Chapter 70: A World of Intertwined Eras
The roar of the train was deafening. A young man with a monocle sat stiffly upright, a trench coat that was clearly too large for him somehow looking perfectly tailored.
Sitting opposite him was a tall, boisterous woman, a heavy leather coat draped haphazardly over her shoulders. Most striking was the eye patch covering her right eye… adorned with a childishly drawn cat face that clashed starkly with her rugged appearance.
A fireplace flickered, casting a warm glow on the classically styled train car. Outside, an endless night enveloped the steam train as it hurtled towards an unknown destination.
Artist and Scientist.
“Performer is dead,” Artist said, a glint of silver flashing across his monocle. “I can no longer sense her presence.”
“Oh dear, even after I intervened, she still died? How useless,” Scientist said, unimpressed.
“It means there’s a power in Jiangcheng County capable of killing her,” Artist replied, his tone serious. “Don’t forget what our greatest advantage is… what we possess, Performer also possessed, yet she still died.”
Scientist leaned back languidly on the sofa, picking her teeth with a dagger, and waved a dismissive hand.
“Don’t worry, Elsa is there. Her Nine Nethers is about to be unleashed. That’s a Grotesquery on the same path as ‘Him.’ Worst case scenario, we can just sacrifice it for some power.”
“This is a deal with ‘Him,’ yet you speak of it as if it’s a trip to the grocery store,” Artist looked up, his gaze sharp behind his monocle. “What era is Jiangcheng County in now?”
“Mm… modern? Or near-modern? Somewhere after the 21st century, anyway. The last time Performer called me over, the craftsmanship on the clothes was quite good,” Scientist scratched her head. “Why do you ask? It’s all the same to us, regardless of the era. We’re not part of the Company.”
“…If it’s the modern era, it’s a bit troublesome. It’s not as easy to operate as in the Victorian era,” Artist frowned. “Some of our methods won’t work. Modern surveillance is extensive, and law enforcement is much more effective.”
“Just do as you always do. What are you so worried about?” Scientist said, nudging her chin, the cat face on her eye patch twitching.
“I wasn’t worried before, but I am now,” Artist took a deep breath and said seriously, “Until we find out the cause of Performer’s death, we must proceed with caution.”
“Fine, fine, you’re even more long-winded than Philosopher,” Scientist said, her expression still indifferent.
But Artist knew that this was just Scientist’s personality.
Even if she cared deeply, she would maintain a nonchalant facade.
When she received news about Elsa, Scientist had been more anxious than anyone, even resorting to using this steam train, known as the Spirit Walker, to rush to Jiangcheng County as quickly as possible.
This was her most prized Sacred Tool, something she hadn’t even been willing to use during their hunt for the Dangerous Grotesquery, “Year.”
Because Elsa was Scientist’s most precious creation, the successful “vessel” after thousands of experiments and the consumption of thousands of suitable “materials.”
After Elsa’s disappearance, Scientist had failed hundreds of times to replicate her miracle and had been in a foul mood recently.
So, upon receiving the news, she had been frantic, afraid of losing Elsa again.
To Scientist, her research was far more important than any deal with “Him.”
Artist turned slightly and looked out the window at the impenetrable darkness, and the fear of the unknown that lurked within.
He closed his eyes and slowly recited the words etched in the heart of every Harbinger of Calamity member,
“Nothing is true, everything is permitted… to this fragmented ‘world.’”
“We are the Harbingers, destined to correct the root of this ‘disorder.’”
The train hurtled through the darkness, its destination hidden in the shadows.
…
Life as a high school senior was monotonous, but Luo Ling had been feeling rather relaxed lately.
It wasn’t that she had given up on university, but she had found a shortcut…
—Read.
The Puppet Ballad’s second ability, allowing her to read the information of any being parasitized by her Spores.
Now, Luo Ling didn’t even need to study. She just had to plant a Spore on a classmate with good grades and read their memories, experiencing their entire learning process as if it were her own.
And it didn’t take much time. The flow of time within a memory fragment was constant. No matter how long she stayed inside, only a moment would pass in the real world.
Luo Ling’s grades had always been good, but she had fallen behind due to her previous sick leave. Now, with this little trick, she no longer had to worry about her grades dropping.
Besides this “life hack,” Read could also temporarily borrow the abilities of others in combat.
Luo Ling had discovered this after leaving Elsa’s mindscape. She noticed that the Spore she had used to read Elsa had changed. After retrieving it, she found it contained a portion of the power of the Grotesquery Soul Torture.
However, the duration was limited, and Luo Ling had to maintain constant control over the Spore, or it would dissipate.
Stronger abilities required more mental energy. With Luo Ling’s current strength, maintaining Soul Torture required all her focus, preventing her from controlling other Spores.
And… using the ability consumed her own power, and she had to pay the price herself.
If she used Soul Torture this way, she would also suffer a portion of the torment.
Of course, despite the limitations, it was still a powerful ability.
After a few uneventful days, on Saturday afternoon, after school, Luo Ling finally received a message from Liu Songyi.
[Ancient Martial Artist: Are you free to come to the hospital this evening? I have a summary of the Baiyan Village follow-up and… the “Ji Ying” matter.]
[White Witch: Mm.]
After replying to Liu Songyi, Luo Ling immediately headed to the hospital. After their discussion, she still had to rush home.
Her sister was waiting for her; she couldn’t be too late.
Transforming into her White Witch form, Luo Ling retrieved her hat and mask from her hair—her hair now served as a convenient storage space.
The principle seemed to be that objects were broken down into information that the Spores could record, and then reconstructed when retrieved.
So, for now, she could only store small objects, up to the size of a backpack, but it was still very convenient. This ability made her reconsider her earlier thoughts of cutting her long hair.
Qingshan Hospital was as quiet as ever in the evening. The receptionist wasn’t Shen Miaoyun or Yang Meili, but an unfamiliar orderly.
Seeing the ID card with the name “Bai,” the orderly looked puzzled but still let her in.
This time, without anyone to guide her, Luo Ling easily found her way to Ward Zero on the seventh floor. Opening the door, she was met with several gazes.
Yang Meili, Shen Miaoyun, An Yu, Elsa, Liu Songyi, Lao He with his goatee, Zhong Bo the Swordsman with his missing arm, a few unfamiliar faces, and Ji Shinian, once again lying in bed, looking frail.
Almost the entire Patient Exchange Group was present.
An Yu seemed to have recovered somewhat, but her mood was still low, her head downcast as she sat in a corner.
Seeing Luo Ling enter, Elsa wheeled closer.
The others looked at Luo Ling with varying degrees of curiosity and suspicion, likely having read her report and investigated the Baiyan Village incident.
“Ahem…” Ji Shinian coughed, either because of his injuries or to get everyone’s attention. “Since everyone’s here, I’ll get straight to the point.
“White Witch, there’s something I need to tell you… The ‘Ji Ying’ you mentioned does exist, but in a very strange state, which is why I couldn’t locate her last time.”
Liu Songyi continued, “Regarding the two things you asked me to investigate, first, not only is there no officer named ‘Ji Ying’ in the police department, but I checked all the household registrations and records in Jiangcheng County, and there’s no one with that name.
“Second, to my surprise, a special police unit was mobilized on October 17th… and it was an emergency mission that bypassed my authority, pursuing a dangerous suspect. However, the suspect was killed on the spot, and I examined the body myself. It was just an ordinary person.”
Just as a look of surprise appeared on Luo Ling’s face, Ji Shinian continued,
“Xiao Liu asked me for help… Although it was dangerous, I took another glimpse. Her thread of fate showed a strange fluctuation, constantly disappearing and reappearing. The two most recent reappearances were in the Jiangcheng County graveyard on October 17th, and the other…”
He looked intently at Luo Ling and said in a low voice, “…was in Baiyan Village a few days ago, the day you were in danger.”
Luo Ling’s expression finally changed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at Ji Shinian.
Could it be… that the Ji Ying she had seen at the end… wasn’t an illusion?
Luo Ling touched the cold dagger in her pocket, the last thing Ji Ying had left her.
Ji Shinian must have used his ability to glimpse the thread of fate, which was why his barely healed injuries had worsened, confining him to the hospital bed once more.
Although she found Awakened Ones on the Other Shore path annoying, she had to admit that the information Ji Shinian obtained, at great cost, was always accurate, even terrifyingly so.
“There’s one more thing. The situation you described in your report doesn’t match our findings at the scene,” Liu Songyi continued. “We conducted a thorough investigation, and there’s no subterranean cavern in Baiyan Village, nor any trace of Grotesquery activity. All the villagers seemed to have vanished into thin air.
“Also, we couldn’t find Performer’s body. Even Gypsy Girl, who rescued you, said she found you on the surface.”
Liu Songyi’s words made Luo Ling speechless.
Could it be that everything that had happened… was fake?
Luo Ling looked at Elsa and An Yu, their expressions mirroring her own shock.
Clearly, it wasn’t just her hallucination. The horrors she, Elsa, and An Yu had experienced were real.
“Of course, I’m not saying you fabricated your report. Both Xu Qian and An Yu have corroborated your account. I believe it all happened,” Liu Songyi said seriously. “But something erased all traces, and we have reason to believe… it was this ‘Ji Ying’ you mentioned.
“Now, we need to know everything about ‘Ji Ying’ to uncover the complete truth.”
Ji Ying.
Everything kept coming back to this name.
That woman who had appeared and disappeared so mysteriously…
“I can tell you,” Luo Ling exhaled and said softly, “And this matter… also involves… the Bone Doctor, and everything that happened at the time.”
Although Luo Ling had mentioned the Bone Doctor’s death, she hadn’t revealed all the details.
Luo Ling recounted everything about Li Tianming, Ji Ying, and the subsequent pursuit in the graveyard, omitting the details about the Puppet Ballad.
The reason for not mentioning the Puppet Ballad was simple. She now understood that her unclear connection to the Grotesquery was too complicated to explain, and if she herself was mistaken for an “egg,” it would be troublesome.
So, in Luo Ling’s account, Li Tianming and the white reishi in the subterranean cavern were the same kind of Grotesquery, but she didn’t know its specific nature.
“I don’t recall receiving that report,” Liu Songyi said, deep in thought. “Because we found the doctor’s body the next day, brutally dismembered. We only found his head.
“But we couldn’t find the Bone Doctor’s body.”
“Just like the villagers this time, right?” Ji Shinian, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke.
He looked up at Luo Ling and said slowly, “What if I told you that this ‘Ji Ying’ is also likely the kind of Grotesquery you encountered? What would you think?”
“Impossible…”
Luo Ling blurted out. Ji Ying considered the Puppet Ballad her mortal enemy; how could she be an “egg” controlled by it?
Moreover, Ji Ying had cut herself to show her blood the first time they met, proving she was human.
“Judging from this incident, this Grotesquery has a strong desire to consume flesh and blood, and it can enhance itself this way, even controlling the bodies and memories of others. It’s at least at the Dangerous Grotesquery level.”
Ji Shinian didn’t immediately refute Luo Ling but continued, “And since there are multiple instances of this Grotesquery, they can’t coexist peacefully. They will inevitably devour each other, because for them… each other’s flesh and blood are the best nourishment.”
As expected of the old fox who had lived for who knew how many years, even with Luo Ling withholding information, he had deduced something close to the truth.
Just that he hadn’t realized that these “Dangerous Grotesqueries” were also merely puppets of something else.
…Such a terrifying theory… not everyone could imagine it.
If it were truly the case…
“I have a bold theory. There was once a person named ‘Ji Ying,’ but she has been consumed by this Grotesquery, or rather, she has become this Grotesquery,” Ji Shinian said calmly.
“In most cases, she is this Grotesquery, but in some rare instances… like the fragmented threads of fate I saw, she reverts back to the original ‘Ji Ying.’”
Everyone turned to look at Luo Ling.
Luo Ling remained silent. This bold theory could explain many things that only she knew.
For example, why Ji Ying knew so much about the Puppet Ballad, and why she was so fixated on it…
A terrifying theory, yet terrifyingly plausible.
As for Ji Ying’s obsession with the Puppet Ballad, it could also be because of… her instinctive desire to consume, or rather, merge with, her “own kind.”
…Was this really possible?
Luo Ling recalled Ji Ying’s calm, clear eyes as she methodically consumed Performer’s head in the subterranean cavern, the memory still vivid.
“It’s just a theory, I could be wrong,” Ji Shinian said softly, seeing the complex emotions flickering across Luo Ling’s face.
“Anyway, regardless, this is beyond our capabilities. I’ve contacted the Company. Although they’re expensive, they do have the power to deal with Dangerous Grotesqueries.”
Ji Shinian smiled slightly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the ward.
“Besides, this old man still has some connections, heh… when it comes to finding people, I’m better than those Speaker precognitives. I’ve helped the Company a few times.”
…The Company?
Luo Ling had seen some vague mentions of this organization in Performer’s memories, but too many memories were missing, so she didn’t have much information.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s meeting. Dismissed. I’ll send out the details of the next operation in the group chat,” Ji Shinian clapped his hands, then turned to Luo Ling. “White Witch, you don’t have to participate in the next operation. Get some rest.”
“Mm…”
Luo Ling nodded slightly.
So much had happened recently; she needed time to recover.
Ji Shinian’s theory today was beyond her imagination. If even Ji Ying could be an “egg”…
Luo Ling was still in a daze as she left Ward Zero.
Behind her, Elsa silently watched her leave.
Bella, in her arms, wanted to call out to Luo Ling, but Elsa covered her mouth.
“Next time,” Elsa whispered.
She hid the beautiful butterfly hair clip in her hand.
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