Wu Heng got up and opened the door.
Wearing a leather jacket and jeans, dressed entirely in black, Higa Kotoko stood at the door carrying a bag of beer.
"Mr. Ozaki, may I come in and have a seat?"
Kotoko held a half-smoked cigarette between her left and right hands, took a deep drag, then stubbed it out and put it in her pocket.
She looked somewhat lonely and tired.
But it wasn't the dazed feeling after experiencing life and death; rather, it was like the state of finally getting off work and resting after a long day of get off work.
"What were you thinking, going out for drinks with a man in his sixties in the middle of the night?"
Wu Heng smiled faintly and said something, then slightly turned his body to the side, making an inviting gesture.
I don't know how far Kotoko has progressed in her research on summoning talismans, although excluding the time for the exorcism ritual, she only has a few hours left in total.
Wu Heng has half the time left before he leaves this world. Now that the main quest is complete, he needs to figure out a way to maximize his gains.
"Of course I wouldn't bother a real sixty-year-old, but you're someone who can easily crush steel beasts."
Wu Heng understood that she was referring to the incident that happened on Wako Street. Although the video circulating in the public had been deleted, it was not banned in the spiritual medium community.
Wu Heng is now referred to as a "spiritual blessing" by the association's spiritual mediums.
Kotoko slammed the beer down on the table and began tearing off the plastic wrapper with both hands.
Wu Heng picked up the teapot and poured out two cups of tea, which was brownish-red and transparent with a faint emerald green tinge.
"Since we're in a hurry to leave, let's have some tea."
He pushed a cup of tea in front of Kotoko.
The aroma of tea wafted through the air, slowly permeating her nose and throat. Kotoko stopped reaching for her beer, picked it up, and took a small sip.
How did you know I was leaving?
"Clothes." Wu Heng's gaze fell on Kotoko's clothes. It was obvious from her outfit that she didn't plan to rest tonight.
"They're urging me urgently; someone else has died. I have to leave in two hours, and I'll rest on the way."
Kotoko put down the rather hot tea. When she talked about the dead, her eyes dimmed slightly. She took out a sketch from her pocket and handed it to Wu Heng.
"This is the analytical diagram of the ' Nara Gangoji Estate Descent Rite.' Due to time constraints, I only disassembled its structure for now. I will send you the complete part after I have improved it."
Wu Heng took the folded paper, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
It uses simple and easy-to-understand language to break down and label all the offerings, marks, and summoning runes related to the Bogiwan, and removes a large number of useless words of praise for the gods.
This is a solid, unadulterated guide, but it's not enough; what he needs is a perfect summoning rune.
"You should be able to sense the changes by now. This world is full of growing evil, and you can't control it all."
"If this continues, you'll die sooner or later."
Wu Heng couldn't empathize with Kotoko's actions; having just experienced life and death, she was rushing to the next battlefield without stopping.
However, this doesn't prevent him from approving of such a person; no one would dislike such a person, but he also wouldn't be willing to work with them.
Especially considering the other party's decisive actions, he believed that when faced with a test of humanity like "which track the train is heading on," even if Kotoko wanted to save both sides, she would definitely choose one track decisively within a second.
Just as she can choose to sacrifice some mediums during exorcisms.
Making decisive sacrifices while acting with kindness is an essential quality of a strong person.
Who can guarantee that they will always stay on the path she has chosen?
"There's nothing I can do. I'm Yuta, the representative of the Higa Family." Kotoko smiled slightly, the scars on her face twitching like cursed caterpillars.
Wu Heng simply stopped talking about that and continued to inquire about the summoning talisman:
"How confident are you in improving this analytical diagram, and how long will it take?"
After Wu Heng finished speaking, he emphasized again, "I really need this!"
Kotoko propped her head up with her left hand, while her right thumb and forefinger twirled the teacup. After a moment's thought, she spoke:
"I'm quite confident, since once you understand one thing, you understand everything else, but it will take at least a week."
"But I don't know how long it will take to finish dealing with that puppet incident."
When Wu Heng heard the required time, he felt it was acceptable, within his expectations. However, Kotoko's subsequent words made him frown slightly, and he thought of something else, which stirred something within him.
"What puppet incident? Could you elaborate?"
The word "puppet" triggered his memories, but he wasn't sure.
"Before I arrived here, I had just finished dealing with a vengeful spirit case in Yamanashi Prefecture, and then I received an urgent report about a murder case involving a 'black long-sleeved kimono doll,' which is said to be related to an urban legend."
"Just this afternoon, that doll killed another student, causing great panic."
"Here is the emergency report; you can take a look."
After giving a brief explanation, Kotoko opened a website on her phone and showed Wu Heng the report inside.
After listening to Kotoko's account and reading the report, Wu Heng finally confirmed one thing.
This puppet is called the " Eyeless Doll ".
In the movie's plot, the film ends when Kotoko battles the Bogiwan, leaving the ending open to speculation.
However, in the original author's story, there is a second part, which is about this 'doll'.
This doll originated from a girl who suffered domestic violence and bullying at school. She felt like a puppet controlled by her life, which led to the creation of this doll's curse.
This evil spirit caught Wu Heng's eye.
In this storyline, he originally intended to capture the Bogiwan, but after sensing the Bogiwan's strength, he gave up and chose to kill it instead.
Although this grants the ability to " Spirit Binding," it lacks the means to control them.
My original plan was to spend the rest of the time capturing weak evil spirits to strengthen my spirit, and then learn about the exorcism techniques of various schools.
However, even though Kotoko is already the strongest medium, it's clear that her methods are still not very effective, with Shinto being the most prevalent and Buddhist the second most prevalent.
However, all these methods require faith; their faith does not bring divine reciprocation, but rather resembles self-hypnosis.
If Wu Heng were to hypnotize and brainwash me into believing in the gods and Buddhas of these island nations, just to obtain some useless means, it would be a huge loss.
But this Eyeless Doll, a puppet-type evil spirit, caught his eye.
puppet?
I was getting sleepy, and luckily someone handed me a pillow.
In this world, he has not yet used the Seven Fiends Rebirth Ritual, so this puppet might be a very good chief sacrifice.
Wu Heng pondered the memories in his mind. Although this puppet was not weak, it was not like the Bogiwan, which was formless and dispersible. It had a source, and the source was its biggest flaw.
And he happened to know the origin of the ' Eyeless Doll '.
Moreover, the improved summoning talisman is something he desperately needs.
Thinking of this, Wu Heng deliberately frowned, feigning an expression of knowing the inside story, and then said solemnly:
"It really is it, the Eyeless Doll!"
"I'll go with you and we'll take care of this thing once and for all."
Seeing Wu Heng's expression and tone, Kotoko became even more certain of his identity, so she nodded in agreement.
She was extremely grateful that someone knew what the evil spirit was and was willing to help exorcise it; she had no reason to refuse.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. You can pack your luggage first."
Since we've already decided to go together, there's no need to say goodbye anymore. Just as Kotoko was about to turn and leave, she hesitated for a moment and then said:
"I will improve the summoning talisman as quickly as possible and deliver it to you within ten days."
"Thank you. Just let me know when we're ready to go."
Wu Heng closed the door. He didn't have anything to pack, so he returned to the sofa and closed his eyes to rest, while thinking about his next move.
Two hours later, Wu Heng and Kotoko were already in their private car, escorted by police cars, heading to the airport.
The two did not arrive in Yamanashi Prefecture until the early morning of the following day.
"Sister, you've finally It Comes! And who is this?"
Standing in front of Wu Heng was a woman in her twenties, wearing a long yellow trench coat, who bore a striking resemblance to Kotoko.
"This is Mr. Ozaki, a very powerful medium."
"And, Miharu, why did you come here to pick me up? Shouldn't you be in Okinawa?"
After introducing Wu Heng, Kotoko narrowed her eyes and stared at Miharu, who called her "sister," and asked.
"Oh, because of what happened here, there's been a lot of panic. And you have other important matters to attend to. Someone called home to check on you, so I came to handle things for you."
Miharu offered a somewhat hesitant explanation.
Wu Heng stood there, leaning on his cane, sizing up the woman named Miharu in front of him. She must be Higa Miharu, who appeared in the second part. She is Makoto's second older sister and Kotoko's younger sister.
In the original storyline, she was killed by the doll while dealing with the incident Eyeless Doll.
Then Makoto Higa and her fiancé Nozaki Kon, went together to continue dealing with the doll incident.
Kotoko did not appear when her younger sister, Miharu, died.
Wu Heng guessed that it was probably because after her battle with the Bogiwan, although she won, she was also seriously injured, which is why she couldn't even take care of her younger sister's death.
Now, Kotoko It Comes here unharmed. Miharu is still alive, but Nozaki Kon is dead, Makoto is still holding a funeral for him.
The plot has been completely changed.
The three got into the car and drove towards the scene of the accident.
Inside the car, Miharu handed the relevant documents and photos to Wu Heng and Kotoko.
Wu Heng glanced at the victim's photo. The victim's two eyeballs were gone, and the black eye sockets led into the skull, with bright red Tongtong in the deep eye holes.
Its mouth gaped open in terror, the split skin revealing white bone covered in a layer of yellow mucus, like incandescent light shining through a murky mirror.
Then he handed the photos to Kotoko and took the documents from her.
The text above stated that Fujima Yosuke, an editor at GIGA Publishing House, had received a manuscript about an urban legend.
His investigation revealed that everyone who had read the manuscript had died mysteriously one after another, which made him feel threatened by death.
So, after seeking help from people he knew, the case was handed over to Higa Kotoko by the Psychic Association.
If Kotoko were injured in the original storyline, there might not be a way to treat her.
However, now that Wu Heng has intervened, the healthy Kotoko is fully capable of handling this matter.
The investigation also revealed that the contributor was a girl named Kisaragi Rie.
Where are we going now?
After Wu Heng finished reading the information, he asked Miharu a question.
"Go to Fujima's house first. He's been cursed. He's seeing a kimono doll wrapped in red threads in his vision, and it's getting closer and closer to him now."
"We need to find a way to help him first, and then find the source of the curse."
"Do you know the address of the girl who submitted the article, Kisaragi Rie?" Wu Heng continued to ask.
"Yes, we went to visit, but..."
Miharu replied without any attempt to hide anything.
When such a strange incident related to a manuscript occurs, the first thing to do is to investigate the contributor. However, after repeated questioning, the girl still doesn't know the reason.
"Now that you know, let's go find Kisaragi Rie right now!"
Wu Heng's expression was serious, and he interrupted Miharu without hesitation.
"But we've been there several times already, and that girl really doesn't know anything, while Fujima does."
"I said, go find Kisaragi Rie right now!" Wu Heng emphasized coldly.
What a foolish woman! She doesn't even realize that she has unknowingly saved her life.
Wu Heng didn't want to waste any more time with unnecessary chatter.
" Miharu, listen to Mr. Ozaki!"
Kotoko saw Wu Heng's cold expression and knew that Wu Heng was serious. Following Wu Heng's words, she said in a serious tone.
"Alright!"
When Miharu saw that even her older sister said the same thing, she re-planned the navigation and changed the direction of travel.
Kisaragi Rie is the source of the cursed doll.
She is a victim of domestic violence and bullying at school.
But at the same time, she is also a perpetrator. After being bullied by bad people, she will also bully and abuse those classmates who are weaker than her.
Her parents' lack of care led to her isolation and her love of horror stories. Only horror stories could stimulate her heart, stir up her increasingly numb life, and make her feel alive.
But because she liked the book "The Ring," her classmates nicknamed her " Sadako " and ostracized and distanced themselves from her.
This kind of life made her feel like a puppet being manipulated on strings.
Until she created the urban legend about the ' Eyeless Doll ' and discovered that everyone who heard the story would be killed by the doll.
" Kotoko, if you find the doll, I hope you can help me seal it away."
"Instead of eliminating it directly."
Wu Heng turned to look at Kotoko, who was deep in thought.
"Hmm? Okay!" Kotoko asked in surprise at first, then nodded to indicate that she could.
Wu Heng organized his thoughts and then recounted the plot regarding the puppet:
"This girl Kisaragi Rie is the source of the ' Eyeless Doll.' She used this urban legend to kill her classmates, her father, and her younger siblings."
"When I see her later, I will take control of her and force the doll to appear."
"Suppressing this evil spirit will resolve this incident. Leave the rest to me."
In the original story, it was Ms. Tonami, the editor-in-chief of GIGA Publishing House, who sought revenge for Rie's daughter, Yukari, who was bullied and killed by Yukari using a curse. She went to Rie's house and died together with her, thus ending the incident of the Eyeless Doll.
If we can find the right person, we can get Rie under our control.
The Eyeless Doll was like meat on Wu Heng's chopping board; there was no chance it could escape.
I tried to divide this chapter into two, but no matter how I divided it, it felt disjointed and unsuitable.
There's always something getting broken down in the middle of a conversation, and I end up getting bogged down in details for ages.
Let's just put them together and not worry about it anymore. Today, I'll combine these two chapters into one, with the same word count (ω`).
Have a great Sunday!