Wu Dajin said with a grimace, "Yesterday, when it happened, we were paying respects in the ancestral hall. That thing suddenly descended, and everyone inside started kowtowing to it as if they were possessed. We couldn’t stop them no matter how we tried, and the number of enchanted people just kept growing.
I knew sothing was wrong, so I imdiately went out to evacuate the townsfolk, but I was too slow. There are about a thousand people in this town, and now three or four hundred of them are affected.
I tried to rush back in to kill that thing, but I just ended up losing a dozen of my n. I had no other choice but to pull everyone out."
Although he only had about twenty security team mbers left, it wouldn’t be difficult to organize the evacuated townsfolk and muster over a hundred people. The problem was that the Flying Head was just too tricky to handle. Anyone who got close would go mad and start kowtowing to the creature. So even turned on them, their eyes bloodshot, and tried to block their way.
How could they attack? Every one of those affected townsfolk was a relative. Even with weapons in their hands, they couldn’t bring themselves to strike. They could only make a miserable retreat.
After the contractors arrived, soone suggested calling in fire trucks to scatter the villagers with water hoses. But Wu Dajin was dead set against it. In this cold, a blast of cold water would surely cause frostbite and serious harm. Not to ntion the many elderly and children in the ancestral hall—they wouldn’t survive it.
A few skeptical contractors tried to charge in a couple of tis, attempting to avoid hurting anyone, but they all failed. One of them even fell under the spell just like the townsfolk, dropping to his knees and kowtowing to the Flying Head. Everyone was horrified. Now, until they had a way to counter the Flying Head, no one dared to make a reckless charge.
Just then, the lead contractor from one of the firms walked up to Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen," he asked, "I heard soone say that if we eliminate the Flying Head, everyone will return to normal. Is that true?"
Wu Dajin looked over as well, his eyes filled with hope.
Chen Chuan replied, "That’s correct. However, if we approach now, the nearby townsfolk will undoubtedly attack us. So as long as we try to get in from the periter, a confrontation with them is inevitable."
The man’s face fell with disappointnt. ’If that’s the case, he can only be of use at the very end or at a critical mont. We’ll still have to figure out how to get inside on our own.’
At that mont, the crowd suddenly heard a sound that was part bird-call, part a child’s cry.
Chen Chuan looked up to see a black, bird-like dot rising in the distance. But he could see clearly that it wasn’t a bird at all—it was unmistakably a human head.
Its two ears were spread wide like wings, and its face was frozen in an eerie, unsmiling grin. It circled once above a building before descending again.
Wu Dajin’s face was grim. "Mr. Chen, that’s the ancestral hall. That thing cos out to make an appearance once every Hour."
Chen Chuan Involuntarily fell into thought.
One of the contractors spoke up impatiently. "Captain Wu, we sympathize with Wu Family Town’s plight, but we were hired to resolve this. We can’t just stand here at a stalemate. You’re asking us not to harm a single person, but that’s an extrely difficult condition for us to et.
You have to understand, if we can’t finish the job, the Administrative Affairs Hall might just send in the Patrol Bureau’s teams next. They all carry guns, and their thods are brutal. They won’t be as reasonable as we are."
Wu Dajin hesitated. He knew the man was right. The Patrol Bureau only follows orders from their superiors. To solve the problem, they wouldn’t hesitate to use force against the maddened townsfolk.
Just then, Chen Chuan spoke up. "Actually, we don’t have to go to them." Everyone Involuntarily turned to look at him.
He continued, "The Flying Head keeps appearing because it’s looking for a blood sacrifice. The townsfolk have only lost their minds under its influence; there’s no one to organize them, so they don’t know to prepare a sacrificial altar. If that’s the case, we just need to set up a simple ritual site out here and make an offering. It will co to us on its own."
Wu Dajin’s eyes lit up. "Mr. Chen, will that really work?!" he asked, his voice filled with excitent.
Chen Chuan nodded at him, then turned to the other contractors. "Just one thing—when the Flying Head is under attack, the srized townsfolk might rush out to intervene. I’ll have to ask for your help with that."
Hearing this, the contractors all readily agreed. "Don’t worry, Mr. Chen. Leave that to us!"
’I know perfectly well that the townsfolk won’t just start running around when the Flying Head appears,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’And even if they did, they can’t outrun sothing that flies. By the ti they get here, I’ll probably have already dealt with it.’
’But that would make the other contractors seem useless, and their performance ratings would surely drop. By giving them this task, their ratings will be secure, whether or not they’re actually needed.’
’It wasn’t just about saving face for them, either. There were a good number of these contractors, and they had the strength to back it up. Wu Dajin’s twenty-odd security guards couldn’t possibly stop them. If they decided to force their way through, the unard townsfolk wouldn’t stand a chance. Yet, they held back out of concern for the people’s safety. For that alone, they deserved a bit of help.’
He turned to Wu Dajin and said, "Captain Wu, I need you to do a few things and gather so items for ."
"Mr. Chen, just tell what you need! I’ll get it for you!" Wu Dajin replied at once.
Chen Chuan said, "First, I need you to disperse all the unrelated onlookers in the area. When the Flying Head appears, they could be severely affected."
One of the contractors added, "We brought cordon ropes. We can help with that."
"That’s great," said Wu Dajin. He grabbed one of his security team mbers, told him to take so n and help, then turned back to Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, what else do you need?"
Chen Chuan listed the items he required. Wu Dajin imdiately organized the townsfolk and his n to search for them. In just half an Hour, they had gathered everything he asked for.
Following his instructions, the n used scavenged bricks and stones to build a makeshift altar. They also led over a goat, knocked it unconscious, and placed it on top.
However, for the offering to be complete, soone had to step forward and kowtow before the altar to finish the ritual.
Chen Chuan spoke to the two security team mbers who had been chosen for the task. They were trembling with fear. "Don’t worry," he reassured them. "Even if you lose control, you’ll recover quickly once we’ve dealt with the Flying Head."
Seeing the two n still cowering, Wu Dajin went up, kicked both of them, and then lashed them with his belt a few tis. "What the fuck are you frozen for? Are you trying to disgrace us? Huh? Get the fuck up there!"
After the beating and verbal lashing, the two guards had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk forward. Once they knelt, Wu Dajin, following Chen Chuan’s instructions, stepped up personally and drew a knife across the goat’s throat. Blood instantly spurted out, pooling in a clay basin placed below it and releasing a thick, coppery stench into the air.
Wu Dajin then yelled at the two guards, who were frozen in a daze, "What are you staring at? Kowtow! Kowtow!"
As if waking from a dream, the two n frantically began to kowtow before the altar.
The onlookers quickly backed away, waiting with tense, solemn expressions. But after a good while, nothing happened.
Just as everyone was beginning to doubt the plan, Chen Chuan suddenly saw his Second Self begin to fade. He lifted his head and said, "There."
Everyone looked up and gasped in horror. Unseen, unheard, the Flying Head was already hovering directly above them.
Chen Chuan studied it for a mont and realized sothing was wrong. ’This Flying Head is different from the one I saw before. It’s not the sa one.’
This was unexpected. ’There are two of them?’
His thoughts raced. ’Whether this one is related to the one in town is a secondary concern. The townsfolk clearly aren’t affected by this one. I have to deal with the one in the town first.’
He reached into his pocket, and with a flick of his wrist, sent several pebbles flying out with a SWISH. One of them struck the Flying Head. It let out a piercing shriek and flew away in alarm.
Wu Dajin was confused. "Mr. Chen, what...?"
"That’s not the one," Chen Chuan explained. "There are two Flying Heads. We can only handle one at a ti. Send a few people to drive this one away, but tell them not to get too close, or they’ll be affected."
One of the contractors imdiately volunteered. "Mr. Chen, leave it to us." He gathered a few n and so tools and went after the retreating Flying Head.
Not long after that Flying Head was driven off, a grating shriek echoed from the town. A black dot flew out and headed straight for them.
"Get back," Chen Chuan commanded. "Everyone, fall back."
The others saw it too and hastily retreated, leaving him to stand alone at the front.
The Flying Head flew directly to the altar and circled it twice. Now that it was close, everyone could see its face. The skin, like withered parchnt, was stretched taut against the skull, yet covered in deep wrinkles. An expression of ecstatic hunger spread across its features as it descended impatiently, plunging itself headfirst into the pool of blood.
At that mont, aside from the two n still kowtowing, so of the nearby security guards suddenly began to convulse and were quickly restrained by the contractors. Farther back, behind the cordon ropes, the onlookers began to vomit violently. Within monts, few were left standing.
Chen Chuan glanced at his Second Self; it was fading noticeably. He took a deep breath, thrust his Snow Monarch Blade into the ground, and gripped the hilt. As he walked forward, he slowly drew the long blade from the earth.
He started off slowly. The Flying Head, busy gnawing on the goat and making grotesque chewing noises, hadn’t yet noticed him. But as he drew closer, it seed to grow wary, raising its head to look around.
Chen Chuan had been watching its every move. He wasn’t yet at the optimal distance to strike, but he didn’t wait. He shot across the seven or eight ters of space in an instant, and a flash of light slashed through the air!
A piercing shriek rang out. Though the Flying Head dodged just in ti, a chunk of bone and flesh, half an ear still attached, was sliced off. This didn’t seem to impede its flight, however. The rest of it shot upward, about to escape the range of the Sword Stance. The onlookers behind him grew anxious.
Chen Chuan remained perfectly calm. He suddenly drew the Martial Halberd gun from his waist and fired seven shots—BANG! BANG! BANG!—up into the air, riddling the head’s surface with bloody holes.
The Flying Head wobbled a few tis before falling stiffly from the sky, landing on the ground with a wet SPLAT. At that very mont, the fading of his "Second Self" intensified dramatically, as if it were under so powerful assault.
Unmoved, he put down the gun and calmly walked forward. With one step, CRACK, he crushed the head under his foot. Then, he turned around, his expression serene, and faced the stunned crowd. "Captain Wu."
"Y-yes! Right here!" Wu Dajin stamred as if waking from a dream. He rushed forward, his face a mixture of excitent and awe.
Chen Chuan said in a steady voice, "Captain Wu, please prepare another altar. Let’s see if we can lure the other Flying Head over as well. Since we’ve seen it, we might as well eliminate both."
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