopped before the altar, four meters long, two meters wide, and one meter deep, shaped like a giant stone coffin. Soon, black-robed figures brought over haunting core entities, alchemical materials, and other items, which were thrown into the altar one after another.

“It can begin now…” the leading red-robed person whispered, and two tall black-robed figures sprang into action, forcefully turning the valves on the pipes connected to the giant beast in the pool.

With a loud rumble from the pipes, dark red blood quickly filled the entire altar.

Then…

The leading red-robed person slowly took the constantly writhing eyeball from the stone bowl and dropped it into the coffin-shaped altar.

The eyeball slowly descended, and before it even touched the dark red blood in the altar, countless scarlet flowers of flesh had already bloomed from the red blood, then began to flourish and grow within the altar.

At the same time, the three red-robed people standing at the altar’s edge began to whisper. As their indistinct murmurs sounded, the pale eyeball suddenly twitched violently, then, as if held aloft by some force, floated above the altar.

In the altar, the ever-dividing and proliferating flesh kept writhing and intertwining. If one stared long enough, it seemed as if countless vague faces emerged from within, overlapping, merging, letting out mournful cries in fleeting moments, until, at the instant Berses’s face appeared, the transformations ceased.

Bones, muscles, neural networks, various organs and skin tissue were born from the scarlet flesh at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few seconds, a complete body missing only one eye was formed.

Then…

That body slowly floated upward and merged with the eyeball suspended above.

—-

Several hours later, beside an unnamed cave, inside a cramped stone chamber.

The newly reborn Berses, accompanied by the dim candlelight, held a silver quill pen, pondered for a long time, dipped it in ink, and began to write on a parchment scroll.

[Respected President:

The operation in Taoyuan ended in failure; I should bear a considerable part of the responsibility and am willing to accept punishment. However, this operation was not without its gains.

As you expected, the previously captured Beast of Inheritance and my former No. 11 experimental subject are not isolated cases. Since the nights began to grow longer, there have indeed been certain haunting and psychics exhibiting some special and astonishing changes.

These changes, in some cases, allow their growth to break through the usual Spirit Pattern or haunting core entity limitations, developing in unpredictable directions.

Based on my research results from the ancient haunting remains samples you provided, this situation has occurred more than once throughout the long ages of the past.

Using these studies and investigative results as my theoretical foundation, I have made a bold hypothesis: before each world-destroying factor is born, certain special individuals will appear.

Their psychic energy fluctuation level is not necessarily strong, but all have the potential to become world-destroying factors, and the world-destroying factor is highly likely to emerge from among them.

I believe that if we can gain control over a certain number of these special individuals, our research will surely achieve many groundbreaking results.

Below is a list of some of the special individuals I currently have information on.

Beast of Inheritance: Captured, carries [No Type] haunting core entity, individual exhibits the trait of preferentially replicating all psychic energy materials.

No. 11 Experimental Subject: Located, currently at Hua City The Midnight Watchers Society, carries [mythical type Spirit Pattern · Kā róng familiar], individual exhibits extremely high tolerance to all types of Spirit Patterns, with almost no risk of losing control.

Void: Once obtained a small amount of organizational fragments, and during the Taoyuan operation, used the Beast of Inheritance’s flesh to successfully replicate, now invalid. Location cannot be determined, haunting core entity unknown, individual suspected to exhibit the trait of resetting haunting core entity power at any time.

Plague Taisui: Currently in a ghost town west of Yan City, carries [aberrant type · blood Taisui] haunting core entity, individual exhibits traits of corruption and infinite fission and proliferation.

Calamity: Currently in Hua City, carries [mythical type · Nu Ba], [witch type · Lilith] two haunting core entities, individual exhibits compatibility with multiple high-tier haunting core entities.

He Luo: Currently in Yue City, no haunting core entity, Spirit Pattern unknown, individual exhibits immortality trait.

Yin Litang: Currently in Yue City……

……

Above.

Berses Viklan]

After listing the thirty-one special individuals he currently knew of and signing his name at the end of the parchment scroll, Berses gently blew on the parchment scroll. Once the ink was completely dry, he rolled the parchment scroll into a scroll.

“Black sun at noon, tomorrow’s collapse……”

He murmured this strange phrase as he placed the parchment scroll on the candlestick.

The flickering flame swept over the parchment scroll, instantly turning it a dark purple-black, burning fiercely, swallowing the entire parchment scroll, then transforming into a miniature sun-like, ever-shrinking purple-black fireball, drawing the parchment scroll into a single point, and vanishing without a trace.

—-

Late night, outskirts of Hua City, in a long-abandoned village.

This was originally a new rural construction area planned for Longjing Village in Tuanjie Township. Several years ago, during construction, it was abandoned due to multiple haunting incidents, leaving only some half-built ruins.

The only few completed small buildings had rusty chains hanging on their doors, the window glass long gone. Peering through the gaps, one could see a pile of decaying furniture inside, and occasionally catch a glimpse of rats or other nocturnal creatures darting by.

“Tap tap tap–!”

Footsteps crunching on the thawing snow approached from afar, and soon a nimble figure darted across the main road of the ruined village, then leapt up, slipping lightly and deftly through a broken window into an empty house by the roadside.

“Huff–huff–!”

In the darkness, Gu Qianqian tried her best to control her breathing as she rummaged through her small leather backpack, the system chattering incessantly in her mind.

“Gu Qianqian, be honest with me, what exactly have you been up to behind my back? Why have more than thirty forces, big and small-Miracle Order, Wanderer Poets’ Assembly, Black Crow Mercenary Corps…-all marked you as a thorn in their side?”

In recent days, at least ten groups had come after Gu Qianqian. Tonight, three factions had even joined forces to hunt her down, and the system was almost ready to start looking for its next host.

Gu Qianqian pouted, looking aggrieved. “I don’t know!”

“Yeah, right! I’ve studied all those bounties; almost every description points straight to you, Gu Qianqian.” The system growled, “Be honest, did you do something shady while I was helping you research the [self-luminous, anti-corrosion, mushroom tree] recently?”

Although the bamboo slips illusion already had the sunfire brass sphere as a light source, it was still insufficient for most crops to grow.

To improve the environment in the bamboo slips illusion and supplement the light needed for crops, after Gu Qianqian diligently wrote more than fifty anonymous reports to The Midnight Watchers Society as the system instructed, the system reluctantly bent its principles a bit to help her with psychic energy creature research.

The [self-luminous, anti-corrosion, mushroom tree] was a special plant the system created through Alchemy by hybridizing a type of fluorescent mushroom with a fern and partially haunting transforming it. It was expected to greatly improve the difficulty of crop cultivation in the bamboo slips illusion, thus helping Gu Qianqian harvest a vast amount of belief power.

However, to develop this special plant, the system spent a month and a half, during which it left Gu Qianqian mostly unsupervised. It never expected that in that time, she would manage to offend more than half of the major criminal organizations around.

I’m so stupid, really. I knew Gu Qianqian was as brainless as a paramecium, never thinking before she speaks or acts, but I didn’t expect she’d dare offend just about anyone. The system thought.

“Um……” Gu Qianqian was momentarily speechless, her eyes uncertain.

Selling grilled gluten with chili sauce that was one day past its expiration date to customers-surely that doesn’t count, right?

It was only one day expired. I’d feel bad throwing it away!

When I used to live under the bridge, I even ate chili sauce a month past its expiration date! Didn’t I just have diarrhea for three days? Gu Qianqian thought seriously.

“Oh–! You’re hesitating. Looks like you really did do something shady, didn’t you?” the system shouted in Gu Qianqian’s mind.

“I knew it! Maybe ‘cunning chestnut hair’ is a misunderstanding, but your habit of bashing enemies’ heads with blunt objects, trafficking people through the haunting chat group, even cooking and eating hauntings-these are all things you’re capable of, aren’t they?”

“……”

Gu Qianqian was silent for a few seconds, then asked seriously, “System, although I’ve never eaten a haunting before, I still want to know-does haunting meat taste good?”

If I’d known earlier that haunting meat could be eaten, I wouldn’t have gone hungry so many times… Gu Qianqian thought.

“It’s delicious! Especially the evil spirit type-deep-fried and served with soy milk, it’s especially fragrant!” The system replied grumpily.

“Deep-fried evil spirit type with soy milk? Eh? Isn’t that… deep-fried ghost with soy milk? System, I think you’re lying to me!” Gu Qianqian said solemnly.

“Silly girl, how could I not lie to you about something like this?”

After speaking, the system seemed to know what Gu Qianqian wanted to ask next, and added, “Don’t bother asking whether hauntings can be eaten. Let me tell you, except for a few hauntings, eating most haunting meat will make you sick at best, or kill you at worst.”

“Then…” Gu Qianqian thought for a moment, then asked seriously, “System, which kinds of hauntings can be eaten? I want to catch some and raise them in the bamboo slips illusion. They should grow better than pigs, cows, or sheep in the bamboo slips illusion, right?”

“……”

Tsk, you really are a good master who cares for your familiars!

The system grumbled inwardly, deciding to ignore Gu Qianqian’s question and steer the topic back on track.

“Enough, hurry up and see-after putting some distance, can you open the bamboo slips illusion? If those guys keep chasing you, you probably won’t survive the night.”

Unless…

No, no, even if I die, even if the haunting entity core is devoured by a haunting, I will never bow my head to that woman!

Besides, if these things really weren’t done by Gu Qianqian, then at least half the probability points to Calamity.

Otherwise, with so many mysterious psychics and hauntings appearing in Hua City, chasing Gu Qianqian and hacking up half the city, she wouldn’t just sit by and watch-she’d at least send hauntings to monitor in secret.

Maybe she’s already noticed something, and is deliberately using this frame-up method to force Gu Qianqian to submit to her.

That’s right, that’s right, it all makes sense now!

Calamity has used these despicable tactics before, and the more I think about it, the more suspicious she seems!

The system was pondering this when Gu Qianqian’s voice suddenly interrupted its thoughts.

“I can’t get in, still can’t get in!” Gu Qianqian held the bamboo slips in both hands, pitifully saying, “System, could the bamboo slips be broken?”

“……” The system fell silent for a few seconds, then said seriously, “Broken is unlikely. It’s probably just that the high-tier Miracle Order cultist’s ability, something like ‘words become law,’ is interfering.”

“Like I said before, as long as you escape the range of his ability, it should return to normal. If it doesn’t, it just means you haven’t gone far enough.”

“How much farther do I need to run?” Gu Qianqian pressed.

System, “……” Oh no, the big guys are here, I’d better hide first.

“System?”

Gu Qianqian called softly, and the next moment, she felt two strong psychic energy fluctuations coming from outside the dilapidated building.

“Such powerful enemies, System, I think we’re surrounded!”

System, “……” Not ‘we,’ it’s you who’s surrounded-I can leave anytime.

“System, why aren’t you talking?”

“I’m very sorry, your [Super Magical Girl Demon-Slaying System] has been disconnected due to mysterious factors.”

“Ugh…” Gu Qianqian pouted, gently patting her own forehead, muttering, “Disconnected again? Looks like I really need to listen to the system and do more IQ training.”

The system seemed to have said that the stability of its connection mainly depended on the host’s IQ.

It also said that I’m actually super smart, just need more training…

Gu Qianqian was thinking this when a sudden change quietly arrived.

The air unknowingly became thick and sticky, a bloody scent lingered at her nose, her vision was obscured by a red mist, as if she were surrounded by dense fog.

Then, the four walls of the rundown building began to grow damp, countless scarlet blood beads condensed on the walls, then turned into trickling streams, and in just a few seconds, the floor was covered knee-high with foul-smelling, viscous blood.

A filthy psychic energy fluctuation drifted through the air-something extremely terrifying was about to descend.

Sensing the approaching danger, Gu Qianqian silently activated her Spirit Pattern, gripped the metal rod tightly in her hand, and used her psychic sense to stay alert for the coming enemy.

The next moment, a chill swept over her, and she vaguely heard a man’s voice in her ear.

He was calling out something, but she couldn’t make out the words.

“Qian…qian…”

Gu Qianqian, “???”

Eh, is he calling me? Gu Qianqian wondered, her wide eyes filled with confusion as she looked around.

“Gu Qianqian, Gu Qianqian…”

The man’s voice in her ear grew louder, muddled and coming from all directions. She couldn’t pinpoint his location, only knew he was getting closer.

Just then, the psychic energy fluctuation in the air suddenly froze, as if solidified.

After a brief dead silence, the foul blood at Gu Qianqian’s feet suddenly began to boil, and the blood-soaked walls seemed to turn into living flesh, writhing and making sticky noises as they surged toward her.

“Gu Qianqian, come over here, come with me! Hurry, there’s no time!”

Suddenly, the man’s voice rang clearly in Gu Qianqian’s ear, urgent and strangely familiar.

Gu Qianqian looked toward the direction of the voice and was instantly stunned.

In the corner of the room, under a swirling, ever-shifting vortex of eerie shadow, she saw her brother.

Time had passed, and though her brother’s appearance had changed, grown much more mature, Gu Qianqian recognized him at a glance.

At this moment, appearing in the corner of the room was the brother who had lived with her for several years, and then vanished from the world along with their uncle and aunt…