White Bone Centipede

In the science park, Feng Jianhua received a phone call, and his expression changed.

He scanned his surroundings again, but still didn't see anyone suspicious.

Yuan Chongxiao's side also didn't receive the goods.

The fact that it takes so long contradicts what Li Guangzong had told him.

"Withdraw!"

Feng Jianhua said, "If the Ghost Market asks later, just say they broke their promise. We should be cautious."

That's what he said, but the old principal had a feeling that the person Chu Tianshu mentioned on the phone might be related to the Ghost Market.

If that's the case...

Could it be that these seasoned veterans have unknowingly been exposed?

The group hurriedly returned to the martial arts school.

Inside Chu Tianshu's spacious room where he practiced, several teachers, including Qi Lianyong, were already waiting.

There were several people on the ground, as well as some equipment that had been removed directly from the car seats—it looked impressive but I didn't understand it.

The computer teacher is looking at those devices.

"This thing looks really high-end, and it doesn't even have any brand markings. It must have come from somewhere very unusual."

The computer teacher observed the screen and keyboard, hesitated for a moment, and then tried typing for a while.

Several head models appeared on the screen.

Although their hair and beards were a bit too unkempt, it was still easy to tell at a glance that the two of them were Feng Jianhua and Yuan Chongxiao.

"I understand, this must be a reconnaissance system."

The computer teacher clapped his hands. "I opened the history. These people recently used this equipment to scan the principal and his group."

"There should also be something that can go out to collect information."

The computer teacher rummaged through the boxes next to him and saw that one box contained seven white boxes and one empty space.

The box has tiny light holes around it, and mechanical limbs are hidden underneath.

When Feng Jianhua arrived, he saw the small boxes and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

In a tone reminiscent of a movie narrator, Yuan Zhonglü sighed hoarsely, "Who would have thought that after spending most of my life hunting swallows and eagles, I'd get pecked in the eye by a sparrow..."

Feng Jianhua's expression froze. "Why are you acting so mature for a little girl?"

Yuan Zhonglü obediently gave an "oh" and said nothing more.

She usually has a composed demeanor and doesn't look like a young or naive person. She only acts a little quirky and playful in front of these old men.

The old hands, distracted by her interruption, failed to muster any anger they might have felt.

Feng Jianhua said, "That's enough. One is never too old to learn. This time, the enemy hiding among the masses has given us a wake-up call."

Yuan Chongxiao stepped forward, squatted down next to Wang Bo, and placed one palm on his chest.

"This person's skill is quite refined; he doesn't have the same level of skill as Li Guangzong."

Yuan Chongxiao looked at Chu Tianshu, "Mr. Chu, you are a psychic, please use your Falai interrogate him."

Chu Tianshu said, "I originally wanted to try it, but even though I had his acupoints sealed, I still felt that his mind was clear and he recovered very quickly. The method of interrogation with true words was not very effective."

"The remaining few are weak, but they are in a very deep coma; we haven't had a chance to test them yet."

Yuan Chongxiao laughed and said, "That's because he has a good foundation. Even if his acupoints are blocked, internal energy can still be faintly generated in the blocked sections of the meridians."

As he spoke, the eerie blue light emanating from the vice principal's hand grew even more pronounced.

"I'll directly channel my internal energy into him to suppress his internal energy."

"As long as my internal energy hasn't dissipated, he'll remain just like an ordinary person for the time being."

Chu Tianshu readily agreed, "Then I'll try again."

Wang Bo already had needles stuck in his head.

Chu Tianshu chose a stick from the top of his head, pointed it in the air with his fingers, and silently recited an incantation.

The silver needle flickered, leaving afterimages, and emitted a faint buzzing sound.

Wang Bo's eyelids twitched, but he didn't open them. However, you could see his eyeballs moving, faster and faster, more and more erratically.

"Approaching!"

Chu Tianshu asked in a long voice, "What's your name? What kind of martial arts do you practice? Are you from the Ghost Market? What position do you hold?"

Wang Bo opened his eyes wide, his pupils staring blankly at the ceiling.

"My name is Wang Bo. I practice the Spirit Turtle Meditation and Flying Snake Sword Technique. I'm the purchasing manager of the Ghost Market."

Purchasing manager, that's a high-ranking position.

This kind of person actually came here to steal things?

A strange feeling flashed through Chu Tianshu's mind.

However, since the Ghost Market isn't a legitimate organization, perhaps this manager has a particularly eccentric personality.

"Where is your Ghost Market? Who are its important members, especially the highest-ranking person you know? Tell me everything!"

The needle on Wang Bo's head continued to vibrate, and his tone became somewhat unsteady.

"Our ' Ghost Market' mainly supplies goods from within China to Nanyang, and it has a good reputation in the international underground trade..."

"This country, with one-seventh of the world's population, is densely populated, and has clear household registration with known birth dates. It is a huge and excellent market..."

"Antique artifacts from various regions, and the personnel needed for crafting ritual implements..."

"However, guns were banned here in 1996, and the security situation has improved significantly in recent years. Setting up the transaction location inland would be inconvenient in many ways. Therefore, China is only suitable as a simple supplier..."

Chu Tianshu's eyes darkened slightly upon hearing this.

"If you want a detailed account of your crimes, go talk to the King of Hell. Don't try to dodge the issue now."

He remained calm, his hands twirling like lotus blossoms, left hand below, right hand above, re-establishing the sword gesture.

"Give me a precise answer to the question I just asked you: who is your leader?"

Chu Tianshu gave a low shout, and all the needles on Wang Bo's body trembled.

"Our board of directors..."

Wang Bo's face suddenly showed a look of horror, "No, the board can't say, our nearest boss is Du Bo... Ah!"

Yuan Chongxiao sensed something was wrong and used all his strength to suppress it.

Chu Tianshu also noticed something was amiss.

A burst of blood suddenly erupted from the back of Wang Bo's neck.

Blood splattered to the right.

Ding ding ding!!

Three silver needles pierced the blood one after another and stuck into the tile.

A strange, bone-white worm, about the length of an index finger, was pierced through its body by three silver needles, yet it was still struggling and emitting extremely faint hissing sounds.

"Gu worms!!"

Yuan Chongxiao's face was grim. "The person is already dead."

"My skill clearly circulated throughout his entire body's meridians just now, yet I didn't detect a Gu worm inside him."

Chu Tianshu stared at the insect, his expression solemn.

When he pulled Wang Bo off the wall, the force traveled through his entire body.

During the interrogation just now, even when my Mind Power penetrated in, I still couldn't detect this insect.

The white-shelled insect wags its head and tail, and at first glance it looks a bit like a centipede.

However, its shape is more like a slender prism, rather than flat like a centipede.

The bone-white sheen, the segmented body, those protruding feet...

Chu Tianshu frowned even more deeply.

This insect looks like a miniature spine.

It is a spine that can cry out, crawl, and struggle.

The computer teacher over there had already covered his mouth.

Just looking at it for a couple of seconds made her feel nauseous and want to vomit.

"Teacher, you may leave now."

Chu Tianshu walked towards the other unconscious people and flicked his toe.

One person was turned over so that the back of their neck was facing upwards.

Chu Tianshu held the silver needles in his hand like knives, aimed them at the spot on Wang Bo's exposed neck, and quickly made a cut.

All of this was so ingenious that it didn't damage many blood vessels.

The force was like parting waves, causing the skin and flesh at the back of the neck to slightly separate to both sides.

The insects that had been crawling on the cervical spine were suddenly exposed.

Before the insect could react, the silver needle flashed twice.

All the thin legs on the side of the white-shelled insect were severed, and its mouthparts were blocked by the silver needle, which then lifted it into the air.

From beginning to end, Chu Tianshu did not suffer any injury to his cervical spine.

But as soon as he picked up the insect, his expression changed.

The prisoner's breathing and heartbeat had just ceased completely.

"Although this insect is a physical entity, it has an invisible but close connection to the lives of these people."

Chu Tianshu said, "Once the insect leaves the body, the person will die immediately."

Yuan Chongxiao stood up. "We'll use these Gu worms to prevent members of the Ghost Market from revealing important information after they're arrested."

"The person behind this possesses extraordinary Gu Arts."

Feng Jianhua looked at the insect that was still struggling under the three silver needles.

It had been pierced for quite some time, but it was still lively and energetic, as if nothing had happened.

"Perhaps it's because this insect itself is unusual."

Feng Jianhua also raised some insects.

The insect-feeding techniques of martial artists are far less diverse and unpredictable than the Gu Arts.

However, some principles are the same.

The sophistication of a Gu worm sometimes depends not on the Gu practitioner's skill level, but on the worm's natural state of being.

Chu Tianshu's heart stirred slightly. He threw down the insect he was holding and stomped on it until it burst.

He then quietly summoned the token screen.

[White Bone Centipede): A species from the Spirit Realm, which has fallen into the human world. It encourages evil and suppresses good, and serves as a vanguard for the king.]

Its characteristics include that once the White Bone Centipede integrates into the human body, it becomes intertwined with life, stimulating potential, making it easier for people to Aperture Opening, or purifying Mind Power and internal strength.

However, unconsciously, people's mentality is converging with that of the centipede species in the Spirit Realm.

[Having been subjected to human-made Gu Arts and refined into Gu worms, they retain their original potential, capable of monitoring specific consciousness tendencies and suppressing their hosts while remaining immortal.]

Chu Tianshu was just giving it a try.

This insect is actually Evil Spirit, and a species from the Spirit Realm. Good token, sometimes it can be used as an encyclopedia.

"I think I've seen this kind of insect in a book before."

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment and said, "It's called the White Bone Centipede. It's a creature native to the Spirit Realm. After parasitizing a human body, it can unleash their potential."

"White Bone Centipede, unleash its potential?"

Feng Jianhua stroked his stubble, pondering, "I feel like I've heard that somewhere before?"

He suddenly looked enlightened, took out his phone, and made a call.

"Hey, Guan Ya, yes, it's me. I remember you mentioned back at the end of 1999 when you went back to school that your school had started a project using centipedes as raw materials. If successful, it could help people broadly improve their abilities?"

Yuan Zhonglü explained in a low voice, "Sister Ya was the best in science in our martial arts school. She transferred to another school halfway through, but later, with our recommendation, she joined the Special Investigation Bureau and then went to Chang'an to do scientific research."

Chu Tianshu nodded slightly.

Given the size of the Golden Saber Martial Arts School, it's quite normal that over the decades, it has recommended talented individuals, some of whom are now in the Special Investigation Bureau.

He heard the reply from the phone.

"... That project was halted last year."

Guan Ya said, "We've used it for many years, trying to edit genes, crossbreed and domesticate them. The degree of domestication is already very high, and the risk of them coexisting with humans has been reduced to a minimum."

"However, after reporting to the higher-ups, someone brought some items that were supposedly relics left behind by ancient Ghost God to test, and found that the centipedes showed great obedience."

"Most people, when faced with those things, would at most be unable to withstand them on their own. But if someone has a centipede implanted in them, they might be manipulated by those things and turn against them."

"The research team leading this project applied multiple times, claiming that it could be further improved, but it was resolutely stopped."

"There are only rumors that a new research project on talisman ink might be established based on this, considering crushing those centipedes and mixing them with other materials, but definitely not using live ones."

Guan Ya patiently explained, "Why is the principal suddenly asking this? We at the martial arts school must never touch these things."

"If there are any products that are already good, I will recommend the martial arts school to the authorities."

Feng Jianhua responded with a few words of concern, then asked, "Was there anyone on the research team with the surname Du at that time?"

Guan Ya said, "The person in charge of this project seems to be surnamed Du."

"Everyone said back then that if this project succeeded, he could get a bigger title."

(End of this chapter)