Chapter 122: Death
"My name is Li Ronan, and I'm mute."
"Six years ago, I violated a terrible taboo, and everyone around me suffered misfortune. I came here to film to avert the misfortune befalling my daughter."
Li Ronan held up the first piece of paper, displaying it in front of the live stream camera for ten seconds to make sure everyone saw it, then held up the second one:
"If you're willing to help me, look at this symbol until you can remember it."
Below the drawing was a pictographic symbol composed of lines and circles. After receiving a response from the live stream audience, she took out the last piece of paper.
"Now, please recite this prayer to bless us, even if you only recite it silently in your heart. 'Hou-ho-xiu-yi, si-sei-wu-ma.' If you've finished reciting it, you've already received blessings. Please feel free to come with me to investigate where this curse began."
This time, Li Ronan waited a full 30 seconds before throwing the paper directly beside the cave entrance, taking the camera, and bending down to enter the cave.
When Marcus saw Li Ronan raise the third piece of paper, he took control of her phone, temporarily switching her network to 2G, so the footage wasn't transmitted.
He even impersonated a viewer in the live stream, using two alternate accounts to type replies:
"Finished reading, good luck streamer!"
"Read it, read it ten times, really looking forward to this exploration."
Marcus was using Li Ronan's live stream to learn about the passages inside the Mother Buddha Deity's cave, and also to manipulate the woman.
After Li Ronan entered the cave, Marcus completely shut down her phone's internet connection.
However, Li Ronan's attention was entirely focused on being wary of the cave's environment.
The sense of dread she felt inside was a dark feeling she had never experienced when she sensed the deity outside, making her tremble with fear.
She slowly moved forward along the square passage corroded and yellowed by accumulated moisture, her body riddled with sores, from which blood seeped.
Li Ronan followed the passage to the location of the Mother Buddha Deity. Deep within her tearful eyes lay a hint of hope; everything was proceeding according to her plan.
A way out was right before her. If she could spread the deity's curse, it would surely forgive her!
She pulled out a blood-stained piece of paper with the words, "Do you remember the incantation from before? If possible, please recite it again."
But the instant she took out the paper, her phone screen went completely black.
The black screen reflected her face, riddled with bloody sores.
Li Ronan, shining a flashlight, stared blankly.
"No—!" A hoarse, indistinct female voice echoed in the cave.
Then came the sound of "thump, thump, thump,"
as if something was being struck.
Marcus, in his car on the mountain road outside, stared at the disconnected phone in his hand.
He had just used a virus to completely destroy the chip in Li Ronan's phone.
With Marcus's control, she couldn't transmit any footage outside.
As for the Mother Buddha Deity,
Marcus didn't believe she understood information technology or computer systems and could help Li Ronan bypass the virus on her phone.
However, to be on the safe side, Marcus took out a drone capable of carrying 220 pounds from his storage.
He remotely controlled the drone to take off, flying over the hill outside the cave and scattering basketball-sized objects around the area.
These were solar-powered, automatically charging signal jammers.
With these, the signal couldn't be transmitted at all. If the deity had the ability, she could build another cell tower.
Then, Marcus replaced the drone's mounting device with another type of dispenser.
Small green mines, resembling butterflies, were dropped around the Hsu family's buildings and roads.
They were then dropped down the mountain road along the metal gate.
After laying down thousands of mines,
Marcus stopped and looked at the guardian statue placed in the passenger seat:
"These are much more effective than you trying to jam a car wheel with your own body. They'll deter anyone who comes near."
These landmines are small, lightweight, and don't even need to be buried in the ground. They're also very cheap; you can buy tens of thousands with just 5 survival points.
Even so, the price is inflated.
In the real world, one of these costs much less, while 5 survival points can buy significant currency.
Buying them inside the System is twenty times more expensive, but the advantage is convenience.
But it doesn't matter; Marcus doesn't care about a survival point or two.
As for whether the landmines along the way will harm innocent people,
these mines aren't very powerful. At most, they'll cause injuries. Their purpose is to maim, not kill, using the wounded to slow down enemy forces.
What kind of good people would come to the Hsu family's compound?
Either someone like Li Ronan, or the rest of the Hsu family members.
If an ordinary person were to accidentally enter, they would certainly be killed by the Mother Buddha Deity, and might even spread the curse, causing the deaths of more people.
It's better to go back injured; they might still survive.
"Always have compassion and protect others."
"I've done another good deed. Let's go back first, and come back tomorrow to deal with the demon."
Marcus straightened the slightly tilted statue in the passenger seat and drove back to Master Yuan's Temple.
Nothing strange happened along the way; the deity seemed to have given up.
"She's been in this state the whole time, neither waking up nor eating anything?"
Marcus asked, standing inside Master Yuan's Temple.
Ronan Chen had Dodo watch cartoons in the room while he helped Master Yuan at the temple, and also studied Master Yuan's books on spiritual practices.
Anyone who experienced such strange things would want to learn a few techniques to protect themselves.
"Yes, this state feels somewhat similar to Master Yuan's state when he channels divine power, but..." Ronan Chen hesitated, not daring to speak carelessly.
Marcus understood the implication. If the girl was channeling something,
it was obvious which entity.
Marcus glanced at the altar, still covered by a red cloth. According to Master Yuan, the divine power was only effective for six days.
This meant that within six days, they had to confront the Mother Buddha Deity and destroy her.
Marcus turned and went to the kitchen, asking Master Yuan, who was helping Mrs. Yuan cook, for confirmation. After confirming that there was no way to save the girl, and that even divine intervention was useless, he decided to try his own method.
Marcus took out a piece of paper and wrote down the Seven Souls Reincarnation Ritual he had obtained from the Soul Collector in symbols only he could understand.
Since the Soul Collector, an evil entity, could use this ritual to attempt reincarnation into a human body,
then the little girl was currently in a state similar to a half-demon, and her own body was a psychic being.
Combined with the seven clay vessels, Marcus planned to try this ritual.
Master Yuan was powerless to help the girl who had already died spiritually and become corrupted.
What if she were reincarnated as human?
If the ritual succeeds, it could very well help break free from the deity's control and cause it to suffer backlash again.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter Rewards
500 Power Stones = 1 New Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 New Chapter
Thanks for reading!
20+ advanced chapters available on P1treon: DarkFoxx