Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty-Five, Approximately in Winter

If it's not usable, don't use it.

Zhou Zhen'guo doesn't insist, nor will he stubbornly push forward out of vigor.

Isn't being vigorous what it means to be young?

That doesn't apply to him.

Zhou Zhen'guo had a fellow townsman who, back then, believed in the evil of 'Hua Qiang' and then went in.

After coming out, he saw that his idol from back then was actually selling cuteness on a variety show?!

From then on, his faith collapsed.

All day he muttered things like 'Actors are heartless, it's all just acting' and similar sayings.

Zhou Zhen'guo would never be so foolish.

At night, everyone sat in the hotel lobby.

The boss sat behind the counter, occasionally glancing at Zhou Zhen'guo and the others, his expression somewhat torn.

Old John went missing...

The boss didn't know whether it was related to these few out-of-town detectives.

Inside, he still felt somewhat panicked.

But when Kai Tang Shou Jie Ke slaughtered the entire manor, the small town gradually slid toward the brink of collapse.

The presence of these few detectives could at least bring some protection to his inn.

In the afternoon, every shop around was robbed.

Damn gang members!

Gentlemen, aren't you going to rest?

The boss brought over a few cups of wine, set them on the table, and asked.

"Not going." Zhou Zhen'guo said, "Lately things aren't peaceful; we'll be here at night, boss, you can go rest—just consider us helping you watch the shop."

"How could I possibly feel good about that..."

The boss laughed and walked toward the back kitchen.

After about half an hour, he returned carrying some dishes and said, "This is my treat for you."

Tang Luo and the others weren't polite either, they just started eating.

Whether they will encounter Kai Tang Shou Jie Ke at night is an unknown.

Filling one's stomach is still quite necessary.

"Hiss, why does it feel getting colder?"

After eating the boss's meal and sitting idly for another hour, Li Liang couldn't help but stand up and stomp his feet hard.

"You're feeling weak, aren't you?"

Chu Zhongtian said.

"Don't mention it; ever since the first night I've been feeling weak." Li Liang said, "A true salted fish faces a grim life head-on, a body weak in the kidneys—but even so, it's not this weak."

"Indeed, it's a bit cold."

Zhou Zhen'guo said, his face suddenly grave: "Could it be Kai Tang Shou?"

The bone-chilling cold, a yin chill that numbs and stiffens, he still remembered it very clearly.

Several people suddenly reached out and grabbed the handguns hidden in their clothing.

"Gentlemen, should I close the door now? The weather is so cold." The boss also noticed the inexplicably dropping temperature, "Locking the door should be safe; you don't need to stand guard."

Saying that, he walked to the inn's door, which was left ajar with just a crack, intending to lock it.

Before locking the door, he instinctively pushed it open and glanced out.

The boss let out a sudden exclamation.

"Swish!"

Zhou Zhen'guo and Chu Zhongtian drew their guns at the same time!

Li Liang, meanwhile, went to the back to hide before pulling out the revolver from inside his coat, just as a gesture.

"It's snowing."

The boss didn't realize his action caused the three of them to overreact.

He said something, walked out the door, lifted his head to look at the sky, and reached out.

Several snowflakes fell into his hand.

Before he knew it, outside a heavy snowfall of goose-feather-like snow had begun.

The ground was covered with a thin layer of snow.

But it wasn't white snow; it was gray snow.

In the darkness it was extremely inconspicuous.

"How did it start snowing?"

Zhou Zhen'guo was somewhat puzzled.

Here the season is winter, but the weather, while cold, isn't cold enough to snow.

Besides, in the afternoon—no, wait, I should say that even an hour ago everything was fine.

Suddenly the temperature dropped to the point of snow?

Obviously abnormal!

He stood up, walked to the entrance, glanced out, and indeed gray goose-feather snow was drifting outside.

It gave an uncomfortable, dirty feeling.

He reached out to catch it; the icy snowflakes landed in his palm and quickly melted.

"Boss, don't look, this snow isn't clean." Zhou Zhen'guo said, then prepared to retreat.

The boss slightly turned his head, showing a smile to Zhou Zhen'guo and said, "All right, I'll—"

The light from inside the door shone on half of the boss's face, revealing an eerie feeling.

Zhou Zhen'guo's eyes widened sharply.

He saw the boss's eerie smile, and also saw a dagger appear in the boss's hand out of nowhere!

At this moment, Zhou Zhen'guo's mind focused like never before.

"Imprisonment!"

Almost instinctively, he let out a roar and reached out his hand toward the boss.

The sound of clanking chains rang out.

Like illusory, black chains burst from the ground, winding around the boss once before diving back into the earth.

The boss's turning motion froze mid‑air.

His whole body held a bizarre pose, lower half facing outward, upper half twisted toward Zhou Zhen'guo, almost a 180‑degree turn.

His right hand pressed tightly against his side.

His left hand was raised, then pressed against his chest.

The dagger rested against the edge of his own neck.

That was his stabbing motion, interrupted by the chains.

Imprisoned the boss—no, I should say after Grave Opener Shou Jieke.

Zhou Zhen'guo had no hesitation or delay.

His right hand clenched into a fist, emitting a white light that was somewhat blinding.

It was as if he were holding a glowing light bulb.

A powerful strike!

Zhou Zhen'guo used his sole attack skill.

Power gathered in his right fist; the white‑light‑wreathed fist slammed into the forehead of the boss, who was possessed by Grave Opener Shou Jieke.

The sounds of skull shattering and neck bones breaking rang out simultaneously.

The immense force sent Grave Opener Shou Jieke almost flying.

But the Imprisonment Chains were not so easy to break free from.

A clattering noise arose.

The head of the boss, possessed by Grave Opener Shou Jieke, 'disappeared' from Zhou Zhen'guo's sight.

The back of the head was pressed completely against the back, with only a sliver of flesh still connecting.

After throwing the punch, Zhou Zhen'guo staggered back two steps, pressed his hand against the door, and kept himself from falling.

His other hand struggled to rise, intending to deliver a finishing stab—no, a finishing shot.

"No need, he's already escaped."

Tang Luo's voice sounded from beside him, pressing down on the gun Zhou Zhen'guo had raised.

Zhou Zhen'guo retreated, leaning fully against the door, panting heavily.

He truly had only the strength for a single strike.

Bound by the Imprisonment Chains, the inn boss remained 'standing'.

The dagger he had been holding in his hand had vanished.

He had lost all signs of life.

A piercing headache surged, and Zhou Zhen'guo felt for the first time that the Imprisonment Chains could no longer be maintained, so he released them voluntarily.

The corpse hit the ground, still wearing that eerie smile.

Fortunately, it was night and still snowing heavily.

The terror brought by Grave Opener Shou Jieke almost turned the night‑time streets into a graveyard.

Hardly any passersby witnessed this scene.

"This won't do."

Zhou Zhen'guo said, "Grave Opener Shou Jieke keeps possessing people; we'll be worn out to death."

Whether to judge Grave Opener Shou Jieke's possession now has a clear distinction.

That is the rust‑stained dagger.

When Zhou Zhen'guo saw it, the boss was holding the dagger.

But the instant before his fist struck, the dagger disappeared.

This signified that Grave Opener Shou Jieke had also left that body.

To be honest, this isn't something to be proud of.

Because it means Grave Opener Shou Jieke's possession.

It seems no advance preparation is needed, nor does the possessed person need to touch anything special.

It can be said to be unrestricted—leaving takes only an instant.

As long as it keeps possessing others.

Even if it cannot inflict effective harm on Tang Luo and the others, it can still plunge them into serious danger.

The danger is not only from Grave Opener Shou Jieke's attacks.

It also comes from the trouble Tang Luo and the others incur when they kill the possessed in self‑defense.

In a life‑or‑death moment, nobody thinks about holding back.

If this happens several more times, Tang Luo and the others will surely draw the attention of the Gran Field.

Fortunately, Grave Opener Shou Jieke's possession has so far only happened at night.

Moreover, it seems he can only possess one person at a time?

We'll see if a second one appears tonight to determine the limit of his ability.

"At least we have a way to tell: whoever holds a dagger in hand is Kaitangshou Jieke."

After hearing Zhou Zhen'guo's description, Chu Zhongtian said.

After disposing of the boss's corpse, several people returned to the hotel lobby.

Everyone lit the fireplace, slightly dispelling the surrounding chill.

"We'll see if anyone attacks us tonight; if not, we can conclude that Kaitangshou Jieke can possess only once per night, and only one person."

Zhou Zhen'guo said.

"Wait, that's not right."

Chu Zhongtian recalled something: "Huo Qi on the first night! And Lao Yuehan, that should be two people."

"Is it certain that Huo Qi was possessed by Kaitangshou Jieke?" Zhou Zhen'guo asked.

"Probably correct, Master, what do you think?" Chu Zhongtian looked at Tang Luo.

To be honest, he never truly came face-to-face with Huo Qi from start to finish.

At first he just said a sentence, later Huo Qi attacked from behind.

By the time Chu Zhongtian turned around, Huo Qi was already a headless corpse.

"Most likely it's Kaitangshou Jieke. Ordinary people can't avoid the poor monk's thrown staff." Tang Luo said.

So the conclusion we can draw now is that Kaitangshou Jieke has the ability to possess. Those possessed by him have far superior reflexes compared to ordinary people, and simultaneously possess a strange aura that can suppress, rendering them unable to move.

Chu Zhongtian concluded: "Possession can only happen at night, cannot simultaneously possess two people—this point is doubtful, but one can switch possession targets at least once in the same night. Huo Qi, Lao Yuehan, and later Xiao Zhou's disappearance can confirm this."

The conditions of possession are unclear, the limitations should be small, and the characteristic is a dagger that disappears.

His true identity is unknown, we have no clues at all, our last trump card and reliance is Master Xuanzang.

I hope I didn't mess up my analysis this time.

Li Liang asked: "Regarding his true identity, we really have no clues at all, can we only wait passively? I remember Gelan Field didn't give us a list."

"It's useless." Chu Zhongtian said, "Kaitangshou Jieke can possess and kill; all clues are meaningless."

We're not super detectives; how could we have the skill to catch a murderer who can possess?

"Wait, that dagger is a clue." Zhou Zhen'guo recalled the dagger that almost cost him his life.

Because the light at the entrance shone on the dagger, Zhou Zhen'guo could see the mottled rust on it.

The dagger's appearance was also etched into Zhou Zhen'guo's mind.

Perhaps we can find the true form of Kaitangshou Jieke through that dagger.

Bang bang bang!

A sound of pounding on the door came.

"Boss, open the door! We want to stay!"

A man's shout came from outside the door, interrupting everyone's conversation.