By the time they came out of the cave, daylight had fully broken. Ouyang Pianzuo was organizing the second team to go down. The five elite members that Qiu Bulao had taken down earlier had all returned to the surface one after another. They brought back no good news and had left their own director trapped underground.
Deputy Director Wang Ziheng from the Second Division was already anxious as if his house was on fire. He had asked Ouyang Pianzuo many times and was about to take the entire team of Second Division investigators to re-explore the cave. Director Ouyang, naturally cautious, did not agree. Considering that during the first half of the night, Hao Wenming along with the entire First Division had gone missing one after another, and that Qiu Bulao had also encountered difficulties when first entering the cave, Ouyang Pianzuo dared not act rashly after a series of incidents. He spent the whole night calling Director Gao Liang, but Gao's phone kept busy signals—no contact was made.
Even as dawn broke, there was still no news from underground. Ouyang Pianzuo finally could not sit still. After discussing with Deputy Director Wang, they arranged the roster for the second team to enter the cave.
Except for two people assigned to guard the surface and continue contacting Gao Liang, the remaining dozens of people were mobilized en masse, with Ouyang Pianzuo leading from the front and Wang Ziheng bringing up the rear.
They added several pulleys and mountaineering ropes with cableways at the cave entrance. Everyone stood there as Ouyang was about to be the first to jump down. From inside the cave came a shout: "Are you all just posing?! Seriously, get down here, and carry the injured up!"
After simple treatment by Ouyang Pianzuo, the missing personnel had mostly recovered. Upon questioning, they said that shortly after entering the cave, they were suddenly enveloped by a black smoke. The moment the smoke surrounded them, they lost the ability to move but retained some consciousness. Almost everyone saw continuously shifting human faces appearing within the smoke.
As the time spent in the smoke grew longer, their remaining awareness gradually faded. Before their consciousness completely disappeared, a few vaguely saw a white-haired man dragging them out of the thick fog, then dispersing the smoke with a rag-like piece of cloth. What happened afterward, no one knew.
Afterward, Ouyang Pianzuo pulled Hao Wenming and Qiu Bulao aside for a small directors' meeting. Deputy Director Wang hesitated and did not dare to join in.
The details were unheard, but at the very start of the meeting, they heard Ouyang shout in surprise, "The white-haired one showed up too? This is the business of our three investigation divisions, what's it got to do with him?"
Director Hao wanted to cover Ouyang's mouth but was a little too late, so Ouyang shouted a few more words. Director Qiu frowned and said, "Keep it down, or you'll make my people…" The voices of the three directors grew lower and lower, and what they said afterward could only be heard by themselves.
This matter finally came to a temporary close. All the missing personnel were rescued without a single casualty. This ending was at least acceptable. Qiu Bulao's official explanation to the archaeological team was that what the missing personnel encountered was a kind of nerve toxin similar to a hallucinogen. Everything they saw in the smoke was an illusion. This nerve toxin was used by the tomb's owner to deal with tomb raiders.
Although full of loopholes, at least there was an official statement. The archaeological team would temporarily withdraw for rest. To prevent similar incidents inside the tomb from happening again, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (the temporary working name for this mission by the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation) would conduct an inspection of this burial site cluster. After confirming there were no safety hazards inside the tomb, the Gansu archaeological team would move back in.
Finally, the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation called, ordering personnel from Room One and Room Two to withdraw. Ouyang Pianzuo stayed behind; his men from Room Five were already on their way.
The only gain for the Bureau this time was that the two spirits had fled. Qiu Bulao and his investigators from Room Two personally escorted them back to the Bureau ahead of us. We could have flown back together, but somehow Hao Wenming was in a strange mood and stayed in the desert overnight. He chatted with Ouyang Pianzuo half the night, and only the next day did he take the three of us on a civil aviation flight back to the Bureau.
After returning to the Bureau, no one asked me about the desert incident. Sun Fatty, Po Jun, and I still sorted and transmitted files daily, doing the work of the communications office.
Sun Fatty once brought up how to handle those three luminous pearls. If he hadn't asked, it would've been better. But once the luminous pearls were mentioned, I got a headache—thinking about how Wu Rendi had said he wanted a share too. How to split that share, and how much? I didn't dare make a decision.
According to Sun Fatty, selling the luminous pearls would fetch around 10 to 18 million yuan (about 1.4 to 2.5 million USD). If he and I split it, we could quit Bureau work altogether and just live comfortably anywhere in China, enjoying the rest of our lives. But I stopped him with one sentence: "Dasheng, do you think there's anywhere in the whole country harder to find than an ancient tomb of the Ancient Zhi Kingdom?"
Trying to find Wu Rendi was useless—Director Wu just wouldn't show up. Over a month back at the Bureau, Sun Fatty and I frequently found excuses to visit Room Six, only to hear two words: "Director Wu is not here. No idea when he'll be back."
One noon a few days later, Sun Fatty and I, as usual, stopped by Room Six before lunch, still no sign of Wu Rendi. On the way to the cafeteria, Po Jun called me: "Lazi, don't eat yet. You and Dasheng come to the parking lot right away. The three of us are going out together."
At the parking lot, Po Jun was already waiting in the car. He handed each of us a cross necklace. "Put these on. We're going out."
"Da Jun, why can't we finish eating first?" Sun Fatty was always hungry and sleepy, and "work so hard you forget to eat or sleep" was not in his dictionary.
"It's urgent. Get in the car, I'll explain on the way." Po Jun started the engine. Once we were in, he stepped on the gas and drove out of the Bureau parking lot.
"We're cooperating with Room Three's operation this time. No need for us to do anything, just watch," Po Jun said while driving.
Room Three? They handled international religious affairs. Their director was a foreigner. What kind of operation could they have?
Po Jun continued, "Room Three is an exception. If they have an operation, they must have investigators from other rooms present. This time it's our turn."
"Why can't they do it themselves?" I asked, sitting in the front passenger seat, looking at the busy traffic.
"That's Bureau Chief Gao's rule. No choice. The operation was scheduled for next week, but something changed over there. Director Hugo decided to move it up to today, so we got called in. According to the original plan, Room Two people would have gone."
I asked again, "Da Jun, what kind of operation is this Room Three doing?"
"No idea," he shook his head. "Room Three didn't brief us. We'll know when we get there."
After about twenty minutes, Po Jun drove into a villa community. Wan Hua Community—the sign caught my eye. These houses were the kind I wouldn't even dare to dream of. Forgetting the sky-high price, the property fees alone would probably exceed my yearly salary.
The car stopped in front of a four-story villa deep inside. At the gate stood four or five people, whom I recognized as investigators from Room Three of the Bureau.
"Early, huh," Sun Fatty smiled as he got out. After a brief polite exchange, we got the purpose of today's operation.
A Catholic parishioner in China had been possessed by an evil spirit half a year ago. They had tried many methods and called several priests and pastors but failed to exorcise the spirit. The Bureau found out and handed the case to Room Three's director—Nicholas Hugo. The exorcism was scheduled for next week, but two hours ago, the possessed parishioner's condition suddenly worsened. Director Hugo decided to start immediately.
About ten minutes later, Hugo finally arrived. Unlike the first time we met, today his face was serious.
Wearing a black priest's robe, his blonde hair neatly combed without a strand out of place, a golden cross hung around his neck. His aide, Moyes, looked sullen, carrying a glass water bottle behind him.
If it weren't for having met Hugo a few times, I might have thought he was a reliable man just by appearance. Too bad his Chinese was good, but he still didn't understand that sometimes silence is golden.
"Hey, the guys are all here. Where's your boss Hao? Where's that old guy hiding?" Seeing us, Hugo's face returned to the usual smirking, slick-talking, and slightly mischievous expression—too bad today he was dressed up.
Moyes coughed a few times with a serious face, looking ready to freeze over. If he weren't holding that water bottle, I'd think he might just drag Hugo away.
Hugo gave a forced laugh and put away the exaggerated expression. "Everyone's here. Let's go inside."
The family of the subject was already waiting at the door. They clearly weren't strangers to Hugo. After some pleasantries, they led Hugo, Moyes, and others to a room on the top floor of the villa. Sun Fatty, Po Jun, and I followed last and entered the room.
The room's original layout was completely unrecognizable. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was an exhibition room for crosses and statues of Jesus. The windows were tightly shut, and the walls were covered with paintings of Jesus' suffering. Nearly every spot had crosses of various materials hanging.
Hugo and the others gathered at the center of the room. Today's protagonist was a man in his forties, lying on the bed covered with a very thick velvet quilt. The three of us stayed on the edge and only got a rough look; we couldn't see the man's face clearly.
Sun Fatty craned his neck a few times, then curled his lips and muttered quietly, "It's only early October, why cover a guy up so thick? He's gonna rot under there."
Po Jun shot Sun Fatty a glare, afraid someone would overhear. "Just look. No need to comment. When they finish, we can pack up."
Meanwhile, Hugo circled the man on the bed without changing his expression. It was impossible to tell how confident he was in the exorcism.
After circling a few times, Hugo turned to a woman in her thirties and asked, "Sister Wu, when did your husband's condition start to worsen?"
Though a bit disorganized, Hugo still showed some gravitas. His tone was calm and soothing, and holding the cross with his furrowed brow, he actually looked somewhat like a priest.
The woman named Wu was strong-willed. Tears welled up but she held them back. "The day before yesterday, we received the cross you sent and hung it by my husband's bedside as you instructed. It had an effect. For the first time in over half a year, my husband slept peacefully. We thought our nightmare was over, but…"
Her face paled, and her voice trembled. It was clear the incident had deeply affected her. "At around 3 a.m. the next day, my husband suddenly broke free from his restraints and bit the cross to pieces. He bit his mouth until it bled black blood. Since then, he's been like this." She pulled back the velvet quilt covering the man.
No one around made a sound. Sun Fatty and I, curious, stepped forward to get a better look. We gasped simultaneously.
The man was bound to the bed with restraint straps used for psychiatric patients. Usually, three straps were enough, but he was tightly bound with over a dozen straps from his neck down, as if nailed to a wooden board.
What made me gasp wasn't the straps, but the man himself. He was completely naked, his body split into yin and yang halves. The left side was covered with white frost, still emitting cold air. The right side was roasted red and steaming. The hot and cold air met above him, forming a thin mist.
The man was staring at Hugo with a cold sneer. One side of his hair was frosted with ice, the other side burnt clean by his own heat. Seeing this yin-yang hairstyle, I didn't feel amused.
Hugo and the man stared at each other for over a minute before Hugo suddenly slapped the man's face. The sharp smack stunned everyone.
"This is part of the exorcism, Sister Wu. The rest you should avoid. Don't worry, the Lord will be with you." Hugo smoothed his hair and said.
Sister Wu, a devout believer, made the sign of the cross over her chest, glanced once at her husband, then silently left the room. Her family followed her out.
"No, foreign monk, what do you think you're going to do to me? Slap me some more?" As soon as the woman left, the man on the bed shouted. His voice was sharp and mournful, like nails scraping glass.
Hugo looked at him and slapped him again, harder than before, drawing black blood from the man's features.
This time, the man was enraged and struggled violently, trying to break free from his restraints and fight Hugo.
Hugo tapped the man's head with his index finger and said, "Those two slaps were just an appetizer. Don't be impatient — soon, I'll serve you a feast…" He wanted to continue, but Moyes behind him finally lost patience. He shouted a few words in Latin at Hugo. Hugo wasn't very convinced and replied with a Latin phrase of his own. Moyes glanced at him and lowered his tone by several degrees, muttering something Hugo heard with a bit of reluctance. Turning back to the investigators in his team, Hugo said, "Let's begin. Let's send the devil back to hell — that's where he belongs."
The investigators from Section Three surrounded the man on the bed. One of them took out a glass bowl and handed it to Moyes. Moyes poured some water from a glass bottle into the bowl, then passed it to Hugo.
Hugo took the bowl and began muttering, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command you—demon, leave this servant of God immediately and return to the hell where you belong…"
The man on the bed sneered coldly for a moment, but the smile quickly faded. Hugo held the bowl in one hand and dipped his other hand into the water, flicking a few drops onto the man's face.
The man let out a horrible scream, as if burned by acid. His arrogant aura instantly vanished without a trace. He collapsed onto the bed, trembling uncontrollably, eyes filled with terror staring at Hugo.
This was just the beginning. Hugo showed no sign of stopping and continued, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…" flicking more drops of water onto the man's face.
They repeated this several times. The black blood trickling from the man's features grew heavier, and his struggling slowed down, seeming unable to hold on much longer.
When Hugo finished reciting again and before flicking the water, a sudden singing voice came from his pocket: "The vast horizon is my love, beneath the endless green hills, the flowers bloom…"
(Note: This is a Chinese pop song often played during elderly women's group dances at night, making it absurdly out of place at this moment.)
As the song started, the room fell completely silent. Even the man on the bed forgot to scream, tilting his head to stare at Hugo.
Nicholas Hugo awkwardly pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID, but didn't answer right away. He lowered his head and said to the man on the bed, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll be right back, won't be long." His tone was casual, like apologizing to an old friend for a brief interruption and promising to return soon. He casually took off his cross and tossed it onto the man's chest.
Hugo's cross seemed special. The moment it touched the man, the man shuddered. His unblinking eyes fixed on the cross on Hugo's chest. To him, the cross was no longer a cross — it had turned into a poisonous snake. He tried to shake it off but lacked the courage.
Hugo held the phone and only answered after stepping out of the room. Sun Fatty, always nosy, pretended to tie his shoe, then took a few steps back to eavesdrop at the door.
Hugo was speaking in some Latin-based language. A few sentences floated to my ears; I couldn't understand a word, but Sun Fatty squatted there, smiling and listening intently. He could understand? I had underestimated him before.
I squatted next to Sun Fatty and asked, "What did you hear?"
He grinned and raised his eyebrows, "Hugo's girlfriend just arrived from Italy. She wants him to pick her up at the airport."
I said, "You understand Italian? Didn't expect that, Great Sage, you're full of surprises."
Sun Fatty grinned, "Back when I was at the narcotics division, I once went undercover as a Chinese immigrant in Sicily. I seriously studied Italian for almost a year. Didn't think I'd get to use it today."
His mind was still on Hugo's call. He continued, "Foreigners are just so open. Listen to this: 'You illuminate my life, goddess. Our meeting is God's will. Don't go against God's plan, sweetheart. Let us unite today.' Ah!" Sun Fatty realized, "Is she his Italian online girlfriend?"
Moyes's face outside had turned purple. He no longer cared about appearances and yelled at Hugo, who was still on the phone, though the words were unintelligible. Sun Fatty didn't forget to translate, "Are you done yet?!"
Hugo reluctantly hung up and returned to the room, muttering something too softly for Sun Fatty to catch.
He didn't want to offend Moyes, but there was still someone here to vent on.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Hugo said with a smile as he returned to the man on the bed. "Alright, let's continue. By the way, a reminder: what I'm about to do may be more intense. After today, you might never bathe again in the holy light of the Lord. To use your Chinese phrase, your soul will scatter and never reincarnate. Last chance: leave this believer's body within five seconds, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. Time's up—you give up."
Since the holy water was poured on him, the evil spirit inside the man had felt like it was being scalded by acid. It already sensed trouble. When it came into contact again with Hugo's cross, it tried to leave the body but couldn't. The cross was like an invisible cage, locking it tightly inside.
Then the man on the bed shouted in a sharp voice, "I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now…"
"Smack!" Hugo slapped him again and said, "Too late! What took you so long?" Then he took the bowl of water from an investigator, pried open the man's mouth with his left hand, and poured the holy water down his throat.
Is this even allowed? Everyone in the room was stunned.
After Hugo poured the entire bowl, Moyes finally recovered and shouted in Italian, "Hugo, what are you doing? Are you crazy? You're desecrating the pure holy water!"
Hugo covered the man's mouth to stop him from spitting it out and said, "This holy water is cleansing the evil spirit's sins. Moyes, don't make a fuss — this is the most direct method."
Then Hugo loudly intoned in Chinese, "Lord, please manifest your mighty power and completely eradicate the evil spirit possessing your faithful servant from this world. Amen!" As he spoke the last word, he released his hands from the man's mouth, and a thick, foul-smelling liquid sprayed out.
Hugo walked to the window and pulled aside the bed curtain. Sunlight hit the sticky liquid, which bubbled, then suddenly burst into flames with a "pop." Minutes later it burned away clean, leaving only a black scorch mark on the floor.
The noise of the exorcism had already alerted the hostess, who knocked on the door and asked, "Father Nicholas, is everything alright inside? May I come in?"
"Please come in, Sister Wu," Hugo said, straightening his clothes.
The woman entered, glanced at her husband, then looked at Hugo and asked, "Father Hugo, I hope I didn't disturb your sacred ritual?"
"You arrived just in time, Sister Wu. The exorcism has just concluded. The ritual went perfectly. Your husband is free from the devil's control."
"My husband is better?" Tears welled up instantly. "I don't know how to thank you and everyone else…" She began to sob uncontrollably.
"All is well, Sister Wu. The Lord's trial of his faithful servant is over. As I said, everything is under the Lord's watchful eyes." Hugo made the sign of the cross over his chest and continued, "Although your husband is freed from the demon's control, his body has yet to recover fully. There's no grave danger, but he still needs quiet rest…"
Watching Hugo speak so solemnly, I started to suspect he had a split personality. His tone on the phone was playful beyond belief, yet now he sounded divinely serious.
The ever-cynical Po Jun finally spoke, "That's enough. This is none of Section One's business anymore. Let's go back…"
Today's events were baffling. Sun Fatty and I were randomly dragged by Po Jun to watch an exorcism show that was both entertaining and strange. Just when we were enjoying it, Po Jun abruptly pulled us away. Truly a strange day.
Back at the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, Po Jun wrote a report and handed it to me casually. "Lazi, I have something to do on the underground level two. Help me file this report with Ouyang Pianzuo, alright?"
I glanced at the report — a summary of today's exorcism in Section Three — and said, "No problem. You handle your stuff; I'll deliver this."
Po Jun left, and Sun Fatty ambled over. "Lazi, don't rush to deliver it. It's about Hugo's exorcism, right?"
I shook the report at him. "Your nose is sharp."
"When Po Jun wrote it, I glanced at it. He didn't try to hide anything. Now he wants you to deliver it, obviously so we can see what's going on first." Sun Fatty looked toward the door and said, "Hurry up. Before Director Hao comes, let's figure out what happened."
"When Pojun was writing the report, I glanced over a few times—he didn't try to hide anything at all. Now that they want you to deliver the report, it's obvious they want us to see it first," Sun Fatty said, glancing toward the door, then added, "Hurry up, before Director Hao gets here. Let's figure out what just happened."
My curiosity was no less than Sun Fatty's. Seeing him eager to dive in, I hesitated for a moment, but curiosity won out, and I pulled out the core part of the report.
The incident started half a year ago. Jewelry merchants Mr. and Mrs. Li were on their way home after attending a church service when they got into a traffic accident. Their car collided with a court truck (we later learned that the truck was carrying the corpse of a prisoner who had just been executed). Mr. Li was knocked unconscious on the spot but was fortunately not seriously injured. After some emergency treatment, he quickly regained consciousness. Everyone thought it was over, but the nightmare had only just begun.
After the accident, Mr. Li's personality changed drastically. He began doing bizarre things. Besides beating his wife (a woman surnamed Wu) without cause, he also desecrated the family's religious icons.
At first, Mrs. Li thought her husband had a mental illness and called in a top specialist to diagnose him at home. Unexpectedly, Mr. Li suddenly lost control, jumped on the doctor, bit into his face, tearing flesh and swallowing it in one bite.
Mrs. Li was horrified and called the security guard patrolling downstairs to help pull Mr. Li off. Then something shocking happened: Mr. Li was lying on top of the doctor when his head suddenly twisted 180 degrees, turning completely backward, his eyes staring blankly at everyone. Mrs. Li noticed that his gaze was vacant, with no hint of life.
A brave security guard stepped forward and tried to hold Mr. Li. The moment he reached out, Mr. Li's head twisted oddly toward the guard, and when their eyes met, the guard let out a startled scream and scrambled backward.
The guard was shaken and after catching his breath, pointed at Mr. Li, saying, "There's another person in his eyes." When their eyes met, what reflected in Mr. Li's pupils was not the guard but a muscular man in his thirties.
The guard dared not approach again. Eventually, Mrs. Li promised a large sum of money (the exact amount wasn't in the report), and they risked everything to restrain Mr. Li, tying him to the bed with ropes. By then, Mr. Li was no longer himself; he sneered coldly at the security and his wife, babbling nonsense unrelated to his past life.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Li were devout believers. Seeing the situation, Mrs. Li sought the Lord's help and contacted the local parish priest the same day. When the priest arrived and saw Mr. Li in person, he was stunned. He'd heard stories of demonic possession before, but had always thought them myths — he never expected to witness it firsthand.
The priest was brave; he first placed his cross on Mr. Li's head and circled him while reciting the Bible. Seeing Mr. Li calm down a lot, he relaxed his guard. But when he reached to touch Mr. Li's head, Mr. Li suddenly lifted his head and bit off the priest's index finger. That was how the first exorcism ended.
Afterwards, Mrs. Li contacted the church multiple times. After many failed exorcism attempts, the case was reported to the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. Considering the religious background of the victim, the case was assigned to Division Three.
At that time, Director Nicholas Hugo and Moyes were both out of the country. For emergency aid, Hugo borrowed a cross from the China district's archbishop, but it had little effect. That's why the exorcism took place today.
The rest was the exorcism process. Pojun wrote the report straightforwardly. Sun Fatty and I were directly involved, so we skimmed through those parts.
After reading, I organized the report and prepared to deliver it to Ouyang Pianzuo. Unexpectedly, Sun Fatty volunteered to accompany me, saying, "Let's go together, I have something to talk to you about."
"What is it?" I glanced at him. "Why all secretive? What can't be said here?"
Sun Fatty smiled and held up three fingers, "We found a buyer for those three little spheres. Want to discuss what to do."
"Keep your voice down." I made a shushing gesture and lowered my voice. "You forgot one thing — those spheres aren't just ours. Don't forget the White-Haired One got involved too. He didn't say if he wants money or the spheres. Let's wait until he makes a move before acting."
"Tch, look at you." Sun Fatty laughed casually. "I've thought it through — three spheres, one each. We handle ours ourselves, and he can handle his own. But seriously, how did the White-Haired One find out we got those three spheres?"
Sun Fatty had a point. Whether he wants luminous pearls or cash, Wu Renduo can decide for himself. Why should I worry for him?
I said, "Don't treat him like an ordinary person. Pojun said, in the Bureau, you can afford to offend the director, but never the head of Division Six. The head of Division Two, Qiu Bulao, is already terrifying enough — even he gets goosebumps when he sees the White-Haired One."
Sun Fatty and I talked as we walked. When we reached Division Five, we found out Ouyang Pianzuo had gone down to the second basement a few minutes ago and they didn't know when he'd be back.
Not wanting to waste time, Sun Fatty and I took the elevator straight to the second basement. After searching around, we finally caught Ouyang Pianzuo in a room at the very back.
The room was locked for years. Neither Sun Fatty nor I had ever been inside before. Taking a quick look, I saw the table divided into several small compartments, each neatly holding hundreds of talismans.
After handing over the report, Sun Fatty grinned and said, "Director Ouyang, these talismans look familiar. They're the kind we make with our blood, right?"
Ouyang Pianzuo glanced at him and nodded, "Yeah, you guessed right."
Seeing he was in a good mood, I chipped in, "Director Ouyang, last time you said if anything happened to us, the talismans would show it. How exactly would they show it?"
"If you get into trouble, these talismans will burn on their own."
Sun Fatty's face changed immediately, and with horror said, "Are you talking about this kind of fire?"
He pointed to two talismans behind Ouyang Pianzuo that had just caught fire.