Although the puppet was dressed in real clothes and looked like a real person from a distance, Chen Chuan could never mistake it for one.
Director Lei spoke up from behind him, "Did you forget sothing? Co on out for now."
Chen Chuan turned his head and said, "Yes." He turned around and walked out of the room. Director Lei glanced inside again. His son was there, quietly playing with building blocks but struggling to put them together. He gently pushed the door closed.
Once they were back downstairs, Director Lei looked at him. "Did you see sothing just now? You can tell . I can handle it, no matter what it is."
Chen Chuan glanced at his Second Self. A faint sign of virtualization had appeared on it the mont he entered the room, and it was still there. He chose his words carefully before speaking. "Director Lei, in your eyes, what is your son’s condition?"
Director Lei was silent for a mont before admitting frankly, "Withdrawn, unresponsive, quiet, and friendless. But it’s not his fault. He was hard back then, and he’s been plagued by so unknown abnormal substance ever since. It’s all my fault, so I’ve co to accept that I can’t treat him like a normal child. As long as he can grow up safe and sound, that’s enough for , even if he no longer recognizes as his father."
Chen Chuan said, "Then I’ll tell you what I saw."
Director Lei looked at him, waiting for his answer.
Chen Chuan t his gaze and said slowly, "What I saw wasn’t a child. It was just a wooden puppet."
Director Lei froze. He stood stunned for a long mont, then his head snapped up. He strode forward and seized Chen Chuan by the shoulders.
Chen Chuan stood his ground, not flinching. Director Lei stared at him. "Really?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Director Lei murmured, "So that’s it... that’s it..." His eyes seed to turn red as he shook Chen Chuan’s shoulders forcefully. "Thank you. Thank you, Chen!"
Chen Chuan said, "Did you figure sothing out, Director Lei?"
Director Lei took a breath. "Yes. This is the answer to a question that has plagued for two years."
He seed to have cald down now. He let go and took two steps back, asking seriously, "Chen, are you certain that what you saw was a puppet, and not sothing else?"
Chen Chuan said, "I’m certain."
Director Lei nodded. "Then please wait here for a mont. I need to make a few calls."
Chen Chuan said, "Please, go ahead, Director Lei." With that, he went and sat down on a nearby sofa.
Director Lei waited for him to be seated before leaving the room. Although he appeared calm on the surface, Chen Chuan could tell from the slight tremor in his back that he was incredibly agitated, suppressing it only through imnse self-control.
After waiting for over half an hour, Director Lei returned and sat down on the sofa across from Chen Chuan. He didn’t speak for a long ti.
Chen Chuan didn’t break the silence either.
After another long while, Director Lei took off his black-frad glasses. He fumbled around for a mont, seemingly unable to find what he was looking for, then used his cuff to wipe the fog from the lenses. After putting them back on, he looked at Chen Chuan and said solemnly, "Chen, before today, I never imagined it would be possible to save my son’s life this way. Thank you."
Chen Chuan began, "Director Lei..." Director Lei waved his hand. "I’m not crazy. I know you’re right."
He glanced upstairs. "Two years. For two years... who would have thought that I’ve been facing a wooden puppet this whole ti?" He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "And I had the gall to call myself an expert on Esoteric Rituals, yet I couldn’t even recognize one happening right under my nose."
Chen Chuan said, "It seems you believe , Director Lei."
"Reason versus emotion... sotis, emotion always wins out. That’s why I was never willing to consider it. But thankfully, when the truth was laid out before , I was able to make a rational judgnt instead of imdiately denying it."
Director Lei said, "Without your reminder, it would have been very difficult for to break through that ntal block on my own." He sighed. "Worry really does cloud one’s judgnt."
Chen Chuan thought for a mont. "This may be a bit forward of , but could I ask what exactly happened?"
"There’s nothing that can’t be said," Director Lei replied. He took off his glasses again, rubbed his reddened eyes, and put them back on, regaining his earlier composure.
"As the director of the Esoteric Review Bureau, I often go up against illegal sects. While I was investigating and banning a certain sect of Esoteric Buddhism, my address was leaked.
I later learned that a straggler from that illegal sect got into my temporary residence and placed a ritual curse on my son. It’s not that complicated, to put it simply. They created a link between my son and a certain monster.
Afterward, I tried many thods to resolve it, but nothing worked.
This incident also caught my ex-wife’s attention. When she saw performing rituals on our child, she imdiately sued . But she didn’t understand that if the curse wasn’t suppressed, it would affect those around him.
There are regulations from above. We can’t disclose these matters to ordinary people, only to Law Enforcers. I couldn’t tell her directly, so I only hinted that she needed to stay away from our son.
Our marriage was arranged by our elders; there wasn’t much affection between us. We didn’t really know each other. Even if I had told her the truth, she probably would have just thought I was spouting nonsense, making up scary stories to get our son back.
I kept trying to fix the situation, but she avoided everywhere, until half a month later..."
He heaved a deep sigh. "Actually, if I had discovered the problem sooner, I might have been able to prevent this tragedy. But part of is also relieved... her death had nothing to do with our son. Neither of them has to carry that burden..."
At this, he picked up the water glass beside him, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp. Then he set it down heavily on the side table.
He looked up at Chen Chuan. "You know, for this ritual to work, my son has to be alive. So they must still have him under their control sowhere."
Chen Chuan asked, "Director Lei, do you need help?"
Director Lei said, "Thank you, but... regarding this ritual... I have a good idea where they’re hiding him. I’ve already sent people. We just have to wait here." After a mont, he spoke again. "But..." He took a breath. "We have to break the ritual first."
Chen Chuan studied his expression. "Is it difficult?"
Director Lei’s lips began to tremble slightly. His fingers slowly curled, and after a few attempts, finally clenched into a tight fist. "All I have to do... is personally beat to death what I see... and the ritual will be broken."
Chen Chuan’s gaze sharpened. Looking at Director Lei, he understood the tornt the man was enduring.
’No wonder. As the director of the Esoteric Review Bureau, he had never allowed himself to think in this direction. As a father, he would do everything possible to avoid even the thought of harming his own child. This ritual was just too psychologically devastating.’
He asked, "Isn’t there another way?"
Director Lei shook his head. "The original purpose of this ritual is to destroy the love between family mbers in the cruelest way possible. If we don’t use this thod, even if we break it, it will just recur later." He inhaled sharply. "As a father, I failed in my duty and brought this misfortune upon him. So, I should be the one to bear the consequences."
He stood up and said to Chen Chuan, "Chen, please help one more ti. I need you to stand behind and watch. I need you to remind that it really is a puppet. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it."
Chen Chuan stood up as well and said solemnly, "Director Lei, I’m willing to help you. But..." He paused. "Aren’t you afraid I might be wrong?"
Director Lei looked him in the eye. "You’re Manager Cheng’s student, that’s correct. But from what I understand, you’ve personally handled multiple supernatural cases. The Man Mountain Flying Head Monster was eradicated by you. I’ve also noticed that the intervals between you clearing these cases are never long, yet you remain completely unaffected.
You might not even know it yourself, but you have an extrely special talent that allows you to resist the corruption of certain strange substances. What you say is more believable than what others might say."
Chen Chuan understood. Director Lei hadn’t just been arranging his son’s rescue; he had also run a background check on him. Chen Chuan could understand that. After all, his son’s life was at stake. There was nothing wrong with being cautious.
’He also had a rough idea of the situation now. It probably wasn’t just Director Lei who saw his son as a living person; perhaps everyone else did too. The corruption from the supernatural phenona must have been borne by his Second Self, which was why he himself was unaffected. This must be the ’talent’ Director Lei was talking about.’
"Wait for a mont."
Director Lei said this and left. A mont later, he returned with a hamr in his hand.
"Let’s go."
Chen Chuan followed him back up to the third floor.
After pushing the door open, Director Lei looked over, his gaze questioning. Chen Chuan glanced inside and saw the puppet still huddled quietly in the corner. He gave the director a nod.
Director Lei tightened his grip on the hamr and walked in. In his eyes, his quiet, well-behaved son was still sitting there. He should have known sothing was wrong long ago, because his son still looked exactly as he had two years ago.
He hadn’t changed at all.
He instinctively wanted to close his eyes, but breaking the ritual wouldn’t allow it. His feet felt like they were filled with lead as he walked forward. He struggled to raise the hamr. From his perspective, the child suddenly looked up at him with an innocent expression. "Dad, why are you hitting ?"
Tears streaming down his face, Director Lei said, "Xiaoying, I’m sorry." He raised the hamr and brought it down, again and again.
In Chen Chuan’s eyes, the puppet began to crack and break apart under the hamr blows. At that exact mont, the signs of virtualization on his Second Self suddenly intensified.
As Director Lei brought the hamr down one last ti, there was a CRACK. With the sound of splintering wood, a glass bead that had served as an eyeball fell to the floor.
Director Lei stood there, gasping for breath. What he saw now was only a shattered puppet. With a CLANG, the hamr in his hand fell to the floor.
He staggered back two steps, steadying himself against the wall.
Chen Chuan looked at his Second Self. The signs of virtualization were now gradually fading away.
Director Lei took a long mont to recover. A bit of his spirit returned, and the light ca back to his eyes. He said to Chen Chuan, "Thank you. Let’s go downstairs."
Chen Chuan nodded, took one last look at the puppet, and followed him down.
Downstairs, Director Lei waited in silence. He was waiting for a result he could accept. Chen Chuan didn’t speak either. For a ti, the only sound in the living room was the second-by-second ticking of the grandfather clock.
About ten minutes later.
RING RING RING...
The telephone in the living room suddenly began to ring.
Director Lei quickly reached out and grabbed it. But after placing his hand on the receiver, he paused for a mont before slowly picking it up, bringing it to his ear, and saying in the steadiest voice he could manage, "Hello, this is Lei Guangcheng."
In the spacious living room, a clear, excited voice ca from the earpiece, so loud that even Chen Chuan could hear it. "Director Lei, we found him! We found the boy! We found your son!"
Director Lei’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"He’s just a bit weak right now. Those bastards only gave him simple food and water each day, but he’s not in any serious danger. We’re bringing him to you now."
Suppressing the fierce storm of emotions inside him, Director Lei said, "Thanks, Old Gao! Thank you. You’ve worked hard."
...
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