Hu Jiu regained consciousness.
Everything happened naturally.
The good news is that he managed to control the tree, albeit with some difficulty.
The bad news is that he lost his human form.
A human face grew on the trunk of the towering Bronze Ancient Tree, and its branches and roots tried to transform into hands and feet, but failed.
Due to his imperfect control, Hu Jiu was unable to fully grasp the Supernatural of the Bronze Tree.
Having left the Supernatural space, he found himself in Haunted House. He shook his horribly deformed body, trying to calm his mind instead of letting his thoughts wander.
Although he had become non-human, he had also become far more powerful. So be it if he didn't want to be human anymore. He could vaguely sense a small fragment of the Bronze Tree in the distance, probably the part of the ancient tree Supernatural that Headquarters had brought back. When he discovered that he could remotely interfere with that small fragment, Hu Jiu decisively bewitched someone, asking him to find a way to take the fragment out of Headquarters and stir up trouble.
Xiao Yu and Yin Wenxian were both followed and targeted to varying degrees. Hu Jiu helped them out, but his control over the Supernatural was not very stable at the moment, and he accidentally overdid it.
In fact, as long as Xiao Yu and Yin Wenxian are quick-witted, there is a high probability that nothing will happen. Hu Jiu has never asked them to remain loyal, and temporarily defecting to the enemy is nothing to him. He doesn't mind at all.
If subordinates are loyal, that's ideal; but if they betray you, Hu Jiu can easily devise a new scheme.
The Supernatural power of the Bronze Tree was showing signs of getting out of control. Hu Jiu tried his best to control it so that the branches wouldn't grow wildly, but let the roots spread downwards madly. After all, the strange changes that had occurred underground wouldn't attract attention for a while, so let the roots grow wildly.
The roots of the Bronze Tree pierced through the ground, and Supernatural forces continuously devoured the soil, filling the roots. The roots continued to grow, drilling deep into the earth, rapidly altering the underground structure centered on the Haunted House.
However, this trend was quickly brought under control; a hand grew out of the tree trunk and could write.
Lin Lipeng, one of the main persons in charge of a laboratory in the Research Department, went missing and took sample number 1 with him, plunging the Research Department into brief chaos.
The fact that a researcher with access to a great deal of classified information could disappear without a trace with such important items is a serious mistake that could lead to accountability for many people at Headquarters, jeopardizing their political future and potentially resulting in them being demoted to lower-level positions and never being able to climb back up again.
After Lin Lipeng was discovered missing, Headquarters immediately launched an investigation, and the investigation team soon found the body of Lin Lipeng's assistant, Xiao Yang.
Xiao Yang was brutally murdered and dismembered; his body parts were wrapped in plastic wrap and neatly displayed in the refrigerator. When the investigation team searched Lin Lipeng's apartment, they also found many strange and incomprehensible patterns drawn on the bathroom mirror, as if it were graffiti by a madman.
These patterns were photographed in high resolution, and many analysts conducted a comprehensive analysis, ultimately concluding that they seemed to be something unconsciously drawn by a person in a semi-conscious state.
Apart from that, the investigation team found nothing.
This disappearance case is truly bizarre, and it also leads to a case of intentional homicide, with exceptionally heinous circumstances.
The investigation team held a meeting.
"Lin Lipeng's resume and files are very clean; there's nothing particularly wrong with them. It's hard to imagine that such a highly qualified researcher would commit such a heinous act..."
"We investigated Lin Lipeng's psychological evaluation test, but this report is from some time ago. The report shows that although Lin Lipeng had some psychological stress, his mental state was still normal and healthy. Could this be a crime of passion?"
"This hypothesis is basically untenable. First of all, Yang was definitely killed by Lin Lipeng; the fingerprints and all the evidence we've found point to him. The key issue is the motive. Yang was Lin Lipeng's assistant; the two had worked together for many years and had an excellent relationship. They hadn't had any recent conflicts, so we simply can't understand why Lin would want to kill Yang."
The case files, including transcripts, forensic examination results, autopsy reports, and crime scene photos, are all on the office desk in the Lin Lipeng disappearance and murder case. However, so far, the progress of the investigation is not ideal.
"Has Lin Lipeng's interpersonal relationships been investigated?"
"We investigated. As a tenured employee of the Research Department, he participated in several Supernatural research projects. Headquarters always maintains very strict vetting and surveillance of researchers involved in classified research..."
Lin Lipeng is a researcher in the Research Department, and his interpersonal relationships are strictly controlled, mainly to prevent unintentional leaks of secrets.
"Headquarters has backups of Lin Lipeng's emails, chat logs, and other communications. There were no abnormalities before his disappearance."
"After killing someone, Lin Lipeng calmly took the tree branch and brazenly slipped away. What could his purpose be?"
"Could it be... a foreign force?"
"That's possible! Lin Lipeng might be a foreign force that has infiltrated Headquarters long ago, or he might have been turned during his work, or his mind might have been warped by Supernatural forces."
"Regardless of the reason, Lin Lipeng has committed a serious crime. Continue to intensify the search. I believe that once Lin Lipeng took that tree branch out, he will definitely take other actions."
Lin Lipeng did indeed take action. Shortly after his escape, he lost a lot of weight and aged several years, but his spirits became increasingly high.
To evade Headquarters' investigation, he wore a worn-out coat, made simple makeup on his face, avoided any electronic devices, and deliberately chose to go to secluded places without surveillance cameras.
He was carrying a bag and slowly making his way through the dimly lit alleyways. After several twists and turns, he arrived at an old house, carefully took out his key, and opened the door.
The next moment, a knife was held against his neck.
"Behave yourself and don't move, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
This was a home invasion robbery. Two young men who looked like thugs had their eyes on Lin Lipeng. In this area, which could be described as a "slum," the intrusion of a stranger was very conspicuous. Lin Lipeng was good at scientific research, but not so good at other things.
The old house where he temporarily stayed originally belonged to a local couple, but their whereabouts are now unknown.
The thugs Zhao San and Liu Shui keenly noticed that the new resident, Lin Lipeng, was unexpectedly wealthy. They didn't know why Lin Lipeng had suddenly moved into this old house, but they saw that the old man was very generous with his money, never haggling, and always paying in large sums of cash.
"An outsider of unknown origin," "possessing a large amount of cash," and "living in a remote place without surveillance"—these factors combined are enough to tempt some people to harbor malicious intentions.
So Zhao San and Liu Shui couldn't resist breaking into the house to rob it. In fact, even if it weren't for them, there would have been others in the future. Lin Lipeng looked like a fat sheep to them.
The two men took Lin Lipeng and went into the house.
What's rather strange is that Lin Lipeng was surprisingly calm, showing no signs of panic from being robbed. His composure was astounding, which greatly displeased Zhao San and Liu Shui.
"Hand over all your money!" they threatened menacingly.
Lin Lipeng nodded. "The money is in that room over there. Go find it if you want it."
He pointed to a room on the left side of the living room. Perhaps because his attitude was too calm, the two robbers were very suspicious. They weren't stupid; the strange old man in front of them was acting strangely in every way.
Lin Lipeng was threatened with a knife by them, so Zhao San brought a rope and tied him up.
"Go and take a look!" Zhao San told Liu Shui to go to that room to find the money, and Liu Shui didn't object and walked towards the room.
They dared to rob him, so they must have been incredibly bold. Besides, he was just an old man; even if he seemed a bit strange, they weren't afraid.
The moment Liu Shui opened the door, a stench wafted out, a strange smell mixed with the stench of rotting meat, causing Liu Shui to shed tears. Several bulging black plastic bags were piled in the corner, and the ground was soaked with dark red blood.
There was an open backpack in the room, which was indeed filled with a lot of cash. But Liu Shui didn't even look at it; the overwhelming stench made him back away.
Actually, they smelled something was off when they first entered the house, but they just assumed it was because the man living alone was unhygienic. Now it seems...
"Holy crap, it stinks!" Liu Shui hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the problem. After all, he was just a small-time hoodlum, and he wasn't familiar with the smell of rotting human corpses.
The stench assaulted their nostrils, and Zhao San and Liu Shui suddenly felt as if their lungs were about to explode—it was absolutely suffocating!
Bang--
Liu Shui slammed the door shut, his face flushed red, and after a long while, he finally let out a long breath.
"What kind of monster is in that room?" Liu Shui plopped down in a chair, and Zhao San's expression also turned grim. In fact, he had a vague guess, but he didn't dare to believe it until the very last moment.
"You mean those bags? They belonged to the original residents here. They tried to scam me out of money, so I got rid of them." Lin Lipeng said expressionlessly.
The word "dispose of" already makes it clear that the foul-smelling thing in that room is a corpse.
Zhao San and Liu Shui's faces were ashen, their legs trembling. They dared to rob and plunder, but they dared not kill or set fires, and they had an instinctive fear of corpses.
At this moment, Lin Lipeng tilted his head, his voice tinged with a chilling undertone. "Since you've discovered us, you'll all stay here forever."
With a forceful pull of his hands, he broke free of the ropes binding him, stood up, and curled his lips into an exaggerated smile, his expression one of madness.
Zhao San and Liu Shui were terrified. They involuntarily backed away and ran away.
Lin Lipeng pressed on, "Good boy, don't be afraid... it won't hurt too much..."
Two low screams did not escape the room; the creaking sound of limbs being shredded lingered for a while before finally fading into silence.
After dealing with the minor trouble, Lin Lipeng ate a simple meal to fill his stomach, then quickly packed his luggage and put on his disguise again.
This temporary accommodation is no longer suitable for me to stay in.
Along the way, he has killed many people, from his assistant Xiao Yang to passersby who accidentally stumbled upon the secret. Even if he is now sober, he can only go down a dark path.
Lin Lipeng disappeared into the night. His mission wasn't just to smuggle the Bronze Tree out of Headquarters; ideally, he could also frame someone else...
Hu Jiu gradually returned to human form.
The appearance of the Ghost Book has also changed dramatically. Strange patterns intertwine and coalesce into the shape of a tree. The bizarre branches twist and turn, and in the center of the trunk grows Hu Jiu's face, with an eyeball embedded in his forehead.
Imagination can distort reality. For a few minutes, Hu Jiu's ego swelled to the point that he thought he was omnipotent. But he quickly calmed down. The ability to "Wish Fulfillment come true" was indeed tricky and domineering, but the side effects were equally obvious.
He has difficulty controlling his thoughts or subconscious. Whenever he thinks, everything around him is affected, even his own appearance changes, with the probability of him becoming ugly far exceeding the probability of him becoming handsome.
Previously, the combination of the Ghost Book and the Ghost Pen could cut off one's own Supernatural and bestow them upon others or external objects. Now, Hu Jiu can actually create some completely new and simple "Fierce Ghosts." Although they have many flaws and lack some subjective initiative, it is more accurate to say that they create unstable Supernatural Item rather than Fierce Ghosts. However, such progress is already quite significant.
To prevent his wild thoughts from causing strange phenomena around him, Hu Jiu could only temporarily place a seal on his chin. A small black dot appeared in the center of his chin, barely visible at social distance, like a light switch. He would remove the seal when needed. Once he could perfectly control his thoughts in the future, he wouldn't need this switch anymore.
Unbeknownst to him, Hu Jiu's strength had grown to a considerable level. From this moment on, Hu Jiu could also let himself go, like a fish leaping in the vast sea and a bird soaring in the boundless sky. Many things that he never dared to imagine before, he could now try.
His initial wish for rebirth, "immortality," seems to have been fulfilled. As long as he is not killed by a powerful enemy and his supernatural Supernatural do not go out of control, he can live for a very long time.
Perhaps the Supernatural has changed his thinking, making him unrecognizable, devoid of humanity and emotion, no longer the person he once was.
But what does it matter?
Even without the Supernatural, human thoughts are altered by external factors such as time and environment; the Supernatural merely accelerates this process.
For them, immortality and immense power make the loss of emotions and humanity a negligible price to pay!
After imagining a bright future for a while, Hu Jiu sighed again. There were some things he needed to take care of, his biggest secret—rebirth!
What exactly is this rebirth? Did his consciousness return to the past? Or did time reverse? Was the universe rebooted?
When he was weak, he didn't need to think about why he was reborn; he could just use the information gap to grow stronger step by step. But now he has to consider it carefully: is there someone who can manipulate time?
What if someone else is reborn and destroys the past, then tries to devour him like a piece of meat?
What if time could turn back again? Wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?