Chapter 513: Who Stole the Human Essence?

Seeing Datou returned home, lay in his bedroom, and lit a cigarette.

Smoke curled through the room, obscuring the phone and satellite phone on the side; Seeing Datou adjusted a button on his shirt and contacted He He Jiaqing.

"I found the address of the medical cultivator Kang Doctor Kang Zhenchang—he's in Yuezhou, and I can go see him right now."

He He Jiaqing said: "Brother, you can't go. You've already helped me too much—I can't let you risk yourself again. Give the address to Zhu Zhu Junlong, the general manager of Chashan Hotel. Let him handle the rest. He has some things for you too—take those to the new site at Huahu Park and leave them in the cave where you usually cultivate. I'll come get them in a couple of days."

Seeing Datou agreed, went downstairs to the flower shop, bought a bouquet of roses, then drove to Chashan Hotel.

His wife was the hotel's lobby manager; seeing Seeing Datou, she hurried over: "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Datou handed her the roses: "After work, I couldn't sleep at home. I realized I've never given you flowers all these years—I suddenly felt I've owed you a lot—"

His wife's face turned bright red, her eyes redder than her cheeks, her lips trembling, yet she couldn't speak a word.

How did this wooden-headed fool suddenly learn romance?

General Manager Zhu Zhu Junlong arrived in the lobby; his wife panicked and hid the roses behind her back.

Zhu Zhu Junlong stepped forward and greeted: "Who is this?"

His wife quickly introduced: "This is my husband."

Zhu Zhu Junlong stepped forward to shake hands: "Pleasure to meet you—came to see your wife?"

Seeing Datou nodded: "She's worked here so long—this is my first time visiting."

They had met before, but acted as if meeting for the first time.

As they shook hands, Kang Doctor Kang Zhenchang's address passed from Seeing Datou's palm to Zhu Zhu Junlong's.

Zhu Zhu Junlong ordered someone to bring two boxes of tea from his office: "Since you're here, don't leave empty-handed. A small token—don't refuse it."

Seeing Datou politely declined a few times, then accepted.

Leaving the hotel, Seeing Datou drove to Huahu Park, walked behind the villa, and saw the woman sobbing with her back to him.

She wasn't alive, nor was she a ghost—she was a marker, a special mark left by He He Jiaqing.

Only Seeing Datou could see this marker; seeing the woman, he found the entrance to the new site. With no one around, Seeing Datou took two steps forward and vanished in an instant.

Li Li Banfeng stood beside the villa, silently watching the scene.

Since Seeing Datou left Anxing Bureau, Li Li Banfeng had been following him, because the glove had detected a peculiar scent on him.

Now Seeing Datou had sunk into the ground—likely entering the new site—and Li Li Banfeng hesitated whether to follow.

It was daytime; everything else was fine, but lying on the ground and plugging in an electric probe would draw attention.

How did Seeing Datou get in?

Li Li Banfeng had just heard crying again—clear, distinct—but he couldn't locate its source.

The crying must be nearby, masked by some special technique that distorted its position.

Li Li Banfeng activated the Jin Qing technique of the Microscopic Eye, scanning—and spotted a blurred figure.

He intensified the technique; this time he saw clearly: a woman stood behind the villa, her back to Li Li Banfeng, wearing jeans and a white shirt, both soaked and caked with mud.

She was sobbing. Li Li Banfeng moved silently toward her.

After two steps, his feet turned soft—he fell into the lake.

What's going on?

Seeing this woman reveals the entrance to the new site.

No wonder Luo Zhengnan called this a gatekeeper mechanism.

This entrance differs from the route Luo Zhengnan developed.

According to Luo Zhengnan's route, you'd need to use the electric probe again at the lake bottom.

This route requires no second probe—direct entry into the new site.

Seeing Datou reached shore first and went to his usual cultivation cave.

The cave was normally sealed, its entrance perfectly flush with the rock face—most people couldn't spot it.

Seeing Datou pulled out a key, found the lock behind a tangle of green vines, turned it—and a slab of rock slowly rotated, revealing an entrance just wide enough for one person.

Inside the cave was Seeing Datou's cultivation space—what he called cultivation was simply taking elixirs.

The cave held some daily necessities and medicines to neutralize elixir toxins.

Seeing Datou always took his pills here, then used these medicines to purge the toxins, avoiding detection by Anxing Bureau.

One section of the cave was dedicated to storing drinking water, with over a dozen water barrels; Seeing Datou placed Zhu Zhu Junlong's tea boxes on top of them, worried He He Jiaqing might miss them, so he covered them with a blanket.

Once everything was settled, Seeing Datou left the cave, closed the stone door, and returned the same way to Huahu Park.

Li Li Banfeng didn't return—he used the Broken Path Opening Technique to enter the cave.

The blanket over the water barrels was an obvious marker; Li Li Banfeng quickly found the tea boxes.

He tore off the packaging and opened them—inside were all kinds of things.

Magnets, antennas, earphones, nails, circuit boards of various sizes, and fox tails of different styles.

What the hell are these? Why hide them in a cave?

Li Li Banfeng frowned, disdainfully studying the two boxes of junk, analyzing Seeing Datou's peculiar habits.

While analyzing, he suddenly caught a scent—unusual, distinct.

Human essence?

Li Li Banfeng picked up a magnet and activated the Baiwei Baiwei Linglong Technique; within the magnet, he clearly detected traces of human essence.

Seeing Datou is collecting human essence?

What is he doing with it?

Could his cultivation have reached Yunshang?

In the Peacekeeping Squad, there's a widely accepted belief: Seeing Datou has the strongest combat power among all members.

Is he the strongest because he's Yunshang?

That doesn't make sense—why would a Yunshang cultivator remain a squad member? Doesn't he have better options?

Is this truly human essence?

Can't judge by scent alone—must test with Yunshang methods.

Li Li Banfeng placed the magnet on his head.

After a brief tremor, he removed the magnet.

It's truly human essence—vast in quantity, incredibly pure.

Seeing Datou really can't be underestimated!

But how is the magnet storing human essence? Could Luo Zhengnan figure out the mechanism?

The other items looked even stranger—but the magnet containing human essence doesn't mean the others do too.

Take this circuit board—does it really contain human essence?

Can't judge by scent alone—must test this too.

"And over there—that rock too!" Xiao Xiao Zhenggong pointed to a boulder in the bushes, ordering Daboyens to dig it up.

Daboyens frowned: "Do you find this amusing?"

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong laughed: "What? Tired? I'm not tired! I've told you all my secret hiding spots—aren't you supposed to lend a hand?"

This was an unnamed mountain in Yaowang Gou's new site; Daboyens had spent two full days digging rocks here.

Daboyens had revived Xiao Xiao Zhenggong using a corpse, but the revived Xiao Xiao Zhenggong lost two months of critical memories.

Those two months of memories were gone forever, but Xiao Xiao Zhenggong had a habit of hiding things—and a few fixed locations, one of which was this unnamed mountain, possibly holding vital clues.

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong now had almost no cultivation base, his physique only slightly better than a normal person's. If today yielded nothing valuable, Daboyens would be furious—and if Daboyens decided to act, Xiao Xiao Zhenggong had no way to resist.

But today they were lucky: Daboyens unearthed a sealed bag—rare in Like Puluozhou, clearly brought back by Xiao Xiao Zhenggong from another province.

Inside were over a dozen notebooks, each filled with dense numbers; Daboyens studied them long but couldn't decipher their meaning.

"What's the use of this?"

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong took the notebooks, flipped through them briefly: "These are extremely useful—but how to use them, I need to think."

Daboyens dropped his shovel and grabbed Xiao Xiao Zhenggong by the collar: "Need me to help you think?"

Though stripped of power, Xiao Xiao Zhenggong showed no fear: "You want to kill me? Go ahead."

Daboyens whipped out a spiderweb from his sleeve, stretched it between two trees, and tossed Xiao Xiao Zhenggong onto it: "I didn't say I'd kill you—but I can make you wish you were dead."

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong smiled: "Making me wish I were dead—what good is that to you?"

Daboyens bared his fangs: "Whether it's useful or not—we'll find out!"

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong remained unmoved: "I can beg for mercy, grovel, and then we can keep scheming—until neither of us gains anything. Why go through that?"

Daboyens shook his head: "I never planned to scheme with you. I've always been sincere in cooperating with you."

"What's sincerity?"

"I brought you back to life! I gave you a second chance! That's sincerity!"

"That's sincerity?" Xiao Xiao Zhenggong laughed bitterly. "I once had near-Yunshang cultivation. Now? I'm barely better than a lamb. I have to speak softly to you. Do you really think this is sincerity?"

"I told you before—your blood still holds traces of cultivation, but full recovery won't happen overnight."

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong said: "I'm not asking to regain Yunshang overnight—just restore one or two levels. Let me hold a weapon again. Don't wait until you've used me and then discarded me—I won't even have a way to defend myself. Doesn't that make sense?"

After a moment's thought, Daboyens lowered Xiao Xiao Zhenggong from the web: "Tomorrow I'll contact Neizhou to get you some potions. Also, I'm low on funds—I need financial turnover."

"Easy. I've got money—right here on this mountain. Take the money first, then I'll take cultivation. Once my cultivation's restored, we talk business. Deal?"

Daboyens lowered Xiao Xiao Zhenggong from the web, rested a moment, then resumed digging.

Li Li Banfeng returned to Anxing Bureau; Zhong Er reported the first-phase investigation results.

The primary task of the first phase was battle reconstruction.

Zhong Er brought a map of the textile factory, densely marked with symbols.

According to the witness accounts, four groups entered Ruirong Textile Factory that night: unidentified individuals wearing gas masks—we temporarily call them Masked Ones; unidentified individuals wearing conical hats—we call them Hat-Wearers; known individuals including Li Ju and others; and known members of the Public Security Team.

The first to arrive at the factory were the Masked Ones, who entered Workshop Six. Li Ju did not go to Workshop Six nor did he see the Masked Ones.

From the surveillance footage, after the Masked Ones entered Workshop Six, they never appeared on any camera again. During the subsequent search by the Public Security Team, no trace of them was found, suggesting they likely entered a hidden space.

As he spoke, Zhong Er drew a circle in Workshop Six and labeled it "Hidden."

Li Li Banfeng said: "The place where I fought the Hat-Wearer was not in Workshop Six."

Zhong Er marked the perimeter wall: "Li Ju and Tang Yuan entered the wall here; Tang Yuan exited the factory here; the spot where Li Ju fought the Hat-Wearer is here too—this area must also contain a hidden space."

"This hidden space is particularly unusual. Based on Tang Yuan's description of the scene, this hidden space has a tangible physical form."

"What does 'tangible physical form' mean?"

Zhong Er brought out a photograph: "This is a photo taken in the early 20th century, shortly after Ruirong Textile Factory was completed. At the time, there was only one workshop. Li Ju, look at the layout of the courtyard—doesn't it resemble your combat location?"

Li Li Banfeng glanced at the photo. Memories of his fight in the "Centipede Workshop" surfaced in his mind.

The courtyard layout and workshop position were indeed similar—but one photo alone couldn't confirm it was the same location.

Zhong Er didn't insist: "I'm only making a rough inference. This is the only photo we have of the factory courtyard. There are a few more of the workshop interior—see if they're useful."

After reviewing the workshop interior photos, Li Li Banfeng was nearly certain this was the Centipede Workshop.

The positions and layouts of the main steam pipe, cylinders, pistons, and machine tools matched exactly what he had seen.

Li Li Banfeng nodded slightly: "This is it."

Zhong Er then produced a stack of documents: "After Ruirong Textile Factory began production, it quickly became a flagship of Yuezhou. Its operations improved steadily, and the factory expanded continuously. After this workshop was retired, it wasn't demolished—instead, an exhibition hall was built on its foundation."

"This shows its significance in Yuezhou's industrial history. Later, the exhibition hall was torn down, and its equipment sent to the smelter. Since then, Ruirong Textile Factory has experienced many incidents."

"Early records are sparse, often mentioned in passing. But in the 1980s, newspapers and magazines began publishing numerous reports on similar events."

Zhong Er had cut and pasted the relevant news clippings into a bound volume. Li Li Banfeng skimmed through them—the headlines were striking.

"Screams echo through the textile factory at midnight; the resentment of the abandoned workshop lingers."

"Two workers got lost inside the factory—what did they encounter?"

"Phantom figures appear in the factory; security guard spends a night in terror."

Looking at these headlines, Li Li Banfeng felt a pang of nostalgia—thinking back to scrolling through his phone. The art of crafting sensational titles never died out.

Looking at these news headlines and thinking back on the days of scrolling through his phone, Li Li Banfeng felt a deep sense of nostalgia—this art of crafting titles seemed never to have been lost.

"Most aren't, but some have verifiable foundations. For example, this one: a textile worker saw a hundred-meter-long monster in the factory at night."

"The hundred-meter length is clearly exaggerated, but combined with other reports, there have been six documented sightings of monsters at Ruirong Textile Factory. Some witnesses claimed to see snakes; others, giant insects. Descriptions vary slightly, but overall, they all describe elongated aberrations."

Li Li Banfeng checked the dates on the reports. If the monsters described were indeed the "Centipede Workshop," then the history of Neizhou people coming to Waizhou must be far longer than assumed.

Zhong Er pulled out another document: "Twenty-two years ago, Ruirong Textile Factory officially shut down. Two years later, the first well-documented case occurred."

Li Li Banfeng reviewed the file: twenty years ago, a giant spider appeared at the factory, causing three deaths and eleven injuries.

"Since then, incidents at Ruirong Textile Factory have never ceased. Some cases spread like wildfire, turning the factory into a focal point of folk legends."

"That's hard to understand," Li Li Banfeng said, frowning at the documents. "Why wasn't the factory torn down?"

Zhong Er had no answer: "This has puzzled me for a long time. The only plausible explanations I've found are two: one, Ruirong Textile Factory holds significant research value; two, it may conceal a powerful dark energy source. If dismantled, current technology cannot control the dark energy effectively."

"Since the founding of the Dark Star Bureau, within my access range, Ruirong Textile Factory has recorded thirty-five incidents: twenty-three disappearances, all unsolved; twelve involve aberrant lifeforms."

"Among the aberrant lifeform cases, Workshop Six and the wall area where Li Ju entered the factory are high-risk zones. In disappearance cases, victims' personal items have repeatedly been found in these two areas."

"Based on current data, both Workshop Six and the wall area contain entrances to hidden spaces. Whether they lead to the same space remains unconfirmed."

"In this case, neither Li Ju nor Tang Yuan encountered the Masked Ones within the hidden space. A more plausible inference is that there are two hidden spaces in Workshop Six, with entrances corresponding separately to Workshop Six and the wall area."

Li Li Banfeng stared at the stacks of documents, silent for a long time.

He had only asked Zhong Er to reconstruct the battle that day—yet Zhong Er had compiled the entire history of the factory with such clarity.

Zhong Er was an excellent Public Security Team member—the best Li Li Banfeng had ever worked with.

But this also revealed a problem: all these documents were gathered by Zhong Er himself, bit by bit.

"Given how unusual Ruirong Textile Factory is, doesn't the Dark Star Bureau have a dedicated dossier?"

Zhong Er shook his head: "I investigated the factory before. There's no dedicated dossier. Or perhaps my clearance level is insufficient."

The Public Security Team is a frontline unit of the Dark Star Bureau. How could such critical files be withheld from frontline personnel?

Could it really not exist?

The Dark Star Bureau's operations grew increasingly baffling to Li Li Banfeng.

In a house in Qishui Kiln, Xiao Xiao Zhenggong was studying notebooks he had dug up from the mountains.

These were his own notebooks—seventeen volumes total. Only one was useful. Xiao Xiao Zhenggong knew which one. He knew his own habits.

But he couldn't let Dabo Yens reveal this.

Dabo Yens had resurrected him, kept him alive this long, because he still had value.

His value lay in these notebooks—records of secrets he uncovered while investigating for the Dark Star Bureau, secrets about the Boundary.

At dusk, Dabo Yens returned to the house, sitting on the bed, gasping for breath.

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong set down his notebook and asked anxiously: "How did it go?"

Dabo Yens glanced at the notebook's cover and shook his head: "Not good."

"You didn't find the Neizhou person?"

"I found him. But his condition… isn't right."

"What changed?"

"Hard to say. I knew there was a Neizhou entrance here. I've been there once before—but never saw the Neizhou gatekeeper. Today I saw him. His condition was nothing like I imagined."

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong said: "I've met many Neizhou people. Describe what he looked like."

"A skeleton. A fish skeleton."

"I've never seen a Neizhou person made of pure bone. But Neizhou people come in all forms. If you trust me, take me to meet him. I've had more contact with them—I might be able to speak with them."

Dabo Yens shook his head: "I advise you not to go."

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong sneered: "Even now, we still distrust each other. If we keep guessing like this, nothing will ever get done!"

"If the Neizhou person won't give you medicine, you can't restore my cultivation. If I can't regain my cultivation, you won't get your memories back."

"This isn't about distrust. I'm stopping you for your own good." Dabo Yens unbuttoned his shirt. On his body were over a dozen wounds—some exposing bone, others internal organs.

Dabo Yens applied healing ointment as he spoke: "All these were bitten by that fish skeleton. I barely survived—I'd left a strand of spider silk on shore beforehand."

Xiao Xiao Zhenggong stared in shock: "Why did he bite you?"

Dabo Yens shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe there's some misunderstanding between us and the Neizhou."

Late at night, Li Li Banfeng stayed in his office.

The Glove remembered something: "Boss, I know where I've smelled that scent before. Actually, it wasn't me who smelled it—it was the Black Glove. He's been there—on the twelfth floor."

The twelfth floor was the archives room. Seeing Datou must have found something important there.

The twelfth floor was the archive room; Seeing Datou must have found important information there.

Li Li Banfeng planned to go to the twelfth floor, but the Glove stopped him: "Boss, that little box that moves up and down—it's called an elevator, right?"

Li Li Banfeng had planned to go up to the twelfth floor, but the glove stopped him: "Boss, that little house that moves up and down by itself—isn't it called an elevator?"

"Taking that won't work. You have to walk up the stairs to find it."

Walking up the stairs is different from taking the elevator.

There are unnameable spaces.

Li Li Banfeng prepared to take the stairs. He pulled out the projector and first tried to establish rapport with the cameras near the stairwell.

Minutes later, the projector replied: "Seven Director, return to your office."

Back in his office, the projector said: "The stairwell cameras are unusual. They're suspicious. They're not ready to be my friends yet."

Li Li Banfeng struggled to understand how the projector made friends: "How do you communicate with them? Are they spirit entities?"

"Seven Director, not only spirit entities have life. In my understanding, all things in the world possess life. They need recognition, respect, sincere care, and tangible help."

Li Li Banfeng now understood the projector's meaning: "It's about sincerity for sincerity!"

"Exactly. That's also why I devote myself wholeheartedly to you, Seven Director."

The Glove muttered beside him: "Always seizing chances to flatter!"

The projector continued: "The cameras in your residence are inexperienced. Talk to them, chat with them, wipe the dust off their lenses—they'll warm up easily."

"But the stairwell cameras have endured hardship. They're deeply guarded. Their needs are more practical. They asked me for lubricants."

But the stairwell cameras had endured years of hardship, their depths too great; their demands were more practical—they asked me for skincare products.

"Special oil for lens maintenance. I gave some to the camera at the stairwell entrance. He loved it—he's now my friend."

"But he told me there are many more cameras in the stairwell, all fond of this oil. I calculated our stock—it's nowhere near enough."

Li Li Banfeng knew the oil the projector meant—it was bought from Ling Ling Miaosheng's phonograph shop. Could similar oil be found in Waizhou?

Unlikely. Ling Ling Miaosheng's goods came from unusual sources.

Ask Ma Wu to send some from the phonograph shop?

Items could be mailed from Pulu Province to Waizhou—but efficiency was terrible. Even if Ma Wu sent it now, Li Li Banfeng wouldn't receive it for a month.

And it would pass through multiple inspections. The Dark Star Bureau would surely know Li Li Banfeng received oil from Pulu Province—and might even guess his intent.

And it would require multiple layers of inspection; at that point, the Dark Star Bureau would certainly know Li Li Banfeng had received grease from Pulu Province, and might even guess his intentions.

Luo Zhengnan already had too much on his plate. Li Li Banfeng decided to go himself.

That night, he went to Huahu Park, walked behind the Western-style building, and activated Jin Qing's Jinjing Qiuhao Technique.

After seeing the weeping woman, Li Li Banfeng fell into the lake. When he surfaced, he didn't rush to Tiemenbao. He gazed into the distance.

He wanted to visit Seeing Datou's secret cave. Last time, he gained massive popularity there. This time, he might find something even better.

He wanted to visit Big Head's secret cave to take a look; last time he made a fortune in popularity there, and this time he might find something even better.

Aii-ga-ga-ga~ The cave door opened.

He He Jiaqing entered the cave, activated the mechanism, and the cave door closed silently.

He walked deeper into the cave and soon found the tea box placed on the bucket by Seeing Datou.

The packaging on the box had been torn open; He He Jiaqing felt a bad premonition.

He opened the box and counted the items: two magnets were missing, two circuit boards were gone, the headphones, antenna, and nails were all gone—only the fox tail remained.

Who touched these things?

He He Jiaqing placed a magnet on his head—it was empty, no qi at all.

He tried another magnet—still empty.

He tried the antenna, then the nails—also empty!

Since He He Jiaqing went to Like Puluozhou, these items had been stealing qi for him in other provinces, gathering a considerable amount!

Who stole them?

Who?

This is my qi! All of it is mine!

Who the hell stole them!

He He Jiaqing clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the cave.

He quietly stood up and stared silently toward the cave entrance.

At the cave entrance, Li Li Banfeng stopped in his tracks.

There was dust on the ground—likely fallen when the stone door moved.

The dust was clear; the stone door had just been opened.

A chill swept over him; Li Li Banfeng sensed malice.

He He Jiaqing suddenly rushed to the cave entrance, about to open the stone door, when a sharp pain struck his foot.

His right foot, from sole to knee, had its skin stripped away, revealing raw flesh.

Something lay beneath his foot—a halo of light.

What was the origin of this halo?

A boundary?

How could there be a boundary here?

Did the opponent use the Closed Door and Shut Window technique?

Who is outside the cave?

Could it be a Local Spirit?