Chapter 174: 171. Fate?

171. Fate?

Yu Lianyun's shock and suspicion were accepted by everyone as if they were fact, like a clap of thunder shaking everyone's sanity.

It was hard for people to imagine what kind of transformation a person had to undergo to turn a living human into a winged beast of the Mad Sect—bloodthirsty, cunning, impervious to blades and guns, with a voice like the netherworld, bringing intense despair and madness.

But the group didn't know what Yu Lianyun had actually done just now to cleanly split a Night Demon with a body of steel in two; the visual shock of this scene washed away much of the fear of the monster deep in their hearts.

Just as everyone was at a loss, a sound of a zither that pierced through space suddenly rang out. It was a timbre that no known human instrument could produce; it was like a hunter's horn or a wolf pack's howl, startling the Night Demons circling and lying in ambush around the villa like a group of helpless fawns. Panic-stricken, they fled rapidly, heading toward the moon on the horizon until their forms could no longer be captured by the naked eye, disappearing without a trace.

Hearing that zither sound, everyone felt as if their nerves were being plucked by a zither bow. The sound came not only from outside but also from within their own bodies, bringing a contradictory feeling of horror and inexplicable peace.

Unlike the others, upon hearing the zither sound, Yu Lianyun let out a long sigh of relief. She scanned her surroundings and finally nodded gently toward the dark, elegant figure on the roof of the black building outside the southwest window. The figure seemed to receive Yu Lianyun's gratitude, bowed slightly with elegance, and quietly retreated. The light reflected off his long metal claws in the moonlight flashed before Yu Lianyun's eyes and vanished.

"Delays lead to trouble, let's go." Yu Lianyun urged everyone to leave quickly, scanning the messy villa with a trace of unwillingness in her heart.

As expected, to deal with those things, one really had to use a Forbidden Weapon.

If they could, no one wanted to use those Forbidden Objects that had been passed down, which were immensely dangerous and carried an extremely high risk of suicide.

Boom, boom, boom...

The rain poured down, as if the sky were echoing the mood of the Magic City Investigators. Amidst the claps of thunder, it seemed to hide the shrieks of those black "bats" from earlier. They didn't seem to have gone far; at least, they were still lurking in everyone's hearts.

Yu Lianyun deeply suspected that besides possessing a powerful ability to bewitch people and manipulate emotions, the Night Demon might also possess the ability to spread a strong psychological suggestion, making anyone who had seen them once unable to forget their ugly, deformed figures. Their minds might even be slowly filling in those dream-demon-like details, causing people to suffer a continuous breakdown.

The sound of rain, thunder, and strong wind composed a death-dealing movement, increasing the burden on people's hearts.

"Captain Yu, our operation to capture the person in charge of Lihua Group has failed. What should we do next?" Someone broke the silence, wanting to avoid the deepening fear in their hearts by changing the subject.

Yu Lianyun: "Everyone return to the team. It is enough for me to go and investigate alone next."

"But..." Everyone was shocked after hearing Yu Lianyun's words.

Just as they were about to speak up to stop Yu Lianyun's idea, she said in a deep voice: "I can see it now; those guys' target is me. To be precise, I am the main target, and I can probably guess the reason.

Tonight's operation developed far beyond expectations. We have already lost several precious teammates tonight; no one else can get hurt because of my wrong decisions. Moreover, I don't know the specific situation for the next steps. To uncover the truth, I intend to continue using my ability. The negative effects of the ability will continue to attract attacks from Abnormal things. It is better for me to go deep into the tiger's den alone than to lead everyone to their deaths."

The Mysterious Investigators fell silent, unable to harbor a shred of resentment or unwillingness. Yu Lianyun had already put it very tactfully; she was going to act alone because it was inconvenient to act with everyone else—they were a burden to her.

"You asked the Venerable for something again?" Li Duojin, with a face like polished jade and a strong, healthy body, sat in the car and looked strangely at Chen Xiaolin in the driver's seat beside him. He wasn't leaning against the seat back; perhaps the efficacy of the Tai Sui Meat he was forced to eat was limited, or his injuries were too severe, as the wound on his back had yet to heal and was burning with pain.

Chen Xiaolin curled her lip: "What do you mean 'asked'? I paid for it."

"Sigh, to you it's a transaction, but to me, it looks like you are begging the merciful Venerable." Li Duojin shook his head.

Chen Xiaolin said with dissatisfaction: "I did it to save you! Don't treat my good intentions like a donkey's lungs. I'm telling you, even if you are older in actual age, I will get angry!"

Li Duojin looked at Chen Xiaolin with a complex expression and said: "You don't understand. Those without fortune should not casually come into contact with the Forest Cabin. You are just an ordinary person. Every time you trade with the Forest Cabin, you only deepen your 'fate.' Good fate and evil fate are established based on a person's fortune and nature."

"That's too pedantic, I don't understand it." Chen Xiaolin rolled her eyes and said, "Anyway, it's useless to say more. You, I've already saved you. Master Li, you once said you were a person who abides by the principles of a transaction. I helped you, now you have to help me."

"What do you want to do?" Li Duojin stared at the other person for a long time and finally sighed.

Hearing this, Chen Xiaolin also fell silent.

Li Duojin noticed that Chen Xiaolin's expression was wrong and was about to ask, but Chen Xiaolin finally spoke: "You... does your back hurt right now?"

Li Duojin was stunned. He couldn't help but look behind him, finally adjusting the rearview mirror in the car to aim at himself. He unbuckled his seatbelt, lifted his shirt, and looked sideways at his back in the mirror.

A huge burn was branded onto his back. The scar of the burn formed a pattern; it was exactly the Ritual Pattern exclusive to a Sacrificial Person, similar to the one used to guide the arrival of the Empty Demon into the world.

"Could it be Wang Zijing? No! It's not her, it's the Inverted Creator, it's her!" Li Duojin remembered when he was fighting for Wang Zijing's soul with the Inverted Creator in the interrogation room, the Inverted Creator's tentacles had grazed his back, and it seemed that some of her corrosive slime had fallen onto his back during that time. That burning pain had continued from then on.

"You should have guessed what I want to do by now." Chen Xiaolin looked at him and said, "I want you to perform this ritual."

"Are you crazy?" Li Duojin frowned and scolded.

"I'm not crazy, and I don't want you to actually do it, just pretend." Chen Xiaolin smiled nonchalantly, "Isn't it said that the Empty Demon is the Inverted Creator's most 'filial' offspring? If you were to summon her mother, do you think she would appear? I've already thought of the sacrifice; it'll be me."

Li Duojin took a deep breath, "You really are crazy. Even if you do this, what if it succeeds? Have you considered how we would deal with the Empty Demon, and the Inverted Creator too? There are only two of us."

"Naturally, there will be helpers; we can call them now." Chen Xiaolin gave a sly laugh, parked the car in a remote garage, and then reclined the car seat and lay down.