Less than half a day had passed, but the shantytown was just as it was before. Thanks to the previous incident, no one had yet dared to approach the area where it happened, leaving a large section deserted.
Chen Chuan had Old Qi wait outside while he entered alone, making his way to the backyard where the paranormal event was contained. The mannequin was still there, silently holding Xiaoman.
The ritual pattern previously drawn on the wall had already faded slightly. The Ritual Materials Old Qi had found were decent enough; it seed he hadn’t been ripped off. By the looks of it, the ritual could hold for a few more days even if left unattended.
He returned to the front room, found a tin can, and scraped Lang Teng’s and Bo Chen’s hair and blood into it. After burning the contents, he mixed the ashes with the last of the materials and used it to expand the ritual pattern.
The ritual pattern couldn’t be redrawn, but it could be extended. It was like adding another layer to the periter. Of course, with the foundation already in place, he didn’t have to add much.
When he finished the final stroke, he tossed aside the ritual pen and turned to look at the mannequin. ’If everything goes smoothly, this should weaken the paranormal event to its minimum level.’
After a short wait, the fading effect on his Second Self did indeed begin to diminish.
With a SNAP, the mannequin shifted from a half-sitting position to lying flat, its arms loosening their grip on Xiaoman.
Chen Chuan silently awaited the outco. The signs of his fading continued to recede, but once they reached a certain threshold, they stabilized and weakened no further.
The paranormal event was still much stronger than when he had first arrived. If anyone were to stay nearby, they would all be dead within days.
’As expected, it can’t be completely resolved.’
He had considered this possibility before. The paranormal event’s formation likely wasn’t just due to Xiaoman’s lingering obsession; the mannequin itself was also problematic.
Xiaoman’s obsession was the primary trigger. Had it been left at that, the phenonon would have gone dormant and caused no further trouble. But with Xiaoman’s death, it was like pouring oil on a fire, and things grew far more complicated.
He walked over and pressed on the mannequin’s chest and abdon, eventually finding a detachable section. He removed the outer panel, revealing what was inside: a set of assemblable internal organ models.
This wasn’t a mannequin for displaying clothes, but a practice dummy for a specific kind of clientele. Judging by the marks on the mannequin’s inner walls, it might have even held real organs at so point.
The origin of such an item made him think of organizations that trafficked human organs.
But there was more. Besides the normal organ models, there were other items made of thin mbranes and fuzzy threads. They looked like re stuffing, but he knew they were ant to represent a Fighter’s Mutated Organization. ’And perhaps not just that...’
He tried opening the mannequin’s head. It appeared empty at first glance, but a closer look revealed residual crystalline, fibrous material that was strangely beautiful.
’This is likely the residue of a Mutated Organization in the brain,’ he mused. ’A head was once kept in here. And for it to have produced this kind of mutated feature, it almost certainly belonged to a Third Limit Fighter.’
’But how could the brain of a Fighter at that level end up here? The fact that this head was once inside might be another reason for the paranormal event.’
’To resolve this paranormal event quickly and completely, I’d have to trace its origins.’
But he didn’t have ti for that. His only other option was to contain the paranormal event completely and keep it with him.
He had considered this option before but hadn’t expected the opportunity to arise so soon.
A long-lasting, containable paranormal event like this could be used to stimulate his Mutated Organization in place of drugs. The only issue was that the containnt would require a significant amount of Esoteric Materials, which also cost money.
Of course, it would still likely be cheaper than the drugs. And judging by how widespread Esoteric Buddhism was in Central City, the market for Ritual Materials was massive. Simple containnt materials weren’t even that expensive; they were very common items within Esoteric Buddhism circles.
Furthermore, Esoteric Materials were considered contraband, aning they weren’t sold on official platforms and transactions left no record. For him, this was a definite advantage.
’But I can’t leave it here,’ he thought. ’I have to find a way to move it, or it could break containnt at any mont.’
Generally, long-term containnt required a special tool from an Esoteric Ritual. These unique items were usually crafted by practitioners of Esoteric Buddhism, though so Lost Objects left behind by paranormal events could serve a similar function. He might have sothing that could work as a substitute. It was worth a try.
’Looks like I need to head back to the academy first.’
After so thought, he grabbed a shovel from the side and reburied the mannequin in the pit. Xiaoman’s body also needed to be handled. After tidying up the area, he carried her body out.
When he erged from the shantytown and reached the car, he found Old Qi asleep in his seat. The man had been busy all night and had driven them back and forth. Not being a Fighter, he was completely exhausted.
The mont he drew near, however, Old Qi awoke. He must have set an alert on his Realm Token. Seeing Chen Chuan, he quickly sat up. "Brother Chen, how did it go?"
Chen Chuan said, "There’s still a small issue I need to handle. I have to go back to the academy to get sothing." He set Xiaoman’s body down. "Old Qi, I’m sorry to ask, but could you please handle this?"
Old Qi sighed at the sight of Xiaoman’s body. "The poor child... Brother Chen, your task is more important. You go on ahead. Leave this little matter to ."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Old Qi, you’re exhausted. Just go ho once you’re finished. I can handle the rest by myself."
Old Qi agreed.
Chen Chuan entrusted Xiaoman’s body to him and turned to leave.
Only after he was so distance away did Old Qi seem to rember sothing. He slapped his forehead. "Wait, the money..." Chen Chuan’s voice sounded from the Realm Token. "Old Qi, just hold on to the money for now. We’ll sort it out later."
"Ah, alright."
Chen Chuan went out and caught a tram, returning to the academy shortly after. The mont he stepped within range of the Profound Palace Building, his Realm Token connected to Hong Fu.
"Student detected as not having returned to dormitory yesterday. For safety reasons, the academy recomnds the student consider receiving a small, non-obstructive observational Implant."
"This Implant can monitor the student’s internal bodily functions and transmit data to the academy in real-ti if a dangerous situation is encountered, allowing the academy to assess the situation..."
The ssage went on to list the benefits of these Implants: recording specific data during combat, monitoring hormone levels in real-ti, and detecting the growth trajectory of one’s Mutated Organization. This data, combined with evaluation results, would allow for a more tailored training regin.
Chen Chuan read it and refused without a second thought.
’Aside from the fact I have no intention of getting an Implant, if that data was transmitted to the platform, it wouldn’t just be my movents they’d be tracking. My personal information would be completely exposed.’
’Training might be easier, but it would also make an easier target. I’m better off remaining with the Intuition School. Hmm, or maybe the Pure Sect.’
As he got on the elevator and headed for his dorm, he received two more ssages. The first was a series of photos from Tan Zhi. Judging by the tistamps, the guy was still at the party, surrounded by young won in daring outfits with alluring figures.
One photo showed Tan Zhi striking a pose—leaning back with one hand on his forehead and the other stretched out behind him, an ecstatic expression on his face. He was encircled by won who had their hands in the air, their feet all leaving the ground at the sa ti, skirts swirling. The scene was incredibly dynamic.
Classmate Tan Zhi certainly had so moves. Chen Chuan casually marked the ssage as read and swiped it away.
He then turned his attention to the second ssage. This one was from one of Wuyi’s teachers, sent via the academy’s internal platform. The teacher ntioned he had seen on the platform that a new student was lacking in combat skills and offered his guidance. He told Chen Chuan to contact him if interested and even included his past performance reviews.
Chen Chuan glanced at it and moved it to his "read later" archive. Just then, the elevator doors opened. He walked quickly back to his dorm, washed his face, changed his clothes, and ate a few sticks of Nutrition Paste. Afterward, he rummaged through his suitcase and finally pulled out an upper jawbone lined with sharp teeth.
It was a Lost Object, left behind after he had dealt with the Mountain Ghost paranormal event.
He made a point of keeping all Lost Objects from past paranormal events. This Upper Jawbone might just work as the containnt vessel for the new paranormal event. He’d have to test it, as he’d never done anything like this before. According to the docunts Director Lei had given him, however, it was theoretically possible.
Besides, he didn’t need to command the paranormal event to do anything; he just needed to keep it contained by his side. That made the difficulty extrely low, involving only the most basic application. If he were to try to control it, the complexity would increase exponentially.
This ant that the person who had conducted that large-scale Esoteric Ritual must have been incredibly proficient. No wonder the Molan Company had invested in him.
After retrieving the jawbone, he also grabbed the dossier of information, placed both in a sturdy tote bag, and left the academy. He took the tram back to the shantytown once more.
Old Qi’s car was gone. It seed he’d left to take care of Xiaoman’s final arrangents.
He returned to the backyard of Xiaoman’s house alone. He dug up the mannequin again, placed the Upper Jawbone on its chest, and buried them both.
Then, he spread the dossier open in front of him, turned to a specific page, took out the last of his Ritual Materials, and began to carefully trace a new pattern, stroke by stroke.
The ritual pattern was so complex that he had no choice but to copy it directly from the docunt.
He worked for the better part of the day, using up nearly all the Ritual Materials by the ti he finally completed the pattern. Fortunately, he hadn’t made any mistakes.
He took a few steps back. Now, all he could do was wait and see if it had worked.
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