Entering the Finale 4

Agent Kong looked confused at first, then examined my expression.

"Why are you interested in this matter?"

Since inquiring about information related to Maza might arouse suspicion, I had prepared an excuse beforehand: "I'm interested in all sorts of strange and unusual things, and this matter might also be related to the Fallen Demon Hunter incident."

"Hmm, is that so..." Agent Kong pondered for a moment, then replied, "Actually, this isn't classified information. The reason Zhu Shi didn't tell you is probably because, from Luoshan's perspective, this matter isn't very presentable."

"You mean... Luoshan did something bad?" I asked tentatively.

"I don't know if that's the case. I'm not one of the higher-ups, and I can't be sure of all the information. Let me answer your previous question first, about what kind of person that young lady is..." he said, "As far as I know, she is the only known patient in the world to have recovered from Soul Deprivation Syndrome."

"...Soul Deprivation Syndrome?" I repeated the unfamiliar name.

Judging by the name, it should be a "disease of losing one's soul."

Forgive my ignorance, but I had never heard of such a disease, unless it was a euphemism for a vegetative state.

"It's understandable that you haven't heard of it. This mysterious disease is only treated as a symptom of an unknown vegetative state in the surface society. Only in our world do we call it 'Soul Deprivation Syndrome'," Agent Kong said in a low tone. "It began to spread worldwide four years ago, affecting many people. The source is unknown, the method of transmission is unknown, and the cure is unknown... Luoshan must have dispatched countless experts and spent four years, only to understand two things:

"First, this is a disease spread by some unknown abnormal phenomenon; second, while the patient's body is still functioning normally, their souls have completely disappeared."

"Souls disappearing..." I suddenly had some thoughts.

I had asked Maza before whether it was a physical or soul transmigration, and her attitude had been very vague. But I could tell she couldn't confirm if the body she was currently using was her original one. If she was indeed a transmigrator from the Doomsday era, then the possibility of her being a soul transmigrator was very high.

Coincidentally, the body Maza was currently using was originally a complete shell in this era, as if it were placed there specifically for a soul transmigrator to inhabit. Some transmigration novels I had read even described the original host soul dissipating due to drowning or fever, and then the transmigrator protagonist would take over the body.

But even if it were fictional, I still had to focus on the real issues.

For example, where did the original soul in that empty shell go, and was it related to Maza's soul transmigration?

My first thought was: Could it be that the original soul transmigrated to the Doomsday era, somehow lost all its memories, mistakenly believed itself to be a resident of the Doomsday era, and then somehow transmigrated back to the present era?

No, this hypothesis has a serious flaw: Maza should have had a body to accommodate her soul in the Doomsday era. Yet, how could a body so similar to Maza's current appearance exist in a different era?

Considering the high probability that Maza's original body was very similar to her current one, another hypothesis seemed more plausible: she was Maza from another world, and the Doomsday event was a disaster in the future of that other world.

This is the so-called parallel world theory.

But... the parallel world theory is still just a hypothesis in the scientific community. Would it be too far-fetched to use it as a basis for reasoning?

To be honest, with "transmigration" and "Doomsday" swirling in my mind, and analyzing based on these terms that were previously only found in novels and comics, it's hard not to sound far-fetched.

"I understand, roughly," I decided to bring my focus back to reality. "In other words, this young lady is a unique case of a recovered patient. By studying her body, it might be possible to save numerous patients with Soul Deprivation Syndrome, is that right?"

"Yes." Agent Kong nodded slightly and continued, "However, after she recovered, she immediately disappeared from the hospital. Not a simple runaway, but vanished into thin air as if swallowed by the air."

"Spatial transfer?" I immediately recalled the "Blessing" Maza had once mentioned she possessed.

"Luoshan also suspects so. But the problem is, before this young lady named Maza contracted Soul Deprivation Syndrome, she was just an ordinary girl; and while she was in a vegetative state, she certainly had no opportunity to come into contact with any supernatural powers," Agent Kong said slowly. "Yet, after waking up, she suddenly possessed the means of spatial transfer. Even more baffling is her actions; she's no easy target.

"When she reappeared, she had already infiltrated the local Public Security Department and stolen firearms and ammunition... This is also something the original her absolutely should not have done, nor could have done."

The original host of the body was also named Maza. The credibility of the parallel world hypothesis seemed to increase. But this could also be evidence that Maza was lying, and the Doomsday and transmigration never existed from the start.

And when Agent Kong spoke further, I, from an outsider's perspective, thought of a possibility: "Are you suggesting that she didn't truly recover from Soul Deprivation Syndrome... but that her empty body was taken over by an evil spirit from who knows where, like a magpie nesting in a dove's nest?"

This seemed to make sense.

Why was Luoshan tracking Maza like a criminal? Because they weren't tracking a "unique recovered case," but an evil spirit that had possessed the girl's body.

Even I didn't have enough evidence to rule out this possibility.

But compared to a "Doomsday transmigrator," the possibility of an "evil spirit possession" was somewhat disappointing. Moreover, if Luoshan was on the side of justice, why would Zhu Shi and Agent Kong feel that Luoshan's actions were not presentable?

"I've had that suspicion too, but those people upstairs don't think so," Agent Kong shook his head. "They genuinely based their large-scale search on the premise that 'she is a recovered patient of Soul Deprivation Syndrome.' They were even so eager that they acted first and reported later, first labeling the target as a Serial Killer, and then trying to get the Public Security system to confirm this suspicion, but the other side never agreed... If it were just a minor possessed spirit, the higher-ups wouldn't have resorted to such measures."

"Could it be that they aren't sure either?" Instead, I, the outsider, deliberately interpreted it from a more benevolent perspective. "That girl could be a recovered patient, or she could be possessed by an evil spirit, and they were preparing for the worst-case scenario.

"For example: since that girl had previously infiltrated the Public Security Department and stolen firearms and ammunition, it would be inconvenient for them to use the excuse of searching for a kidnapped or missing girl; and since our city recently had a Serial Killer of unknown identity, they conveniently used that excuse."

"With the methods of high-level Demon Hunters, detecting whether there was an evil spirit invasion in the ward would be effortless. They must be certain. Although they can't understand how that girl obtained her powers or why her personality changed so drastically, they don't consider her to be someone else." He said, "Furthermore, considering that the other party possesses unknown spatial transfer abilities, the higher-ups have decided to expand the search scope nationwide.

"Needless to say, more search methods will be employed, and the aggressive accusation methods used before will not be omitted. Such a large undertaking, such unscrupulous means... Zhuang Cheng, do you understand what this means?"

Nationwide search? Unscrupulous means?

I was relieved that Maza was not a simple possessed spirit, then shocked by Agent Kong's narration, and subsequently fell into thought.

Given Maza's potential value in Luoshan's eyes, a nationwide search was reasonable, and her infiltration of the Public Security Department to steal firearms and ammunition was undoubtedly Maza's fault. From the perspective of secular law, it could even be considered a major crime. However, Luoshan does not belong to the Public Security system, and their actions do not resemble the official attitude that a fair and just official organization should exhibit. Apart from the scale of the operation being official, the entire process felt like it was not following the proper channels.

Truly perplexing!

I felt my blood flow quicken, and slowly uttered my thoughts on Agent Kong's words: "As long as they can get their hands on that girl, her basic rights are unimportant... Is that it?"

Wait, isn't that what I'm doing myself?

Agent Kong nodded.

"The inside information I have about that young lady is all I know. I shouldn't have told you so much, but you seem to have a habit of digging into strange anecdotes. Rather than letting you inquire randomly elsewhere, it's better for me to explain clearly," he said. "Of course, I hope you won't misunderstand Luoshan. Luoshan has more than one faction; the one currently doing this is just a faction with a rather extreme ideology."

This last sentence felt like he was scolding me too... I changed the subject, "Are you from that faction too?"

The word "faction" gave me a bad impression.

"I'm just a low-level nobody. How dare I claim to be from any faction? I'm just caught in circumstances, kicked around like a ball," he said with a self-deprecating laugh, then added, "By the way, Zhu Shi has no relation to the faction involved in this matter."

"Thanks for the reminder." As I said that, I looked ahead. "Speaking of which... where are we moving?"

"Didn't I say before? I need to handle my primary job as a 'probe'." He stopped in front of me. "Ghost Story investigation—this is also something you're most familiar with. If you're interested, you can accompany me. Perhaps in some areas, I, a professional, might not be as good as you."

At this moment, we had arrived at the abandoned construction site near Xianshui University.

Ahead was a desolate open space, with a bare, unfinished building standing in the middle. It was unclear what its original purpose was, or why it was abandoned. From a distance, it looked like a stark, gray tombstone erected in the city, as if even the wind felt colder passing through here.

This was where I first encountered Maza.