After those corpses passed through the door, my heart hadn't even settled when I heard Sun Fatty panic, "What about that corpse aura?"
Only then did I realize—the wisp of black energy was gone after all the chaos just now.
"Don't just stand there, look for it!" I also got flustered, jumping up from the floor. I circled around the corpse storage room a few times but couldn't find the black aura. It was moving slowly just moments ago; there's no way it vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Lazi," Sun Fatty called me, "could it have gone with those corpses?"
His words reminded me—right, what if the corpse aura followed the bodies? Who knows what could happen when corpse aura meets a corpse?
"Lazi, are we going to chase it?" Sun Fatty asked.
"What do you think?" I tried to reassure him. "No matter what's ahead, Wu Rendi is watching. What do we have to fear? Hey, Great Sage, you go first."
"Don't push it!" This fatty was even sharper than a monkey. He stared at me and said, "We go together."
"Pfft," I glanced at him and said, "Go pick up the red string. What do you think I'm doing?" As I spoke, I already picked up the red string that had fallen into the formalin pool.
We headed out in the direction the corpses went. Outside the door was a corridor more than fifty meters long, leading all the way to what looked like a large storage room.
The storage room's door was wide open, the lock hanging on the iron door rusted and old, clearly unused for years. I didn't have time to think more and was about to enter, but Sun Fatty stopped me with a hand. "There's definitely something wrong inside. Let's cut the red string before going in."
I hesitated but didn't follow his advice. "Let's go in and see first. We don't even know what's going on. Our target is the person who injured Wang Ziheng. If we make noise now, and Wu Rendi and Po Jun miss the chance to find them, do you think Director Hao will let us off?"
"The red string's in your hands. You decide," Sun Fatty hesitated after I said that.
Anyway, we had to enter the storage room. As we walked in, I immediately saw about a dozen figures swaying in the center. They looked hairless and skinless—hard to even call them 'people.'
Above their heads, I saw the familiar black aura drifting back and forth. It seemed to have reached its destination, with no intention of drifting outside.
"The corpse aura is there, the main target must be nearby," Sun Fatty whispered. "What now?"
"I see it," I answered softly. "Let's observe first."
At that moment, I grabbed the red string, ready to snap it at the slightest sign of trouble.
Suddenly, something changed. A black shadow appeared on the ground in front of the corpses. Before Sun Fatty and I could see clearly, a pitch-black figure suddenly emerged from the shadow, as if rising slowly from an invisible elevator beneath the ground.
This person was enveloped in a mass of black aura—the same corpse aura we had been chasing all along—making it impossible to discern his features.
Once he appeared, the swaying corpses gathered around him. The black corpse aura drifted over to merge with the aura on his body. It was him! Without hesitation, I snapped the red string.
At that exact moment, the man suddenly turned and glanced in our direction. Though I couldn't see his expression clearly, I was sure he had spotted us.
Run! I turned and sprinted toward the outside of the storage room. No need to remind Sun Fatty—he had already reached the wall, about to pass through it.
"Came in and want to leave? No way out!" The man laughed wildly. His laugh was sharp and piercing, like someone scratching glass with a knife. It sent chills through my scalp, and I stumbled, almost falling.
At the same time, he waved his hands toward the sky, muttering something. The black shadow beneath his feet instantly spread throughout the entire storage room.
Sun Fatty was already at the corner, jumping to pass through the wall. Suddenly there was a "bang" sound; he was bounced back and slammed onto the ground.
Can't get through? I also reached the corner and touched the wall. My hand didn't pass through either—it was blocked.
While I was stunned, Sun Fatty scrambled up and ran toward the main door.
"Bang!" Another bang echoed as Sun Fatty was bounced back again. The doorway was shrouded in black shadow like a dark glass panel blocking the exit.
"Told you, you're not leaving," the man sneered as he looked at Sun Fatty's dirty, disheveled state. "Just you two? What about that tall guy and Director Wu Rendi? Why didn't they come with you? Sigh, guess I'll have to do this again."
He even knew about Po Jun and Wu Rendi. Seems like nothing escapes his eyes. But I couldn't care about that now. I went to Sun Fatty and helped him up. He looked dejected and shook his head.
I understood what he meant—we don't even have equipment, not even our bodies in a real sense. Running is impossible. We're just two pieces of fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of whoever this mysterious man is.
Watching him approach step by step, I said, "What do you want? Let me warn you—don't mess around. Our Bureau of Paranormal Investigation isn't something you can afford to provoke." But honestly, I had no confidence saying that. He probably didn't even know what the Bureau really did. And even if he did, he wouldn't fear it. After all, Prince Wang Ziheng, ranked eighth in the Bureau, was beaten down to barely half alive by him. Judging by Vice Director Wang's injuries, if he wanted Wang Ziheng dead, it wouldn't be difficult at all.
But his response caught me off guard. "Bureau of Paranormal Investigation? I've heard of it. But the only person in your bureau who's worth my attention is just one. As for the rest of you? Hmph."
Hmm? So he doesn't care about Wu Rendi at all. Is there someone even more formidable in the Bureau?
"Enough talk. I'll send you off early. When you drink Meng Po Soup, drink an extra cup—otherwise, you might meet me again in your nightmares."(Note: Meng Po is a figure from Chinese mythology, a netherworld official who brews a soup that erases all memories before reincarnation.)
Right after the mysterious man finished speaking, his body suddenly stiffened, as if feeling something wrong. Then, not far from him, a man in black rose off the ground. I heard him say, "Meng Po Soup? Better you drink it yourself. These two don't need it."
From his voice, it was Wu Rendi. Director Wu hadn't changed his usual sharp tone. He sneered, "I'd like to hear who in the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation you actually care about."
The mysterious man sized up Wu Rendi and suddenly laughed. "Heh, you startled me. I thought someone had broken my formation." He shook his head and said, "Don't underestimate me. Just because you can break a small formation doesn't mean you can do much to me. Your surname's Wu, but not that Wu. You're not on my level."
Wu Rendi actually smiled—rarely have I seen him smile without cruelty or mockery. This time was no different. His expression was like a university math professor hearing a primary school kid talk about Olympiad math problems.
"Yeah, we're definitely not on the same level."
Wu Rendi's mocking gaze drove the mysterious man nearly mad. He took a deep breath, coldly stared at Wu Rendi, and began chanting a string of obscure syllables. They were so unfamiliar and distant I couldn't catch what he was saying.
"Lazi, look over there," Sun Fatty nudged me with his elbow, his face pale as wax. Following his finger, I saw that the corpses that had been lying quietly now began to stir. They paced in circles, growling lowly—like a cage full of angry demons ready to break loose once the gate opens.
This place wasn't safe! Sun Fatty and I exchanged a glance and hurriedly moved behind Wu Rendi.
The mysterious man finished his chant, and except for growing more agitated, the corpses took no further action.
That was it? Not only Sun Fatty and I, but even the mysterious man looked stunned. He knew the power of that spell better than anyone. Normally, as soon as the chant started, the corpses would rush at us, tearing us to pieces before the chant ended. But now, they only made noise without attacking.
Wu Rendi gave a half-smile. "Corpse Manipulation Spell? You probably haven't finished the chant. Take your time—I have plenty."
The mysterious man glared at Wu Rendi, eyes nearly bloodshot. Suddenly, he let out a long roar, and with a blur of movement, he appeared among the corpses. He bit the tip of his left index finger and flicked the blood onto the foreheads of the corpses, then resumed chanting similar obscure incantations.
This time, the effect was obvious. The corpses went berserk, charging toward us.
At that moment, Wu Rendi's voice matched the mysterious man's exactly. Their chanting tone, speed, even timbre were indistinguishable—as if Wu Rendi was playing a recording of the mysterious man's chant.
Two voices chanting the same spell brought an immediate contest of strength. The corpses froze for a moment, then suddenly refocused and charged toward the mysterious man.
Despite the shock, the mysterious man remained calm. Black corpse energy around him surged wildly. Centered on him, the energy spread outward like thick fog, enveloping the corpses.
What happened next nearly made me vomit out my morning rice dumplings. The bodies inside the fog began decaying visibly. Within breaths, their already broken forms had muscle and organs detaching from bones, falling in piles. In under a minute, the twenty or so corpses turned into bleached skeletons.
At the same time, bluish-green mist began rising from their heads. The mysterious man waved his left hand, and the mist drifted slowly toward him.
Wu Rendi noticed the mist too and waved his hand. The bluish mists broke free from the mysterious man's pull and floated toward Wu Rendi instead. He guided them to stand in front of Sun Fatty and me, glanced at me, and said, "These are the lost souls—the one soul and two spirits. Keep an eye on them."
Wu Rendi then turned back to the mysterious man. "No more walking corpses, no more corpse control magic. You don't have any other tricks, do you? If this is all you've got, I'm disappointed."
The mysterious man trembled with anger inside the fog. No wonder—these souls had taken him months to gather, now just gone.
Looking at Wu Rendi, the mysterious man sneered, "I won't disappoint you. When you three reincarnate, remember to be born into a good family." His fog grew denser and spread wider. He chanted another string of incantations. At the last word, my vision blurred—then suddenly, the fog multiplied into a dozen identical copies of the mysterious man.
"That's more like it," Wu Rendi said, his words sharp but his smile slightly restrained.
All the copies looked at Wu Rendi. Sun Fatty and I's hearts pounded—no one could say if Wu Rendi could still maintain the upper hand. Behind us, Sun Fatty whispered, "Director Wu, we're just in the way here. Maybe you could show us the way out first..." Before he finished, Wu Rendi glared at him coldly. Sun Fatty shivered and stopped.
As Wu Rendi turned back, the dozen copies suddenly moved. They seemed well-coordinated, attacking from different directions.
Their speed was so fast I didn't have time to warn Wu Rendi before they reached him. He seemed unable to dodge and just stood there blankly.
This was it! Even a hero can't fight a pack of wolves. If Wu Rendi falls, Sun Fatty and I are done for today too.
But then the scene reversed again.
With a loud "BANG," the dozen copies suddenly vanished, along with nearly half the fog.
Only the original mysterious man remained, punched into the ground by another Wu Rendi. Wait, did I see double? How did another Wu Rendi appear? Before I could think further, the blank-standing Wu Rendi twisted suddenly and disappeared without a trace right before my eyes.
"No way!" The mysterious man seemed hysterical. As the fog cleared, I saw his face—it was no longer human. His wrinkled, shriveled head had no hair, eyes, ears, mouth, or nose. Two holes where his nose should be, and a slit below that acting as a mouth. The sight turned my stomach.
Wu Rendi was equally surprised. Looking at the face he knocked down, he spat out three words through clenched teeth: "Puppet Technique."