Luoshan's Shadow 2

"The police officer," saying verbally that it was something important, walked at an unhurried pace and left through the east gate of the residential complex.

Meanwhile, Chang'an came to the south gate of the complex, the same place we entered, and met up with me.

Upon seeing me, he unreservedly told me the content of his recent conversation with the "police officer," then said worriedly, "I might be in danger recently, and I probably won't be able to go to school. You'd better not get close to me either, to avoid getting involved."

While keeping an eye on the "police officer's" movements, I replied, "I understand."

"But why did he send you away just now?" Chang'an asked, confused.

"Probably to prevent information about the case from leaking. You're half involved, so it doesn't matter, but I'm basically an outsider." I offered a simple analysis based on my layman's knowledge. "The victims involved in this incident are almost all local dignitaries. The nature of this case is likely more complex than just a few deaths. Before the truth comes out, no one wants to cause a city-wide uproar and endless gossip."

Chang'an seemed to understand, then took out his phone, checked the time, and said to me, "I have somewhere to go next, so I'll say goodbye here."

"Don't you have class this afternoon?" I asked, confused. "Are you going to skip class to go to a club again? I'm just saying, at this point..."

One of the main reasons Chang'an was criticized at university was his alleged frequent visits to places of ill repute.

What was worse, this wasn't a rumor, but a fact.

With his looks and financial situation, obtaining female companionship was as easy as taking candy from a baby. Even with his current reputation, there were plenty of women who would throw themselves at him. So, I could never understand why he would have an interest in paying for sex.

"No, no, I'm going to the hospital to visit my mom!" he quickly defended himself. "As for today's class, I've already requested leave. I have to stay at the hospital at least until tonight. It happens to be a military hospital with very strong security, so I can lie low. My sister should be going tonight too; she's been nagging me about not visiting Mom..."

"That's good. But you'd better not go to those clubs anymore. Isn't Zhu Shi also constantly criticizing you for not being pure?"

"Okay, okay, I get it, I get it... Sigh, I don't know how to talk to my sister. She probably thinks I've lost my mind already," he complained.

"Just pretend nothing happened, and Zhu Shi won't bring up your supposed mental breakdown."

"I haven't lost my mind!"

He protested loudly, then muttered a few more words before bidding me farewell and turning to leave.

I secretly attached a "Firefly" to his back, just in case something unexpected happened. Although there was no evidence yet that he would be targeted by the Serial Killer, his background was similar to the previous five victims, and he was involved in the case. This level of precaution was necessary.

After doing all this, I found a fried chicken shop on the street, sat down, and quietly monitored the "police officer's" movements.

Not long after I parted ways with Chang'an, the "police officer" took out his phone by the roadside and dialed a number.

The "Firefly's" perception was all-encompassing and without blind spots. I could clearly perceive all the images and sounds in this space through it, so I could also see the exact digits of the number he dialed. On my end, I quietly took out my own phone to record it while continuing my surveillance.

The call the "police officer" made was quickly answered.

"I've done what you asked me to do. There were indeed unusual traces at Zhu Changan's residence," the "police officer" spoke first. "I didn't see the 'cave' he mentioned when he called the police, but the 'Magic Circle' was indeed present, and it was a nearly effective ritual formation."

"Thank you, Agent Kong." A young woman's voice came from the other end of the phone, conveying a meticulous personality.

And I, through the "Firefly," clearly overheard the content of the call.

Agent Kong?

Was the "police officer's" surname Kong? But why "Agent"?

In my impression, police officers in our country are generally not addressed with the suffix "Agent." I had suspected this earlier, but now it seemed this person really wasn't a police officer?

The young woman on the other end of the phone continued.

"You said the ritual formation was 'nearly effective.' What did you mean by that?"

"It means the formation shouldn't have been effective," Agent Kong explained patiently. "Although I'm not one of your Demon Hunters, I used to study Ritual Studies at Luoshan. So I can tell that its completion rate as a ritual formation is over ninety percent. The goal was to open certain other dimensions overlapping with our reality, but due to the absence of the final set of magical symbols, it couldn't precisely locate the target other dimension."

"To describe it, the ritual formation is like a row of dominoes missing a few pieces at the beginning. No matter how high the overall completion rate, without the crucial parts, it won't work."

The young woman said understandingly, "I see... But there were indeed strange phenomena occurring there, right?"

Agent Kong shook his head. "I don't know about that. I think Zhu Changan wasn't lying, but I can't explain why the ritual formation would suddenly activate."

Wait, what were they talking about?

Ritual formation? Other dimension?

Demon Hunter? Luoshan?

Was it the Demon Hunter I was thinking of, meaning "one who hunts monsters"?

As for Luoshan...

I had never heard of such an organization or force, but I knew the concept.

The hell in Taoism is called "Fengdu," also referred to as "Luofeng Mountain" or "Fengdu Luoshan." The so-called Luoshan is the underworld. The Taoist scripture Dongyuan Ji also records: Fengdu Luoshan is in the north, where Gui (癸) is the ghost gate, the root of death and darkness. The mountain is two thousand six hundred li high and thirty thousand li in circumference. The mountain has cave palaces, all of which are cities of ghosts and spirits.

I suddenly realized that I seemed to have unexpectedly encountered another unfamiliar world.

Who were they?

The conversation continued.

"Perhaps the source of the phenomenon isn't the ritual formation?" the woman, who was called a Demon Hunter, speculated.

"I'm not sure about that. I'm just a 'probe,' only responsible for informing you of the existence of the strange event itself. The subsequent handling is your responsibility as Demon Hunters." Agent Kong first adopted an indifferent attitude, then continued, "Oh, and I saw another person there. It should be Zhu Changan's friend, named Zhuang Cheng. Do you have any impression of him?"

Hearing my name suddenly mentioned, I reflexively sat up straight in the fried chicken shop.

"Zhuang Cheng..." the Demon Hunter woman repeated my name.

"I've also heard rumors about this person. He's a well-known Ghost Story enthusiast in Xianshui City and has been investigating supernatural matters," Agent Kong actually knew quite a bit about me. "Three or four years ago, wasn't there an overseas Feng Shui Master who gave guidance to our local rich people and was exposed by him on the spot? I heard he even assisted official forces in other provinces in cracking down on feudal superstition."

"He seems to have noticed the many doubts in this incident now, for example, why was that ritual magic circle only discovered now..."

"It's because our Luoshan people lack investigative experience. If it were proper police officers, they definitely wouldn't have missed such a big clue," the female Demon Hunter sighed. "Luoshan has had major problems with its methods in recent years. At the very least, they should deepen their cooperation with the Public Security Department in handling cases. How can they monopolize all the work and still not do it well?"

"This isn't something we on the front lines should be discussing," Agent Kong avoided the topic, continuing his previous line of thought. "Looking at him, he probably never gave up chasing supernatural events."

"You mean..." the female Demon Hunter's voice grew serious.

Agent Kong nodded on the phone. "You know the trend of the past two years. Zhuang Cheng has likely already come into contact with the world of Demon Hunters, and might even have grasped a certain level of power."

Huh? I've already come into contact with the world of Demon Hunters?

Do I know about this?

And what does 'the trend of the past two years' mean? Judging by his tone, it sounds like the past two years have been a period when people like me are more likely to come into contact with the 'world of Demon Hunters'? Then why have I never encountered it before?

"Are you saying the source of the anomaly isn't the ritual magic circle, but him?" the female Demon Hunter retorted.

Hearing this, I collected my thoughts slightly and felt that this speculation wasn't entirely unreasonable.

If I was truly influenced by Maza's 'jinx' constitution that attracts anomalies, and Chang'an was affected as my friend, leading him to encounter strange phenomena, then tracing it back to me would be perfectly logical. Even if the source wasn't me but Maza, I would still be hard to forgive.

Agent Kong and the female Demon Hunter's analysis might be correct.

"I just had a thought; there's actually no clue in this regard. Ultimately, we don't even know why the fallen Demon Hunter left an incomplete ritual magic circle in that house..." Agent Kong's suspicion towards me was just a passing remark. "Let's talk about practical matters next. Do you have time later to deal with the ritual magic circle in that house? Something like that is inconvenient for ordinary people like me to handle, it has to be you Demon Hunters."

"I have something to do at the hospital tonight, so how about this afternoon? I'll go deal with that ritual magic circle soon," the female Demon Hunter said quickly. "It's just that I don't know the cause of that cave for now. If all else fails, I'll just break through the entire living room floor of that house and physically remove the basic conditions that created the cave."

"That's also a solution," Agent Kong agreed.

But a huge sense of urgency immediately welled up within me.

They want to destroy that cave?

No, I haven't explored it yet.

I can't accept that.

To me, whether it was the "Doomsday" and "Blessed Cultivator" Maza spoke of, or "Luoshan" and "Demon Hunter" mentioned by these two people, they were all just concepts that remained at the verbal level, intangible.

But that cave was different. That cave was the only anomalous object I had personally witnessed so far, possessing unique value.

It could disappear, but only after I had explored it.

I have to do something to stop them.

Just then, Agent Kong spoke again.

"Also, I'm a bit worried that the fallen Demon Hunter's next target might be Zhu Changan. If someone of that caliber targets him, no matter where he's taken, his safety can't be guaranteed. I can't offer him any protection either, so it's up to you. Didn't you repel the fallen Demon Hunter head-on last time? If you don't have any other leads at the moment, I suggest you lie in wait for him at Zhu Changan's place."

"Okay, I'll go protect him right away," the female Demon Hunter readily agreed, then came to her senses. "But if I do that, I won't have time to deal with the ritual magic circle and the cave for now."

"There's no rush over there for now, right? It hasn't caused any casualties before anyway."

"No, unknown anomalous events must be resolved as soon as possible..." the female Demon Hunter pondered for a moment and said, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I'll ask other Demon Hunters to temporarily take over my protection duties, and I'll handle it myself."