Chapter 80: The Four Stages of Possession

Being repeatedly accused by Wu Xian, Jia Xing grew angry: "What's wrong with my shelter?"

"Everything is wrong!"

"The living facilities here may be complete, but you're supposed to be a researcher—yet there isn't a single book in sight. Don't you find that unnatural?"

"Moreover…"

Wu Xian banged on the table for emphasis.

"Organized, categorized storage of supplies—that's the soul of a shelter!"

Tension flared between them; combat was imminent.

Wu Xian frowned: "Yes, he said you're all demons."

At that moment.

"This brings us to the four stages of possession syndrome. Aside from rare demons who possess with exceptional speed, most demons must pass through four stages."

Simultaneously, the soldiers' guns spat flames.

Wu Xian and Jia Xing both turned sharply toward the door.

It was a flimsy lie, but Wu Xian didn't press further; he sniffed the spray again.

Xu Ming smiled and shook his head: "After all this time, this demon still relies on nothing but this same trick. Come with me—I'm truly taking you out for a feast. Ask me anything you're curious about; I'll answer it all."

"This is a demon who has successfully possessed a body—let's call it a Possessed Demon… Indeed, wrapped in living flesh, it looks vastly different from other demons."

Wu Xian paused here.

Boom!

The shelter's door was shattered open.

During that time, he had become obsessed with apocalyptic literature and built himself a doomsday shelter in the vast basement beneath his private detective agency.

Wu Xian was unsatisfied with this explanation.

"You don't trust me? I don't trust you either!"

Xu Ming replied offhandedly.

"Relax—I mean no harm. That demon wearing Jia Xing's skin must've said plenty of bad things about us."

Bang, bang! Bang, bang!

A hail of bullets rained down; Jia Xing was instantly riddled with holes.

"That's why I studied cooking methods and meticulously crafted this spray seasoning—humans marinated in it, even their feet, taste delicious!"

Jia Xing could no longer maintain the act; his expression lost its earlier variety, settling into a detached, indifferent calm.

There, at the doorway, stood several soldiers: the front ones crouched, the rear ones raised their rifles, four submachine guns aimed squarely at Jia Xing.

Wu Xian had assumed firearms were useless against demons, yet he saw blood-red light gushing from Jia Xing's wounds—this bloodlight caused him unbearable agony; he let out a piercing scream, as if something inside him was dissolving, then collapsed lifelessly onto the floor like a pile of rotting meat…

In truth, he appeared calm, but inside, he was somewhat panicked.

"Males are chewy, females are tender, the elderly have richer flavor… Such premium ingredients—just killing them to drain their death aura, or swallowing them alive—is sheer waste!"

"Can you understand how much I love this seasoning? This is the highest honor for a chef…"

Jia Xing's face flushed crimson; he gasped heavily, radiating the indignation and resentment of being suspected.

"Yet you yourself carry no trace of this spray's scent!"

The soldiers reported via their communicators, dragged Jia Xing's corpse away, and Xu Ming, drenched in sweat, rushed in; only when he saw Wu Xian unharmed did he relax.

"Oh, I forgot."

"You're truly an excellent ingredient—I'm nothing like those beasts who only crudely devour raw flesh!"

"You're safe. That's wonderful."

"First is the incubation stage: the possessed remain conscious normally, but often sleepwalk, sensing others are still in the house, spotting figures in mirrors, outside windows, through door cracks—furniture moves on its own, and they wake to find strangers standing beside their bed…"

"Otherwise, your treatment room wouldn't have been left unlocked—if you hadn't startled us by stepping out early, we'd never have suspected you were a demon."

"Then comes the collapse stage: the possessed, driven mad by these anomalies, can no longer sleep normally; they try to knock themselves out physically, overdose on sleeping pills, or even attempt suicide."

Hearing Wu Xian's words.

"If I'm right, this isn't a disguise spray for demons—it's… hmm, judging by its fresh scent, this spray is more like a seasoning for you demons!"

Jia Xing first stared in shock, then terror; he lunged desperately toward the soldiers, trying to flee.

During the investigation of the 'Fudi Case,' with no leads, Wu Xian had once believed the end of the world was coming—the frequent disappearances were its harbinger.

He fiddled with the spray can and said coldly to Jia Xing: "Your biggest flaw is the scent—it's a gap you can never cover, because you were desperate to make me spray it evenly…"

"You say I'm the first patient cured—so I should have immense experimental value, tied to humanity's survival. You couldn't possibly be so reckless as to bring me out of the lab. How do you explain that?"

"I'm starting to regret saving you!"

Wu Xian hesitated a moment, then slipped the large bottle of spray into his pocket and followed Xu Ming.

Xu Ming quickly soothed Wu Xian.

Xu Ming adjusted his glasses.

Wu Xian had already walked into Jia Xing's trap by entering the shelter—it was Jia Xing's domain, and Wu Xian had no idea how powerful a Possessed Demon truly was.

Also, Wu Xian had just thought of another question.

"I love humans—I love them so much I crave them at every meal!"

As he spoke.

"Then why did I crawl out of a snake? That doesn't look like treatment at all!"

"You don't have to spray it on yourself before death—spray it on after. It's just less fresh."

Thus, as soon as Wu Xian entered the shelter, he sensed something was off.

Wu Xian stepped back, picked up an ashtray, and raised it as if to throw it.

If that's true, the inconsistencies multiply.

The others in the room also laughed heartily.

Wu Xian spread his hands: "Fine, I'll grant you that much."

"Do you think I'd bring someone I've just met straight to my hideout? This is just a backup hiding spot—I originally planned to observe you for a few days before taking you to the real sanctuary. But now… since you're so clever, you can hide here from the evil spirits yourself!"

"An empty storage room? What kind of sanctuary is that? Don't insult post-apocalyptic culture!"

"You know how to cook?"

Wu Xian curled his lips, commenting with a flippant tone.

"Special-grade Possession Syndrome patient, surname Jia—executed!"

"It's simple: you're not the first person cured. The cure technology has long been mature—with a hundred percent success rate."

His Treasure, the Five Thunder Talisman, manifests as falling lightning. So when he's inside a building, does the lightning strike the roof—or pierce through the floors to hit him directly?

Wu Xian dared not gamble, so the only tools he could use now were the Eight Trigrams Mirror to Expose Demons and the Miasma Talisman.

As he walked, he voiced his question.

His tone grew increasingly Tao Zui, his facial expression twisted to an extreme—his eyes alternated between wide and narrow, his lips twitched uncontrollably, and as he spoke, he gesticulated wildly, appearing utterly insane.

Jia Xing showed slight surprise.

Xu Ming smiled.

Jia Xing drooled, his skin turning blue-green, veins clearly visible, his eyeballs slightly bulging and entirely black, sharp teeth growing in his mouth, and an indescribable aura of evil radiating from his body.

"Next comes the pupation stage: the possessed fall into deep coma, their bodies forming a cocoon like a giant snake on the outside, while their consciousness enters the newborn device, where their self-awareness gradually fades in an endless loop…"

"Only the first three stages are treatable—once the fourth stage arrives… the evil spirit wearing human skin emerges!"

(End of Chapter)