"Ju-On" and Tokyo!
"Ju-On" and Tokyo!
When facing Tiger, you don't need to be faster than the Tiger, you only need to be faster than your companions.
Many things are actually that simple.
After all, the so-called Ju-On refers to the curse cast by a person who dies with resentment. The intense resentment generated in the heart of a living being who dies unjustly will linger in the place where the deceased lived, thus forming a dark power with a curse, accumulating overwhelming resentment, and anyone who touches it will die.
And Ju-On remains forever entrenched in the haunted house, cursing every visitor.
In other words, judging from the triggering pattern alone, this is a ghost that is somewhat similar to a bound spirit!
However, during the previous discussion, amidst the cacophony of voices, everyone realized a very subtle point.
Normally, the bound spirit and the Bound Land often have a "binding relationship". When the land is destroyed, the spirit disappears and the debt is settled directly.
However, in the American version of Ju-On, the house Kayako lived in was not her lifeline at all—but rather a shackle that restricted the vengeful spirit's range of movement!
So now the question is this: will destroying the Ju-On House weaken or even eliminate Kayako, or will it completely "liberate" this terrifying female ghost, who is bound by limitations, from her original killing patterns?
But in any case, for users who are already at an impasse, both outcomes are actually acceptable!
Anyway, the situation doesn't seem to be getting any worse.
When in doubt, just go for it!
As the new day begins, still clinging to a sliver of hope, the group continues their search among the temples, hoping to find a local figure capable of exorcising the demons.
Meanwhile, Tang Yuyang and Yong Qi, who had briefly left the group, were carrying the En no Ozunu stone statue as a protective shield. With their pre-planned route and the efficient action of Third Tier individuals, they completed their preparations in just a few hours!
Because of the identity arranged by the Main God —an employee of a private security company in the United States, or rather, a mercenary group—the two easily found the location of their "company" and, after completing the verification, quickly obtained a batch of firearms and the "mission-required supplies" prepared in advance during the phone call!
High explosives!
There was no other way. Although we were carrying a small amount of explosives before entering the mission, they were consumables intended for use in attacking enemy positions if necessary.
Even considering the lightweight nature of Japanese architecture, their carrying capacity is clearly insufficient to "send the entire building into the sky" from top to bottom!
Fortunately, American security companies on island nations and the military bases in Amerika often have intricate connections, and even enjoy many de facto privileges that are not subject to local laws, both overtly and covertly.
Even if it doesn't need to be stated too explicitly.
But at least for regular employees like them, under the rather lenient "management system" around the turn of the millennium, requesting weapons support was simply a common occurrence!
As the "warmth" emanating from the stone statue dissipated, the two quickly returned to the ominous "Saeki House" with lightning speed, as if a mad dog was chasing and biting them. With their entrenching tools and bare hands, they miraculously buried a large amount of explosives and incendiary agents around the perimeter of the mansion!
There was no other way. Although theoretically it would be more appropriate to simply enter the house and plant explosives at key points, the two people who were literally there to "destroy the house" did not dare to take such a risk.
After all, in the plot of Ju-On, a policeman named Yuanshan Xiongzhi risked everything, taking a gasoline can alone to the haunted house, intending to burn the house down and end it all.
But during this process, he seemed to have crossed through time and strangely saw a vision of his daughter, Yuanshan Yimei, who had grown up and secretly came to play in this haunted house!
For a father, this is simply the most terrifying scenario!
Having confirmed that the Ju-On of vengeance had never truly been broken, the man finally succumbed to despair and tried to escape—of course, he ultimately could not escape the curse that brought him to such a tragic end.
This could be considered a "lesson from the past," so the two dared not gamble on what might happen or what they might see if they entered the house now.
Even so, just standing outside this old house, Tang Yuyang could vaguely feel that the warmth radiating from the En no Ozunu statues was being consumed at an increasingly rapid rate!
Instead, a growing chill gradually became apparent.
Similarly, the soil dug out from under the two men's shovels was an abnormal bluish-black color, with a foul stench and bits of insect shells like centipedes mixed in.
It was so good it made your scalp tingle.
It's obvious that even soil insects would struggle to survive in such an environment.
This area may seem fine at first glance, but it's actually a dead zone!
The two, who were working even faster, dared not delay and quickly finished their work.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that the most crucial person among them, "Sadako," had to consider her feelings and opinions, and therefore all of this had to be done in a relatively low-key and secretive manner, the two of them would have already brought everyone over to start digging!
However, at the Saeki House, after a day or two of "disappearance"...
Compared to the local police's response time, the two had already seen new missing persons notices posted in the surrounding area.
The portrait above shows those young students who now can only follow the crowd tremblingly, unwilling to move forward.
It seems that the price for providing paid information is not low.
Needless to say, these are mostly matters handled by the students' parents and relatives.
After a quick glance, Yong Qi's eyes lit up as he looked at the two people who were preparing to leave. He casually tore off a missing person notice from the room.
Unlike other black and white notices, this missing person notice was printed in color, with both the text and the images being exceptionally clear. The figure on the notice was indeed the girl among the students who was carrying the video camera!
None of that matters. What matters is that he noticed the contact information below, which read: [--Dear Mr./Ms., Taniguchi Shiya, News Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Television.]
[One million yen in thanks.]
"What's wrong?"
"--It's nothing, we don't have much time left, let's go."
Tang Yuyang asked a question, but he just shook his head, picked up the stone statue, and the two of them quickly fled the "crime scene."
As night fell, the group, still empty-handed, remained gathered in the hut.
Sadako Yamamura, who hadn't had a proper rest in the past two or three days, now looked noticeably tired.
While staff were arranged to take care of her indoors to prevent the girl from falling asleep, most of the users were now separated by a door, staring intently at the small screen in Tang Yuyang's hand in the living room.
This is from the surveillance equipment obtained from the security company, shown through several lenses at different distances.
Even though the technology and relay signal weren't great, you could still see that house standing quietly in the night, yet somehow it seemed to carry an eerie aura.
It's not so obvious during the day.
At this moment, the house, which harbors the Ju-On, remained shrouded in darkness, its outline seemingly deeper than the night itself, like a "Black Hole" that could suck even the streetlights falling from the distance into its depths.
Only faintly visible, pale shadows resembling human figures could be seen flickering behind the windows of the room, like a visual illusion caused by fluctuations in the camera's signal.
--But no one dared to dismiss this as a misconception.
"The time should be almost up. To prevent problems with the electronic signal, we're not using a remote-controlled signal method, but a fixed-delay, physically triggered charge. This might cause a slight error, but not much."
After glancing at the timer, Yong Qi said in a deep voice.
Sure enough, after a few minutes of anxious waiting, the screen suddenly lit up with a flash of light and exploded without warning!
Extreme overloading, focusing on a simple and unpretentious fear of insufficient firepower, using as many explosives as possible!
--In the end, this is the result!
Accompanied by large areas of "bright lines," they simultaneously emerged from the foundation of the wall and even from beneath the soil around the yard!
Within the violently rising fireball, the entire structure of the house was instantly engulfed in flames! The walls and roof were bound, tightened, torn apart, and completely pulverized by hundreds of fire dragons shooting up from all directions!
Their pupils reflected everything happening on the screen, and the audience's faces also flickered with light and shadow.
As the "fire dragons" burrowed into the wall and emerged from the soil not far away, carrying with them rubble, soil, large amounts of a dark liquid resembling stagnant blood, and even some skeletal "human-shaped objects," they all surged up from the ground and flew into the sky, only to be pulverized by the next wave of high-temperature, high-pressure shockwaves!
Between the series of explosions, in just a few moments, the house, which looked like it had already fallen apart from the outside, was burned into a huge fireball that roared and rolled in the dark night!
Explosives mixed with a large amount of accelerants are essentially simplified versions of white phosphorus incendiary bombs, designed to burn everything in their path!
Let alone the houses! Yong Qi's initial idea was to raze the land to the ground as well!
At this point, everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, but the expressions on everyone's faces did not improve in the slightest.
Nothing more.
Amidst the raging inferno, the abandoned haunted house was eventually destroyed. Soon, a shadowy figure, seemingly a pale blue woman, emerged from the flames in a posture completely contrary to normal human skeletal structure, crawling and twisting!
Next, the second and third courses...
Densely packed, layer upon layer, those different things, like swarms of maggots disturbed, emerged upside down from the depths of the sea of fire, wildly outlining hundreds and thousands of slender and twisted "human figures" against the backdrop of the raging flames!
The sheer number of them made the entire sea of fire seem like some kind of wriggling, transparent membrane!
The high temperature distorted the air, making everything in the lens appear as a shimmering reflection in water, or perhaps a pure optical illusion.
But everyone is finding it hard to breathe right now.
In this chilling scene, even though only their general shapes could be seen, countless shadows within the raging flames seemed to have suddenly "awakened," frantically howling, swaying, struggling, and desperately crawling outwards. But ultimately, they all seemed to be imprisoned by some invisible force, forced to fall back into the center.
This scene—it's as if even the right to escape has been taken away!
Those killed by "Ju-On" will become part of Ju-On, eternally trapped in a hell of resentment and suffering!
Countless users, at this moment, finally understood this point more clearly amidst their trembling.
Paranormal phenomenon! Absolutely paranormal phenomenon!
These are supernatural phenomena that can be vaguely observed with the naked eye or even with instruments! The significance, or rather the "intensity," of these phenomena is simply terrifying!
--As the flames coalesced into a gigantic, pale, distorted Ghost Shadow with limbs sprawled on the ground, the terrifying "clucking" sound grew increasingly clear through the screen--
He didn't even dare to watch the whole thing, and immediately cut off the remote communication signal. Yong Qi's expression was extremely complicated.
"--Damn, we seem to have gone too far. This isn't right. Shouldn't this only be a one-star difficulty level?"
After a long while, someone finally broke free from the shock and spoke bitterly.
The expectation was that one person could hide amidst a sea of people.
By releasing Kayako, this "fierce tiger," and expanding the hunting range, the group, who were originally the primary target and were now insignificant "tiny dots" in a larger population, would undoubtedly be much safer, allowing them to stall for seven days.
But now, it's clear this isn't just a mere tiger—it's a tiger vanguard eating monkey heads with its wine!
"Calm down, what's the panic? Especially in situations like this, you need to stay calm—let me think about it."
Sensing the panic in the other party's words, Tang Yuyang gave a half-comforting, half-reprimanding remark, showing some of the backbone of the team at this moment.
Even so, judging from his equally ashen face, one could tell that he was probably feeling quite uneasy.
Yong Qi, standing to the side, had a deep, unfocused gaze, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
In the end, the squinty-eyed man only mentioned one sentence. "We still have shelter, so don't panic. If things get too difficult—"
"I have a backup plan!"
The night is always both long and short, but at least tonight, everyone seemed to feel that feeling of "long".
During the night watch, individuals like Tang Yuyang, who were at the Third Tier, could enhance their senses with their Inner Breath and even faintly hear screams coming from distant streets, which were particularly shrill.
But the situation is far more complex than that.
It wasn't until late at night that the sound of police sirens began to gradually fill the streets, and it happened more than once or twice.
Seeing those typical Japanese police cars with their bright red and white lights on top, their sirens blaring, flying from all directions, some of the awakened residents couldn't help but stick their heads out and start cursing.
However, the Main God User, who were still clear-headed, remained silent.
Nothing was said that night, but quite a few people were smoking.
As dawn broke and the sun rose, it became clear that the number of pedestrians on the street had decreased significantly. These office workers, rushing to work, looked each other up and down, their faces showing a hint of confusion.
Let's hurry and take advantage of the fact that this city is still "inhabited" while it's still bright.
After cutting down the En no Ozunu had been intentionally placed next to Sadako, which had recovered considerably overnight, Tang Yuyang, along with Tao Guangsheng, Li Anshan, and a few others, quickly went out to buy some supplies and, incidentally, gather some information.
When they returned to the bank shortly afterward, none of the people who had gone out looked well.
"Many shops on the street were closed today. I even heard someone say that the trains in Tokyo weren't as crowded as those supporting the front lines today."
"Brother Yong, last night it was reported that some people suddenly disappeared in their sleep. Only bloodstains and screams were left in their homes. Police cars from all districts have been extremely busy, but they haven't found the missing persons yet."
"Uh, it's said that some witnesses went completely insane on the spot—"
"Many people have also suddenly had a common, strange nightmare, saying they saw a bizarre house with a bluish-white, human-like monster crawling around—"
With a few words exchanged, the news the group brought back seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.
Just as users predicted, the "Ju-On" that had been freed from its Shackles has transformed from a form similar to a bound spirit into a "spreading phenomenon," allowing it to hunt freely!