Chapter 463: A Terrifying Woman

Golden Horn, real name Qianyu, a resident of Lincheng, psychic energy fluctuation level A.

Spirit Pattern [Mythical Type · Golden Horn King], carrying a Class A psychic artifact [Flesh Gourd].

Secretary to Xing Yuan, Supervisor of the Southwest Region of The Midnight Watchers Society, one of the top ten operators of The Midnight Watchers Society, has hunted six Class A Hauntings including [Blue-faced Ghost], [Ghost Mound Spirit Fox], [Qinling Evil General]…

Berses stared at Golden Horn for two seconds, and in his mind, roughly sorted through the intelligence on Golden Horn that the Eclipse Society had gathered.

After a brief weighing of pros and cons, he decided to give up resisting.

He was just a researcher interested in the physical structure of psychics and hauntings, powerless and without any combat ability.

Facing Golden Horn alone, his chances of escaping smoothly were slim, let alone the fact that Golden Horn was unlikely to come alone.

The Midnight Watchers Society was best at “bullying the few with the many”; they never cared about underworld rules, nor about regulations and laws.

Just as Berses was thinking, a powerful psychic energy fluctuation suddenly came from afar.

Even from a distance, he could feel the ground shaking, hear the rumble of collapse, and the thunderous explosions from far away.

Clearly, the operators of The Midnight Watchers Society who came with Golden Horn had found the Eclipse Society squad hiding in the shadows.

So, Berses smiled at Golden Horn.

“This… uh, Secretary Golden Horn, right? Congratulations, you’ve successfully caught me. I’m willing to surrender.”

He extended his hands toward Golden Horn, making a gesture of submitting to justice, as if waiting for Golden Horn to come forward and put the Thousand-Mechanism Lock on him.

Golden Horn was stunned for a moment, squinting and sizing up Berses, not stepping forward right away.

Something’s off! Surrendering this easily?

Could this be a trick? Golden Horn wondered.

This was completely different from what he had imagined before coming. According to his intel, Berses Viklan was a twisted psychopath with blood on his hands.

He had expected fierce resistance from Berses during this operation, so he could slap the gourd and turn this guy into minced meat to vent Silver Horn’s anger.

But now…

Seeing Golden Horn’s wary expression, Berses shrugged with a bitter smile and explained, “Actually, I’ve read <The Midnight Tome>.”

“According to the procedures for dealing with Illegal psychics in <The Midnight Tome>, someone like me who surrenders should be judged and sentenced before being dealt with, right?”

Golden Horn frowned, “……” Damn! Are Eclipse Society members these days all so familiar with the rules in <The Midnight Tome>?

Berses was right.

Psychics are still human, just like police can’t arbitrarily kill murderers when arresting criminals.

When The Midnight Watchers Society operators apprehend Illegal psychics, unless they’re extremely vicious and dangerous, there are similar procedures and regulations.

Moreover, this guy Berses… Golden Horn’s expression grew serious as he frowned.

Before this operation, he had learned detailed information about Berses through his informants.

Though rumors called him one of the most insane researchers in the Eclipse Society, those were just rumors; there was no solid evidence for the truly deadly crimes.

This was the constraint for The Midnight Watchers Society operators-they followed the law and rules, not underworld codes or personal feelings.

Seeing Golden Horn still wary, Berses continued, “If you still don’t trust me, you can throw the Thousand-Mechanism Lock over, and I’ll put it on myself.”

“I’m afraid of dying, so I’ve decided to beg for mercy and hope for a way out. As the victor, you naturally have the right to deal with me as you wish, but I believe you wouldn’t violate The Midnight Watchers Society’s regulations, right?”

At these words, a trace of displeasure flashed in Golden Horn’s eyes, and his right hand instinctively pressed the gourd at his waist.

Although Berses spoke humbly, his words carried an arrogant undertone of “if you have the guts, kill me.”

Damn, I really want to beat him up… Golden Horn glared at Berses, his chest heaving a few times, then silently sighed and took out a Thousand-Mechanism Lock from his coat, walking forward.

“No need, I’ll put it on you myself, so you don’t play any tricks!”

As Golden Horn finished speaking, a piercing whistle suddenly erupted.

“Whoosh-!”

A silver long blade shot from afar, grazing Berses’s cheek, slicing the skin and leaving a trail of blood beads, then with a “thud,” nailed itself into the thick metal door of the cold storage behind him.

“Da-da-da-da-!”

Accompanied by the pounding of hooves, a figure clad in silver armor swept down from a nearby hill, landing steadily in front of the cold storage door.

Gripping the hilt, drawing the blade, and swiftly doubling back…

Jiang Li moved as lightly as a swift, and as she charged toward Berses, she silently unleashed Hydra’s toxin.

In an instant, the bloodstains on Berses’s face turned a purplish-black, and his body convulsed violently as if in the throes of a seizure, collapsing to the ground.

The next moment, a bone-chilling cold swept in, and a silver-white blade pressed against his throat.

The toxin brought unbearable pain, the blade tip pressed so hard it dimpled his skin, and death seemed just inches away-yet Berses smiled.

“Oh? It’s you? I remember you, an… excellent test subject.”

Jiang Li had once been this guy’s test subject? Golden Horn stared at Jiang Li, his eyes nearly popping out.

“No! Operator Jiang Li, calm down, don’t act on your emotions!”

He vaguely knew that this operator from Hua City had once been kidnapped by the Eclipse Society and subjected to a series of inhumane experiments, but he hadn’t known her ordeal was connected to Berses.

Had he known earlier, by rights, Jiang Li should have been recused from this operation.

In fact, not long after Lu Ming rescued Jiang Li, he had forcefully destroyed the detailed records of Jiang Li’s experiences within The Midnight Watchers Society, leaving only the basic files.

Some things, once they happen, can’t be changed, but trying not to bring them up repeatedly is a way to protect the victim.

Under Golden Horn’s gaze, Jiang Li slowly sheathed her blade, took out the Thousand-Mechanism Lock from her chest, bent down and placed it on Berses’s wrist, then tapped it lightly with her fingertip, activating it with psychic energy.

As the polyhedral Thousand-Mechanism Lock burst forth with a dark golden glow, the black metal bands that suppressed psychic energy fluctuation wrapped around Berses’s arms like bandages, then looped over his shoulders and, with a “ding!”, locked in place on his back.

“This guy is very cunning. The Thousand-Mechanism Lock alone might not be enough to restrain him…” Jiang Li said calmly, her expression as tranquil as water.

“You…” Golden Horn was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Jiang Li, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

“Once he’s been escorted to the special ward at Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital, please notify me. I’ll remove the toxin from his body then.” Jiang Li added, then turned and left without a trace of reluctance.

Though she hated Berses to the bone, punishing him was a matter for the law. Her job was only to capture him and send him for judgment.

Watching Jiang Li’s departing figure, Golden Horn frowned.

He’d originally thought Jiang Li would kill Berses regardless of anyone trying to stop her, and then get herself into big trouble, but unexpectedly, she…

“Heh, what a terrifying woman!” Berses sighed.

In his view, those who can control their joy aren’t frightening; those who can suppress their hatred are truly dangerous.

“Yeah!” Golden Horn responded instinctively.

“You think so too?”

Golden Horn glanced down at Berses, then raised his foot and kicked him hard in the stomach. “Scum, you sure talk a lot, don’t you? Here, chew on this!”

As he spoke, he tore off a piece of flesh from the blood-and-flesh gourd at his waist and stuffed it forcefully into Berses’s mouth.

The next moment, Berses felt a foreign object jam into his throat, sealing off his vocal cords.

Glancing at Berses out of the corner of his eye, Golden Horn shrugged indifferently.

I’m worried the suspect might start chanting incantations halfway through and release a spell formation, causing unnecessary trouble, so I blocked his mouth. That’s perfectly reasonable, right?

—

Evening approached, and night was about to fall.

Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital.

Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital sat atop a low hill on the outskirts of Hua City. The hill had a peculiar shape, with sheer cliffs on all sides and only a winding mountain road leading to the summit. Three large mountains surrounded the hill like sentinels, with guard posts set up on them.

Such an arrangement might not be so tight that not even a fly could escape, but it was more than enough to prevent psychics and hauntings from the psychiatric hospital from breaking out.

……

Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital, basement level two, cell B2016.

Berses opened his eyes, looking at the grayish-white ceiling, the heavy metal door engraved with incantations, the special restraint suit that suppressed psychic energy fluctuation, and the locator ring on his ankle. He gave a wry smile.

Obviously, he was lying in a prison cell.

“This place is just like my old laboratory! Living here actually feels oddly familiar.”

Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the cell. He yawned, pushed himself up from the bed, and looked toward the small window in the heavy metal door, smiling as he waited.

A dozen seconds later, there was a faint mechanical click, the small window opened, and Golden Horn appeared behind it.

Berses stood up, bowed slightly, and said politely, “It’s an honor to see you, dear Mr. Golden Horn.”

Berses stepped forward, leaning close to the small window in the metal door, staring intently outside-not clear whether he was looking at Golden Horn, the special task force members behind him, or something else entirely.

A trace of disgust flashed in the golden horn’s eyes as he stared unyieldingly at Berses, his voice deep. “Since you’re awake, why not come clean? Where is the Beast of Inheritance?”

“This is your only chance to redeem yourself. Otherwise, with charges like participating in illegal psychic experiments and haunting modifications, murdering psychic potential bearers, and seriously endangering public safety, all these added up are enough to send you to the bottom of the Great Golden Horn Trench for twenty or thirty years!”

Berses took a step back, spreading his hands helplessly. “Sorry, Mr. Golden Horn, even if you say that, my answer remains the same as before.”

“I’ve already made it very clear-I have no idea where the Beast of Inheritance is.”

“I came near Hua City simply out of curiosity about the sudden outbreak of Nocturnal Syndrome, so I hired a bounty hunter to get me a corpse of a patient, that’s all.”

“Bastard!” The golden horn spat out a curse. “Don’t think just because we haven’t found evidence yet that you’re in the clear. When the Hua City case is over, I’ll even find out what color underwear your old man likes to wear!”

“Then I’ll thank Mr. Golden Horn in advance.” Berses bowed slightly. “As an orphan abandoned by my parents, I’d also like to know my father’s preferences.”

“You son of a bitch! Just you wait!” The golden horn glared fiercely at Berses, then with a heavy “bang!” slammed the window shut.

Soon, the cell was once again plunged into silence.

Berses paced back to the single bed barely a meter wide and lay down, staring at the ceiling. His fingers slipped out from the straitjacket, gently tapping on the wall.

“Da da… da da da… da…”

Intermittent, with a strange rhythm, it sounded almost like a piece of music.

No one knew how much time passed before the sky outside was completely dark, and the lighting in the psychiatric hospital’s basement grew even dimmer.

In the darkness, Berses heard the expected sound, and a sly smile curled at his lips.

“Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang-!”

A series of muffled thuds came from the neighboring cell, dust and powder sifting down from the ceiling.

From the first to the third basement level of Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital, all the cells held illegal psychics and hauntings.

These cells had undergone special modifications-the walls were over a meter thick, with lead plates inscribed with incantations embedded in the middle.

Even so, the sound of the neighbor smashing the wall still reached Berses’s cell, showing just how much force the other was using.

Listening to the banging from next door, Berses stood up, retreated to the corner, then dashed forward, slamming his body hard against the wall where the noise came from.

The crash, the crisp snap of a shoulder blade breaking, and Berses’s scream all rang out almost simultaneously, merging into one sound.

Yet, lying on the ground, Berses seemed to relish the pain, chuckling lowly, wobbling to his feet, retreating, sprinting, slamming into the wall-repeating the cycle with a strange rhythm.

Accompanied by this odd rhythm, the entire second basement level’s cells grew restless.

The sound of bodies hitting walls, shrieks, cheers, the clanging of metal doors-all filled the air.

Until…

“Damn it, B2015! What are you doing? Stop it!”

“And the rest of you, quiet down!”

The low roar of a special task force member in charge of the cells echoed in the corridor, and soon a commotion of fighting and cursing erupted from the neighboring cell.

A few minutes later.

All the cells on the second basement level returned to silence.

In the darkness, Berses lay on the bed, a smile on his lips, blood soaking his straitjacket, dripping, dripping, dripping…

Then gathering together, writhing, crawling toward the darkest corner.

—

Half an hour later.

Outside Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital, in a guard post.

A burly special task force member, holding a gun loaded with special ammunition, watched the surroundings intently, alert to the slightest sound.

Suddenly, a rustling noise came from the darkness.

His eyes narrowed instantly; he stepped back, raised his gun, and without hesitation fired a burst of Alchemy bullets toward the source of the sound.

A shriek, like the death cry of some rodent, rang out.

A small clump of writhing blood was instantly riddled with holes, lasting less than a second before it collapsed, turning into a heap of black ash.

“Hmph-!”

Inside the guard post, the special task force member snorted coldly, expertly ejected the magazine, loaded Alchemy bullets, secured the magazine, then returned to his original position.

Scenes like this attempted jailbreak played out almost daily at Yunkang Psychiatric Hospital, but so far, not a single one had succeeded…