The Mysterious Files 2 - The Bizarre and the Real

Chapter 12

Leo gritted his teeth in anger at A Cai's cold words. If she weren't still of use to him, he would have pounced on her, raped her, and then killed her.

Ah Cai turned around, holding the medicine bowl, and said as if commanding, "Take off your clothes." Leo obediently took off his blood-stained shirt; the wound on his shoulder had already scabbed over, like a crater in his skin. Ah Cai applied the black medicinal mud from the bowl to the wound, and Leo immediately collapsed in pain, cursing, "Damn it, what the hell did you put on me? It hurts more than when I was shot!"

Ah Cai picked up the travel bag on the ground, took out a packet of heroin from it, turned around and walked to the workbench, poured it into another medicine bowl, and said: "Your nerves have mutated. Of course you won't feel anything if you are hit by an ordinary bullet. But if I coat the bullet with my secret poison, you will be in so much pain that you will die even if I don't kill you."

Leo collapsed to the ground groaning in pain, not hearing a word the other person said. Suddenly, the muscles around the wound twitched violently, and soon "spit" the bullet out. The pain lessened as the bullet left his body, and he got up, saying, "How much longer will your work take? Jingyuan isn't a patient person."

A-Cai picked up a sharp knife and said to Leo, "Give me your hand." Leo did as she said and extended his left hand, asking, "What for?" A-Cai grabbed his hand and slashed his wrist with the knife, and dark red blood immediately flowed into the medicine jar containing heroin.

Leo didn't seem to feel any pain, but he was a little uneasy and said, "I just lost so much blood, and now you're bleeding me out again. You'll kill me."

The wound on her wrist stopped bleeding automatically in a moment. Ah Cai shook off the other person's arm and said, "Killing you won't be an easy thing. Your vitality is much stronger than a cockroach."

Leo said irritably, "Are you praising me?"

A-Cai didn't answer the other party's question, but kept adding strange powders and liquids to the medicine mortar. After a while, she said to Leo, who was standing aside watching, "If you have nothing else to say, get out of here right now. I can make what you want within three days."

Leo left the room dejectedly, his fists clenched tightly.

"What is A-Cai doing? Could it be poison?" Ghost Eye asked suspiciously.

Tian Shu said confidently, "She is manufacturing a new type of drug that can infect addicts with a virus; otherwise, she wouldn't have added Leo's blood into it."

I said, "What she's creating isn't important, as long as we destroy their base within three days. The question is, where did Jingyuan go?"

Ghost Eye said, "She hasn't been in contact with Leo for the past two or three days, and I can't directly search for her whereabouts, otherwise she will definitely find out."

All eyes fell on Xuan Tan, who was lying on the ground. He yawned and said, "Junior Sister knows that A Cai can solve her problem, so she will definitely hide in some mass grave to cultivate. For her, there is nothing more important than improving her cultivation."

Linglong said, "So what should we do next? We already know where their base is, do we still have to wait for Jingyuan to show up?"

I laughed and said, "We don't need to wait for Jingyuan, but we have to wait for Acai to manufacture the new drug. Once she gets it out, Leo will definitely recruit all the members to his hideout, and then we can kick them all out. As long as we can capture Acai, we won't have to worry about Jingyuan coming after us. The biggest problem now is that if Acai also has an earth-遁符 (earth-遁符), then things will be difficult."

Xuan Tan scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of with an Earth Escape Talisman? Let me set up a Five Elements Reversal Array near their lair and disrupt the surrounding earth energy. Let's see how they escape then."

I laughed and said, "That makes things easier. It seems Captain Liu will have to treat us to a good meal."

Chapter 38 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 38 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Three days later, late at night.

Xuan Tan's lazy voice came through the walkie-talkie: "The formation is ready. Within three hours, all ordinary talismans will become ineffective, and no one will be able to escape."

I nodded to Captain Liu, who then solemnly issued orders over the walkie-talkie: "Cut off all communication signals, attack immediately, and leave no one alive except the two key figures."

Although Captain Liu's orders seemed excessively brutal, they were tacitly approved by his superiors. The cult members were highly likely infected with the virus, and keeping them alive was tantamount to leaving behind a dangerous time bomb; no matter how they were disposed of, they could sow seeds of instability in society. Moreover, with the 2008 Olympics approaching, the higher-ups could not allow any mishaps at this crucial moment. Therefore, it was better to kill ten thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

Although the enemy had a significant advantage in terrain and outnumbered over three hundred men, all possessing highly mutated bodies with formidable combat capabilities, the operation was supported by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Faced with the valiant PLA soldiers, the mutated monsters proved no threat. The battle lasted nearly an hour and a half, and our casualties were more severe than anticipated. Fortunately, no soldiers were killed, but the wounded were at risk of viral infection, and therefore all must undergo isolation and treatment.

We brought Leo and Acai, who were tied up like dumplings, to the Seven Seekings Taoist Temple, intending to confront Jingyuan, this great demon, here. However, the Seven Seekings Master seemed dissatisfied with this arrangement, frowning and saying, "Why are you here again? The renovation fee from the Saint's matter last time is still unresolved, and now you've smashed things again. Who am I supposed to turn to?"

The dog spoke in an official tone: "The government has always advocated against feudalism and superstition. If it weren't for your Taoist temple's outstanding contributions to society, it would have been shut down long ago."

Master Qiqiu scoffed, "Stop talking nonsense. I know the laws and regulations on religious freedom. My Taoist temple is not a cult, so why should the government shut it down?"

I said, "We are all thinking about the safety of the people, so let's not worry about it so much. After this matter is resolved, I will communicate with my superiors to see if we can apply for your Taoist temple to be designated as a tourist attraction."

Seven Seeking Immortal revealed a mercenary smile and said, "That's more like it. Although I am a cultivator, I still need to eat. If I can't even afford incense and candles, I'm afraid the Ancestral Master won't bless us."

After dealing with Seven Seeking Immortals, we focused our attention on Leo and A-Cai. Leo was just a small-time hoodlum, and had been "monitored" by Ghost Eye for several days, so I didn't want to waste time on him and let the Spirit Dog chat with him.

I walked up to A-Cai and politely asked, "Can we chat for a bit?"

Ah Cai sighed helplessly and said, "Can I say no?"

I smiled and said, "Why would you help Leo and his gang harm people?"

A Cai paused for a moment, then said, “Because I feel lonely. I was destined to spend my life in loneliness from birth, because I am a descendant of the Jiuli tribe. Like vampires, my tribe and I are afraid of the sunlight and can only live in the darkness. I want to modify the virus in Leo's body so that infected people will fear the sunlight like me and become a member of the darkness like me.”

I said, "Do you think this will stop you from feeling lonely?"

Ah Cai remained silent, so I said again, "Actually, you already have the answer in your heart. Being with a group of addicts will only make you feel more lonely and isolated. Because your nature is kind, you don't want to fall into depravity like them."

Ah Cai closed her eyes and remained silent, tears silently streaming down her face. I untied the ropes and handcuffs from her body and gently pulled her into my arms. She didn't resist, but whispered in my ear, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

I said gently, "You won't hurt me, because I'm your friend."

"Friend?" A-Cai's body trembled slightly, and after a moment she spoke, "Thank you!"

Leo said that Jingyuan only returns to the main camp every seven days, and today is the day she returns. When she finds her hideout has been attacked, she will definitely be anxiously searching for Acai's whereabouts. Acai has agreed to abandon the darkness and help us deal with Jingyuan. She deliberately left clues so that the other side can find our location.

Jingyuan's cultivation level is above Xuantan and Shiya, but below Qiqiu Zhenren. Logically, dealing with her shouldn't be difficult. The problem is that her body has mutated, making her almost a half-demon. Therefore, even the three of them combined might not be able to defeat her. As for me, Lingquan, Linglong, and the others, it goes without saying that we would not only be useless but also become obstacles. Therefore, Qiqiu Zhenren also summoned Fangqin.

As night deepened, the area outside the Taoist temple remained calm, but the calmer the atmosphere, the more tense everyone became, as no one knew whether danger would strike at any moment.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind swept across the Taoist temple, forming a small whirlwind in the open space. When the whirlwind dissipated, Jingyuan appeared out of thin air.

"Those who were going to come have finally arrived, Qingyanzi. Let this humble Daoist clean up your mess!" Master Qiqiu slowly stepped out of the Daoist temple, followed closely by Shiya, Fangqin, and Xuantan. A great battle was about to break out...

[End of Archive 27]

postscript

The rear hall of the Qiqiu Taoist Temple houses the memorial tablets of some ancestors, including the tablet of the strongman. After resolving the issue of the cult, we arranged to come here to pay our respects to the strongman.

Jingyuan's body has been cremated, and the evil spirit that possessed her has vanished. Leo was not sent to prison, but to the Central Secret Research Institute. He will make significant contributions to my country's biochemical technology in the future, because there is no more valuable research subject than him.

After defeating Jingyuan, Xuantan disappeared without a trace, probably lying in some pedestrian tunnel, living his so-called carefree life. Acai decided to stay at the Seven Seekings Taoist Temple. The Seven Seekings Master was both happy and worried about this, because since Acai arrived, the temple had been free of mosquitoes and flies, but had gained many small pets, such as snakes and spiders. One night, a scorpion the size of a palm even crawled into his bed.

"Warrior, you're so disloyal! You closed your eyes and didn't care about anything anymore, leaving us to work ourselves to the bone," the spirit dog complained to the warrior's memorial tablet during the memorial service.

“You can be like the strongman too. Do you want me to ask Ah Cai for some poison for you to eat? I guarantee you’ll die a comfortable death,” Ghost Eye laughed.

"Alas, the head of the green bamboo snake and the stinger of the wasp are not poisonous, but the most poisonous thing is a woman's heart!"

"What did you say? I'm a virgin!"

"I vaguely remember someone saying that it's easier to get along with an upperclassman in college..."

Lingtai and Guitong were arguing endlessly when Shiya suddenly said, "I'm leaving."

Everyone remained silent, staring at the spirit dog. The spirit dog stood there dumbfounded. Ghost Eye pushed him in front of Shi Ya, saying, "Didn't you have something to say to Shi Ya?"

The dog's face turned bright red, and I was worried he might be suffocating. After a long while, he finally managed to choke out, "Can I and Youdi take care of you together?"

Shiya was taken aback by his words, then gave a faint smile and turned to leave without saying a word. The spirit dog stared blankly at her retreating figure as if petrified. Ghost Eye suddenly kicked him and said, "She didn't refuse, why aren't you chasing after her?"

The spirit dog's worry turned to joy, and it immediately chased after the ghost. After taking only a few steps, it turned back and shouted at the ghost eye, "I'll treat you to breakfast for a month!"

After Lingtou's figure disappeared, Fang Qin took my right arm and said, "Are you free tonight? I heard there's a French restaurant called Palatour with a really romantic atmosphere."

Upon hearing this, Linglong immediately moved closer to me and said, "I know which store it is. I even have their coupons!"

Tian Shu smiled and said to Linglong, "You'll have dinner with me tonight!"

Linglong asked, puzzled, "Why?" As soon as she said that, she knew the answer, because Guitong had already pushed her aside and was holding my left hand.

From the hostile gazes between Fang Qin and Gui Tong, I knew that the days ahead would be difficult, and tonight would definitely be a painful one.

[The Mysterious Files Part 2: The End]