Chapter 13: The Eerie Crime Scene

Indeed, why would a malevolent, wicked god suddenly go insane and start doing good deeds?

Yuan Zhu could not help but ask himself. The answer, of course, was: The cat—it was me all along?!

A super-sized cat capable of swallowing dozens of deformed, demonic entities in one gulp—would you call that ferocious or what? As for why I came back from the dead and had my deviation level wiped clean? Is there really anything wrong with a cat being a little kind to itself?

The little sprite popped out as well: "Oh, right! There has never been any savior, nor do we rely on immortals or emperors. We have hacked our way through thorns and thistles, weathering frost and setbacks (for half a day), relying entirely on our own unremitting efforts! Without any external power, we are our own cheat codes."

[Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture]: ??? Are these the words of humans? Have you two already decided I’m dead and tacitly finished dividing up my inheritance?

Taking note of the suspicious points about Yuan Zhu in his notebook, the young man surnamed Han commanded, "Show me your wounds. I need to verify them."

They were conducting an investigation, so they naturally couldn't rely solely on Yuan Zhu's one-sided story; they needed verification.

Yuan Zhu lifted his arms with full confidence, pulling back his ill-fitting sleeves to reveal old, faded scars on his wrists that looked as if they had healed years ago.

On his fair skin, the inner side of each wrist bore a glaring, hypertrophic scar, looking like an injury from four or five years ago. However, based on the contours of the wounds, one could tell that the initial cuts were very deep—clearly intended to be a successful suicide.

Friends who often cut their wrists should know that ordinary people lack the relevant experience and the courage to face death head-on. Often, due to the fear of pain, they stop at the first attempt. They always think that as long as they cut a vein and blood gushes out, it will flow endlessly, leading them straight to the immortal realm.

However, the incisions are often not deep enough, usually only slicing through superficial veins with slow blood flow rather than deep arteries that spurt blood. When the physiological pain is amplified by a highly focused mind, and psychological fear is similarly enhanced, one develops the illusion that they have successfully ascended.

But after so many years of human evolution, fragile as we may be, is the body truly such a useless thing? It comes with its own blood-clotting function, and veins have unique valve structures. Supported by layer upon layer of passive self-preservation programs, even if one faints from blood loss, the wounds often clot and seal as the blood flows.

Then, you lie there half-dead while your life flashes before your eyes. In the end, you wake up startled from your deathbed and laugh at the sky. Whether it’s stocks losing money, a failed mortgage, or your son being stained by soy sauce... none of it matters anymore.

From today on, be a happy little worker bee. Love life, work hard. Cherish life, so you can work overtime better! Work overtime to make money, so you can pay for medical bills, then crawl back up and keep struggling!

However, the old scars on Yuan Zhu's wrists were different; they were clearly intended to be a successful kill.

Moreover, to ensure a high mortality rate, the perpetrator had performed deep, blood-letting cuts on all four limbs. Finally, a blade had pierced through the heart, ensuring a death that could not be more thorough, and a swift one at that.

Trash [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture], this broken cheat can't even perform a seamless repair. It clearly restored 100% of my health, yet it left scars. At this rate, with the Duling Star being so dangerous, if I die dozens or hundreds of times, wouldn't the stacked scars ruin my face? How would I ever get a girlfriend?

After examining the scar on his chest, the middle-aged man nodded in approval, then patted his shoulder and comforted him: "The modus operandi is very professional. According to the autopsy reconstruction, you died very quickly. You wouldn't have struggled long before dying, so you probably didn't feel much pain."

"...?!!!" Yuan Zhu’s eyes widened in surprise, and he hesitated, "But I’m not dead yet."

"Don't get hung up on such trivial matters. Based on your injuries, I am more inclined to believe you were dead. This is the danger of illegal sacrifices; abnormal situations always occur, and resurrection is nothing to be surprised about. Since you’ve managed to get your life back and live once more, cherish it while you can. What if there are hidden complications and you die again soon? Take an uncle’s advice: if this case can be closed smoothly, go find a girl and have kids as soon as possible. Investing in futures or stocks might go wrong, but investing in offspring will never be a mistake."

The middle-aged man surnamed Wang advised with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

Yuan Zhu’s eyes lit up: "Oh? By the sound of it, is there a good chance I’ll be let go? Rather than being locked up, subjected to all sorts of messy tests, kept in long-term detention, or even sold to those big corporations to become a test subject for research?"

In his predecessor’s memories, many commoners, after living past 50, would have accumulated high deviation levels due to lifelong, exhausting labor and poor living conditions, posing a huge risk of deformity and loss of control.

Either they would be worked to death while struggling for a living, or, realizing their time was up, they would voluntarily sell themselves to corporations for a high price. Similarly, those who couldn't bear to sell themselves would band together and forcibly sell those who had been severely contaminated by accidents to big companies.

Yuan Zhu’s current condition, although his deviation level was zero, making him appear harmless and safe, also made him a very special and valuable experimental material.

Fatty Wang stroked his beard and agreed: "Your concerns are quite normal. If you had been eroded by an evil spirit and still bore heavy traces of contamination, you would be a human time bomb that must be contained. But we conducted preliminary tests on you, and your reaction was very normal—there are no signs of contamination, and you are even healthier than the children of nobles. Therefore, I believe that as long as you truly have no other issues and aren't putting on a calculated act, then according to the regulations, you will be granted freedom. You won't be imprisoned, though you will still need to undergo regular physical checkups."

"Besides, there are actually quite a few cases like yours where innocent people are dragged into abnormal events. Situations where one becomes a victim, is sacrificed, and even dies only to come back to life are rare, and you qualify to apply for compensation and mental distress damages. The murderers who organized the sacrifice are suspected to be dead and are missing. This manor and their other assets will be confiscated. If you choose to waive your compensation application, you will be kicked out of the Security Bureau as quickly as possible."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man’s gaze fell on Yuan Zhu’s bulging pocket, and he showed a knowing smile: "However, I see your wallet is quite full. I presume you have already manually completed your mental distress compensation and don't need to submit an application."

Hearing this, the young man surnamed Han immediately interjected: "Hmm? Don't you hurry up and hand over the stolen goods!"

"There are no stolen goods; this is all my hard-earned money!" Yuan Zhu clutched his pocket tight, retorting without giving an inch. I’m the victim dragged into this murder case, can’t I even take a little compensation? Didn't you hear there’s also my share of mental distress fees?

It was fortunate the little sprite had reminded him not to just bury the valuables and call it a day, but to carry some cash on his person to disguise himself as someone with limited horizons, someone who could only manage this much.

"Alright, alright, how much is this paper money worth? Why make things difficult? We’ve harvested much larger real estate. Look at how this villa is built—it looks like a place even I can’t afford to live in. Young Master Yuan, come here, let me take a few photos of you for evidence, and then you can take us to see the site of the sacrificial ritual."

After taking photos of the vital wounds on Yuan Zhu, the three of them carried the detection devices, scanning as they moved forward.

Sure enough, once the target was no longer Yuan Zhu himself, the instruments began to function normally. As they got closer to the sacrificial hall, the alarm noise grew louder and louder. The deviation value quickly broke through 20.

"It really is the mark of an evil spirit’s descent. We haven't even entered the door, and it’s already hit 20. The closed space behind this door might even have its spatial walls distorted and weakened. Here, just in case, wrap this chain around your wrist."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man took two silver chains from his pocket and wrapped one around his own wrist.

Yuan Zhu reached out to take it, asking curiously, "What is this?"

"Defensive equipment provided by the Law Enforcement Department, soaked in a special liquid and blessed. Once wrapped around your wrist, it will isolate the human body from the interaction with external contamination forces. It has a slight anti-curse function and can resist mental interference, but its strength is limited. Watch closely: if the silver chain starts to discolor and turn black, it means you are under an invisible contamination attack. You must escape the sacrificial hall before the chain turns completely black," the middle-aged man explained.

Yuan Zhu played with the chain in his hand, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Is this a legendary transcendent item?"

At the same time, the little sprite synchronized her online detection function. With the collection found in the bedroom for comparison, she confirmed that the silver chain also contained contamination radiation, but it was much weaker. If worn against the skin, it would take about 15 minutes to deal a -1 damage to Yuan Zhu’s human body, which would be blocked and defended by his [Whiteboard Immortal Scripture].

Little Sprite: "Trash! They’re actually trying to fool you with this inferior stuff? If it were anyone else, this piece of junk definitely wouldn't be able to block the residual contamination in the hall."

While the little sprite was being dismissive, the middle-aged man replied: "It can't be considered a transcendent item, just a one-time prop with special functions. The interior of the chain is mixed with silver, which can briefly store some special energy. Once the power it contains is exhausted, it needs to be collected and sent for secondary blessing and recharging before it can be used again."

The other party said this to kill Yuan Zhu's idea of asking for a chain to protect himself. After all, when they went out on missions, they often encountered victims involved in cases who would try to beg for chains in all sorts of roundabout ways, wanting to protect their own safety against evil spirits and ghosts, or simply sneakily keep them and claim they were lost.

Although the value itself wasn't high and it wasn't rare, this thing had silver mixed in, and they had to pay for it out of their own salaries. The Security Bureau provided free blessing, but the selling price of the chain itself far exceeded the cost, and it was a monopolized business.

...

Returning to the sacrificial hall again, the smell of blood was overpowering. The two investigators, however, did not change their expressions, stepping into the room where the blood was gradually congealing, each step pulling up sticky threads of blood.

Yuan Zhu did not like this environment, so he chose to wait at the door, occasionally lifting his arm wrapped in the silver chain to observe. The little sprite was doing her best to calculate the defensive effect provided by this chain.

Although this thing was meaningless to him, it could serve as a reference coordinate, allowing him to understand how ordinary people in this world defended against contamination. What was the strength of this standard equipment, and how long could it last?

Collecting more data like this would allow him to indirectly analyze the level of the current society's application of transcendent power. If he went deeper, he could preliminarily crack the power system mastered by the human world. Ultimately, it was about exploring and cracking the mysteries of cosmic rules. And this was the correct way to open the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture].

Yuan Zhu waited patiently, watching as the chain slowly turned black. The young man held the device, continuously scanning one high-energy node after another.

Unfortunately, the deformed monsters that actually carried the evil god's power had all been swallowed into his [Abdominal Universe] and sealed. The remaining few scraps of meat and broken fingers were severely deformed, but they didn't count as high-energy reactions.

In the end, he locked his target onto one sacrificial offering after another. These offerings had once served as coordinates to anchor the real world, being the first to be invaded by the evil god's energy; then, using Yuan Zhu as a springboard, they had turned to the group of believers after the invasion failed.

The trail broke at Yuan Zhu’s link, and he himself had been "cleansed" by his own [Immortal Scripture]. Thus, the focus of the problem shifted entirely to these offerings: crows with clipped wings, skinned and headless frogs, mushrooms with hands and feet...

The young man scanned them one by one, a mocking expression gradually appearing on his face, and he clicked his tongue in wonder: "A hodgepodge without any logic, just piling up the quantity of offerings to act as a beacon, and naively thinking you can rely on luck to summon an evil spirit? And the magic circle drawn on the floor—it’s also completely nonsensical. There are several fatal errors in a row; it’s a miracle that this thing could even function, not only attracting the attention of an evil spirit but also resulting in contamination traces of varying strengths on every single offering. This is simply a divine miracle!"

The middle-aged man had worked for many years, gone through all kinds of cases, and had rich experience in handling abnormal events. But in the field of professional knowledge, he was a notch below the young man. He had graduated from an ordinary school and received an ordinary education, never having been trained in professional fields.

He asked: "Oh? The ritual for this sacrifice was not compliant? Can you determine the identity of the sacrificial target?"

The young man set the detection device aside, then pulled a few white square paper slips from his pocket. He lightly kicked the offerings one by one with the tip of his shoe, then waved the paper strips over the offerings. It seemed he was capturing some kind of aura in the air?

Next, he took a flat metal flask from the inside of his jacket pocket, unscrewed the cap, and wetted the paper strips with the liquor, observing carefully. He saw that the paper soaked in the liquor revealed faint traces of different colors, presenting different patterns on the white paper.

Finally, he took out a lighter and ignited the paper strips. Flames of varying intensities burst out in the air, flashing and disappearing.

After ending this test, the middle-aged man hurriedly asked: "How is it?"

The young man’s brows revealed confusion and puzzlement: "It’s strange, very strange! Logically speaking, this is not a professional sacrifice at all. Not only are the steps and processes full of errors and omissions, but there was also no real sacrificial target. The organizers didn't know where they heard a pile of true or false folk legends, made corresponding offerings according to the rumors, and intended to try their luck, thinking that if they happened to summon someone, it would be a profit."

"But the problem is exactly here: their sacrifice succeeded, and it was an unexpectedly unprecedented success. Look, the interior of every offering at this scene has been eroded and occupied by contamination forces from different sources. That is to say, regardless of whether the sacrificial target existed or was false, a source replaced this identity and appeared here. They were attracted by something, descended all at once, and ultimately turned a subpar sacrifice with only 7 offerings into a tragedy where more than 40 people lost their lives."

At this moment, the young man looked up, his eyes once again staring straight at Yuan Zhu: "So, what exactly was it that attracted so many filthy evil spirits to pay attention together?"

Why are you looking at me?

Yuan Zhu glared back. You want to know what attracted the attention of the evil gods? Fine! Then I’ll tell you: it was the old fart of an Immortal Scripture! A loser who traveled across time and space would, of course, attract the attention of evil spirits.

At this moment, the middle-aged man broke the tense atmosphere and turned to ask: "When you tested just now, did the test paper show any aura marked as [Taboo]?"

The young man ignored Yuan Zhu and shook his head: "No, they were all unknown, small-fry evil spirits. The few powerful ones were just sub-derivative systems of those [Taboo] powers, or even lower-level derivatives, not reaching the special danger level."

The middle-aged man also breathed a sigh of relief: "That’s good. Hearing you say multiple forces descended at once, I thought we had encountered some major event that we couldn't handle, and that we should run for it."

"The overt danger has temporarily disappeared, but those missing believers and offerings, as well as the evil power that suddenly disconnected and vanished, all show that things are not simple. I think we should search this place well to see if we can find any useful 'rats'."

"Rats?!" Yuan Zhu, who had been pricking up his ears to eavesdrop on their conversation, was attracted by this word. It even triggered the dormant fragments of his memory, which began to stir; he felt as if some strange knowledge was about to overflow.