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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 486: Mutation (Finale)
Xie Ke gestured to guide Qin Jian and the others out; it was a subconscious psychological cue, typically aimed at those who had been hypnotized. I pondered for a moment and realized this wasn't merely hypnosis; it resembled an ancient practice known as the Soul Control Technique, a form of Evil Arts.
If it truly was the Soul Control Technique, then my Demonic Needle would be its nemesis.
In the past, my grandfather had given me a Demonic Needle as thin as a hair. I had dismissed it, unable to grip it between my fingers, and even trying to touch it with my fingertips proved futile. My grandfather had called over Fatty to give it a try, but he was even clumsier than I was; his meaty fists couldn't even get close to the Demonic Needle.
Seeing both of us fumble around and considering my disdain for the needle, I hadn't put any real effort into using it earlier. This made my grandfather furious; he looked ready to blow smoke from all seven orifices. He declared that one of us needed to control the Demonic Needle and lift it up, or else we wouldn't even get a drop of water today.
I had grown accustomed to my grandfather's various punishments, but Fatty was another story. He couldn't handle hunger at all; if mealtime came and he hadn't eaten, he would whine incessantly, jumping around as if he wanted to swallow his own arms.
Not only that, but he kept begging me, "Brother Qi, please just pick up that Demonic Needle so we can have a good meal."
Sigh! I initially thought my grandfather was just joking with that thin Demonic Needle to tease us and that we could avoid missing out on a promised meal. But it seemed he was serious; not only were we missing out on a good meal, but we also couldn't even have a sip of water.
I wasn't too bothered by it myself; the key issue was Fatty.
His plump body couldn't withstand the torment of hunger. He complained endlessly and kept pleading with me. In the end, I decided to use my skills and attempt to control that seemingly light yet impossible-to-lift Demonic Needle. First, I calmed myself down, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
I brought my hands together in a sword gesture, squinted at the lying Demonic Needle, and then moved my palms. To my astonishment, the needle floated up effortlessly, moving along with my hand. This miraculous sight left Fatty dumbfounded; he forgot his hunger and thirst entirely and began clapping in excitement.
Hearing the sound of clapping, my grandfather stroked his beard and smiled at me. "Now that's my good grandson! The Demonic Needle is yours now; you'll find many uses for it in the future." He then smiled affectionately at Fatty. "Let's eat!"
The Soul Control Technique faced off against the Demonic Needle.
Xie Ke continued guiding Qin Jian and the others while I silently recited an incantation, thinking to myself: "Go..."
The Demonic Needle struck silently, targeting the Divine Court and Yintang acupoints. As I unleashed the Demonic Needle, I recited the Soul Binding Spell.
The Demonic Needle was meant to awaken Qin Jian and the others, while the Soul Binding Spell was intended for Xie Ke. I wasn't sure if this move would be effective against him, but once everything was set in motion, I could only wait and see what would happen.
With lightning speed, the Demonic Needle jabbed at the Divine Court and Yintang of Qin Jian and his companions. I watched as they all twitched violently before suddenly opening their eyes.
I knew they would express confusion upon awakening, as they still believed they were in the real world. Once they realized they were in an alternate space, it would be hard for any normal person to accept that reality. So, as soon as their eyes opened, I quickly gestured for them to remain silent.
Fortunately, Qin Jian was a police officer with a stronger composure than most. He quickly regained his calmness, which would help protect the two women. I didn't have to worry too much about any other incidents; my main concern was facing the more terrifying wild ghost that could appear at any moment.
Then there was Xie Ke.
At that moment, he was petrified by my Soul Binding Spell, resembling a statue.
I truly feared that controlling Xie Ke might be too risky.
The priority was to get Qin Jian and Ling Juan out of here and find the Regeneration Water.
I signaled for Qin Jian and the pale, bewildered Ling Juan to remain quiet and follow my lead through gestures.
The Soul Binding Spell could immobilize a human for three to five hours; I wasn't sure how long it would affect a Human Skin Puppet, but I didn't need to worry too much about that—I only needed two hours.
Leading Qin Jian and the others to the entrance of the Workshop, with Xie Ke temporarily restrained behind us by the Soul Binding Spell and workers inside the Workshop ahead, everything felt surprisingly smooth. Yet, I couldn't predict what the wild ghost's next move would be.
Just as I prepared to use the Demonic Needle to awaken the workers in the Workshop, a cold laugh echoed from the entrance, followed by the appearance of the wild ghost.
His eyes glinted like sharp swords, exuding a chilling gaze that felt like it carried immense weight, crashing toward me like a massive wave. The Demonic Needle clashed against the pressure he exerted, producing a fine metallic ringing sound. Such tremendous vibrations seemed irrelevant to those inside the Workshop; they continued their tasks undisturbed. However, Qin Jian and his companions felt the malevolent energy emanating from the wild ghost. Thankfully, I had placed protective talismans on them; although they were affected by the energy, they suffered no harm.
The Wild Ghost might have sensed this, but he couldn't be sure if Qin Jian and the others were awake. Seeing that the first wave of Evil Energy had no effect on me, he grinned savagely and said, "Kid, I didn't expect you to have some skills. You sneaked in quietly, causing me to search everywhere without seeing you. I underestimated your courage. Have your companions been awakened? If so, I would like to see what you can do to take them away safely."
I remained calm and composed, scoffing at the Wild Ghost's probing and threats. "Wild Ghost, you are not worthy of our language; perhaps your beast tongue would be more suitable."
Upon hearing this, the Wild Ghost's face twitched violently. "Do you know my identity?"
What a joke! An ambitious Evil Sorcerer committing heinous acts on our land—how could I not know his identity? "Wild Ghost, a Human Skin Puppet from Japan. In search of a nonexistent past lover, you are willing to kill innocent people from my country and create Human Skin Puppets. Let me tell you, your schemes will soon fail."
The Wild Ghost was furious at my words, seething with rage as he spat, "Baka yarou! Who says my lover doesn't exist? She was taken by a Tomb Raider from your country. I followed her secretly and found her abandoned corpse. Fortunately, she still retained a trace of resentment. I used that resentment along with a formula to create Regeneration Water. I intend to produce a large number of Human Skin Puppets to serve her and me. The Human Skin Puppets will obey me; Ma Qi, you are too full of yourself..."
As he spoke, my Demonic Needle had already broken through layers of resistance and awakened the workers in the Workshop.
At the same time, just as the Wild Ghost's Human Skin Puppets could only obey him, heavy footsteps and noise came from the entrance.
Meanwhile, the Wild Ghost's half-open eyes, his hand gestures, and the incantations he muttered were accompanied by an endless stream of Evil Arts soul-controlling spells. This confirmed my suspicions were correct. He was not only using hypnosis to harm people but also employing the Soul Control Technique.
The Wild Ghost chanted: "Return to the soul, nowhere to seek; return to the spirit, clearly existing; a peaceful world welcomes back joy and freedom."
I turned to the women behind me and said, "He's just blowing hot air again; why aren't you moving quickly?"
I was in front with a Soul Stabilizing Stone on me, so the Wild Ghost's Soul Control Technique had no effect on me. Because I was in front, Qin Jian, Chi Xinrong, and Ling Juan would not be threatened by his Soul Control Technique either. The key was that the workers in the Workshop had just been awakened but were once again controlled by the Soul Control Technique in an instant.
The Wild Ghost did not bring in a large number of Human Skin Puppets because he wanted to preserve the workers in the Workshop. After all, with my intrusion into his illusory space, finding suitable workers here in the future would not be easy. Thus, he needed to maintain some strength for future contingencies.
The workers in the Workshop gripped wrenches and iron rods; even Peng Yan, who seemed so weak, picked up an iron rod as well. There were about ten workers in the Workshop while we were only four; using fewer against more was a common tactic for Japanese people.
I instructed Qin Jian and the others to stand back-to-back and then whispered for Chi Xinrong or Ling Juan to take off their tightest pair of pants; I had a use for them later.
Unexpectedly, Ling Juan felt embarrassed and seemed to be blushing as if Aunt Flo had arrived, with something dirty on her pants.
It truly helped me; I was afraid that without something dirty, I would have to ask them to take off their pants. With the dirt present, I no longer feared using evil against evil or attacking poison with poison.
However, in such a public and dangerous situation, it was a bit excessive to make a girl disregard everything and remove her intimate clothing.
The Soul Control Technique was a method used by the Evil Sorcerer, relying on his formidable mental prowess to forcefully invade the target's mind, compelling them to obey him completely. I used the Demonic Needle to break his Soul Control Technique, preparing to unleash the dirt at any moment to cover the wild ghost's head, trapping it in a mire of filth, leaving it no time to deal with us or chant the Soul Control Technique incantation.
Qin Jian was anxious; seeing the Workshop workers approaching step by step without any action from me, he whispered, "Lao Qi, you’re not backing down, are you?"
How could I back down? I was waiting for the right moment. Once the timing was right, I would strike.
Among those hypnotized Human Puppets, Peng Yan moved sluggishly as if her legs were bound by a rope. As the wild ghost charged fiercely toward us, I chanted the Calmness Mantra to control the stumbling Human Puppet just as I prepared my entire being to confront the wild ghost.
Seemingly fragile Peng Yan suddenly made a sharp turn and raised her hand to deliver a fierce blow to the nearby wild Ghost Head. A crisp crack echoed as if a bone had broken; the wild ghost's head tilted, showing no sign of pain on its face as it reached out to grab Peng Yan.
In an instant, the Human Puppet awakened by my Calmness Mantra retaliated against the wild ghost. They raised their tools meant for us and struck fiercely at the wild ghost that had grabbed Peng Yan.
The timing was perfect. I launched my Demonic Needle first; whoosh—Demonic Needle swiftly changed angles as a cluster of blue Hellfire rose from my fingertip. My fist struck those Human Skin Puppets that were poised to attack us as if hitting a severely decayed mannequin.
With a puff—each Human Skin Puppet turned out to be so fragile that they disintegrated into dust in an instant.
Qin Jian, Chi Xinrong, and Ling Juan gave me thumbs up.
Peng Yan was safe now. She called out to me, Brother Qi; Regeneration Water was inside another wild ghost mold's belly. The Regeneration Water was mixed with a trace of resentment from the wild ghost's past life—a Wraith—combined with DNA from a Japanese imitation human gene and injected into the Human Skin Puppet mold.
A living Human Skin Puppet was formed.
At the same time, Peng Yan shared some incredible news with me: Gousi had been hypnotized by a wild ghost. Knowing this truth, I had to save Gousi and the others.
The lair of the wild ghost was destroyed. In the blink of an eye, Gousi arrived along with Brother Ma and others. I used the Calmness Mantra to awaken each of them. Xie Ke appeared trembling, and only I knew he was a Human Skin Puppet, a pawn of the wild ghost. He foolishly sought a human identity card, but under my Demonic Needle attack, he ultimately turned into a pile of useless remains.
With Gousi's help, we found all the masks and forms of the wild ghost, as well as the Regeneration Water.
Now that the wild ghost's base was destroyed, I didn't need to waste any effort; I could simply use Hellfire to burn it down.
Just as I was about to set it ablaze with Hellfire, Gousi stopped me in time: "Let's get out first. I'll show you the exit, and then you can burn it down. If we do it now, we'll only die here."
His words snapped me back to reality. I hurriedly followed Gousi as he led Peng Yan and the others to the exit.
Once outside, we faced a wall—a strange wall.
"Seven, it's your turn to perform," Gousi said. With that, my Hellfire struck. With a loud bang, the wall ignited, and shadows of human figures floated out from the burning surface. They thanked me and made their way out; beneath Gousi's residence lay a pit of corpses.
The floral scent wafting from his house masked the stench of decay. I was genuinely frightened by his words. As we began digging through the layers of soil, I saw skeletons emerging one after another.
"Most missing persons are here. He used helping others as an excuse to hypnotize and kill many people. I heard about this and disguised myself to find him, but ended up falling into his trap and was pulled into an illusory space."
"In fact, when I discovered you were dead but couldn't find your soul, I found it strange. I secretly checked your body without telling anyone, including Qin Jian. When I looked at your corpse, I realized it wasn't human; there was a circular pattern in the brain of the Human Skin Puppet formed by several skulls. Each skull contained a curse spirit spell; my Demonic Needle is the nemesis of that curse spirit spell, which is why it was so easy to rescue you."
"Seven, you've fulfilled your duty; your father can rest in peace in the underworld now. His death was also orchestrated by the wild ghost."
"Huh?"
Gousi clasped his hands behind his back while Ling Juan and Chi Xinrong seemed to have endless things to say. They laughed and gestured animatedly while secretly wiping away tears. It seemed this experience had deeply impacted them; life is fragile and must be cherished.
I listened intently as Gousi recounted the story of how my father was killed by the Japanese spy, Ye Gui. My blood boiled with rage, and I truly wanted to dig up his corpse to vent my anger.
Thinking of this made me laugh, a spontaneous and knowing smile spreading across my face. When I returned home and lay down on my bed, I tried not to dwell on it.
I slept deeply, and when I finally woke up, I suddenly remembered Qin Jian's gathering. I hurriedly got up and rushed out. At the entrance, there was a car with two beautiful women inside.
Ling Juan informed me that Peng Yan and Fat Hand had already left hand in hand, not wanting to ride with us. As I got into the car, Ling Juan embraced me with tears in her eyes, while Chi Xinrong and Qin Jian cheered, "Together, together!"
In that moment, I felt intoxicated, as if I could see Mi Huanxiao blessing me for winning the heart of a beautiful girl. In this lifetime, encountering good girls like Mi and Ling Juan was a blessing earned through my Ma Qiqi's efforts. The gathering felt like a grand celebration, and I immersed myself in all the stories unfolding around me, hearing discussions in the background.
Without needing to look, I knew it was Qin Jian and the others talking about the recent mystery of the Human Skin Puppet. I squinted my eyes and closed the thick black-covered notebook in my hands. This was a record of all my glorious achievements as a Mortician, meant to be passed down to future generations.
(THE END)
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