Chapter 217: A Visit

Ever since the "Blessing" was released into the entire world by Yu Lianyun, the "Blessing" has been like a special "virus" spreading across the whole world, and even the entire universe; every living creature in this world is a potential carrier of the "Blessing."

To be precise, all things can themselves give birth to negative emotions like resentment and fear, as well as malicious desires; these are the most primitive forms and powers of the "Blessing," but the "Blessing" is like a massive, fatal joke played by this world—it is born from negative emotions and malicious desires, becoming a kind of "life" that no living creature can understand.

Therefore, rather than saying every creature is a carrier of the "Blessing," it is better to say that this is an innate defect of every creature; the "Blessing" that Yu Lianyun released into this world is merely a reagent that causes these defects to become "activated."

Yu Lianyun once told him that she has always been entangled by the "Blessing," only it is no longer "deeply in love" with her like the original body of the "Blessing" was at the beginning; the "Blessing" residing in her is more like a split-off entity or a subordinate of some kind. The forms manifested by those "Blessings" are no longer singular, because they originate from her own negative emotions and desires, and what they present is naturally the appearance of the person most cherished in the depths of the Blessed Person's heart.

After witnessing Mimiko's form with his own eyes, He Jia'an was basically able to confirm that Mimiko's Curse should be the power of the "Blessing."

He Jia'an's brows were knit tight; he had come into contact with the Blessing, so naturally, he understood the terror of the Blessing better than the average person.

The Blessing cannot be exorcised; one can only find ways to weaken and disperse the power of the Blessing, just as Yu Lianyun once did by directly spreading Yao Zhenzhen's Blessing across the entire world and even the entire universe.

What He Jia'an cannot figure out now is whether Mimiko's Curse originates from the "activated" Blessing of a certain person, or from the malice of a deceased person chosen by the Blessing, like Yao Zhenzhen.

The former would be easier to handle and control; if it is a person, one just needs to find a way to reduce their negative emotions and desires—he can think of countless ways to reason with them—but if it is the latter, He Jia'an does not think it will go as smoothly as resolving the videotape Blessing of Yao Zhenzhen.

In any case, he can only try to look for information regarding Mimiko. He Jia'an thought, taking the New Year Red Envelope back into his hand and stuffing it into his pocket.

The next day, while eating breakfast, He Jia'an told Misaki Naomi his thoughts.

"Then I'll be responsible for investigating Mimiko's affairs at school, and you, Uncle, will be responsible for the investigation in society?" Misaki Naomi understood He Jia'an's division of labor and confirmed it with him again.

He Jia'an nodded: "That is correct, little girl."

"What 'little girl,' that's such a condescending way to put it." Misaki Naomi frowned slightly and pouted, "Didn't I say, just call me Naomi."

He Jia'an laughed in spite of himself, "Alright, I look forward to your performance, Naomi."

It seems that even though this little girl didn't sleep very well last night, she at least got some sleep; she is much more energetic today than she was yesterday.

To avoid being seen by neighbors and causing gossip, He Jia'an and Misaki Naomi left the house at staggered times; Misaki Naomi left at her usual time for school, while He Jia'an waited until there was no one in sight nearby before heading out to the street.

While waiting to leave, He Jia'an had already used the computer at Misaki Naomi's house to search for information about Mimiko, eventually finding a photo of the entrance to Mimiko's home; through a comparison with civilian satellite maps, he quickly located the place where Mimiko once lived.

Mimiko was just a pseudonym used by news media for the protagonist of that tragic incident; the protagonist's original name should have been Kawakami Rumi. They were considered a moderately wealthy local family, with three people in the household and a dog. The family environment was quite harmonious: the father was a family-oriented financial executive, the mother was a gentle and dignified housewife, and the daughter, Kawakami Rumi, was a beautiful school idol who was excellent in her studies and loved by everyone before the incident.

Unfortunately, after the daughter was disfigured, the family's circumstances took a sharp turn for the worse; the father was suddenly dismissed, and the mother went insane because of her daughter's suicide, eventually hanging herself at home.

He Jia'an was not sure if the father of the Kawakami House still lived in that original place; he could only try his best to look, otherwise, he would have to visit the nearby neighbors to ask.

Woof woof!

Meow—

Animals are always more sensitive than humans; when He Jia'an arrived near the residence of the Kawakami House, the cats and dogs passing by were all barking at him, but whenever He Jia'an's gaze swept near them, they would immediately act as if they had seen something terrifying, instantly shutting their mouths, fleeing, and hiding away.

He Jia'an was accustomed to this; those in their line of work all carried some unusual aura. Although they were fated to have no connection with keeping pets, when going into the wild, at the very least, animals with even a bit of intelligence would not dare to approach, which greatly reduced the risks of ordinary wilderness survival.

He Jia'an stood at the entrance of a house, holding the picture on his phone and comparing it with the facade in reality, confirming it was the same place.

The phone was one Misaki Naomi used to use; she had changed to a new one after entering high school. Because He Jia'an was so down-and-out that he didn't even have a phone for contact at any time, Misaki Naomi had lent him one.

Seeing that the owner's name tag on the doorplate had already been removed, he scanned the courtyard and found it overgrown with weeds; he no longer held any expectations that anyone still lived here, but he still tried pressing the doorbell.

The doorbell still had power, and the sound of the bell rang out inside the desolate house.

He Jia'an stood outside the house, pressing the doorbell continuously for several minutes, but no one came; in the end, he prepared to give up.

Just then, He Jia'an felt something unusual at his pant leg. Looking down, he discovered a clean, beautiful Shiba Inu rubbing against his calf, looking very happy, panting at him with its tongue lolling out.

"Hmm, whose dog is this?" He Jia'an felt a bit nostalgic for the feeling of being approached by a small animal, so he squatted down and, seizing this rare opportunity, wildly petted the dog's head. The chubby cheeks were fluffy and meaty, and the texture was excellent.

This Shiba Inu was too clean and was wearing a dog collar and a dog tag; the tag had "Chaijiro" written on it, and it didn't look like a stray dog at all.

"Chaijiro, where are you? Chai... Mo! You little rascal, why did you run here again?" Just as He Jia'an was also looking for the dog's owner, a middle-aged woman of thirty-five or thirty-six walked out from a street corner. She called out the name on the dog tag, then quickly noticed the Shiba Inu, which was currently lost in the pleasure of He Jia'an's rough petting technique. She walked over, feeling a bit angry yet helpless.

Woof woof!

Seeing the woman, Chaijiro barked while running back to her side, rolling around, acting spoiled, and being cute. The combo of moves made the woman retreat step by step, her anger mostly dissipated.

The woman walked up to He Jia'an and hurriedly apologized: "I'm so sorry, our little dog has caused you trouble."

"It's no trouble, it's quite cute," He Jia'an said with a smile.

"Excuse me, do you have some business here?" The woman saw He Jia'an standing near the doorbell of this desolate house and was a bit puzzled.

He Jia'an said without changing his expression: "I am a reporter."

Hearing this, the woman glanced at the desolate house and suddenly understood.