INHA Chapter 106

Zhulong had knocked down a large number of stones with its tail, and Xu Dongyou had to move them in batches to get them all out. The Anomaly Handling Bureau was particularly excited when they received these materials and quickly asked the reason behind it. Xu Dongyou simply explained that Zhulong had given them to humans for protection against resentful spirits.

However, the branch director quickly deduced the true reason. He instructed the bureau’s research department to reserve a portion for Xu Dongyou and use the rest to create protective items to be installed around his neighborhood. This would ensure that no resentful spirits could enter.

The research department readily complied.

The branch director then brought Xu Dongyou back to his office and nodded approvingly, saying, “You’ve worked hard on this matter. These sealing stones were, after all, given to you by Zhulong. The bureau won’t take them for free. We’ll convert them into points for you. As for Zhulong, we’ll provide it with anything it needs unconditionally. You can ask it next time if there’s anything it wants.”

Xu Dongyou nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed.

In fact, he hadn’t planned on giving all the stones to the bureau—he wanted to keep a small portion to embed at his front door, to prevent resentful spirits from entering his home.

He hadn’t expected the branch director to figure that out right away.

Since these sealing stones could help other handlers in dangerous situations and Xu Dongyou didn’t need so many, it seemed more practical to let the bureau use them.

Zhulong had provided a whole truckload of stones. Even a small stone the size of a soybean could injure resentful spirits or monsters, so the research department cut them into millimeter-sized fragments, embedding them in weapons and installing them around Xu Dongyou’s neighborhood. In the end, only a small portion of the stones was actually used.

The bureau then distributed the rest of the sealing stones to other branches. After all, the research department’s scientists were crucial to the bureau and their residences needed enhanced protection.

Although Xu Dongyou’s neighborhood already had protective measures in place, they were ineffective against resentful spirits that could hide themselves. But with the sealing stones, things were different.

While it couldn’t completely eliminate the threat of resentful spirits, it at least prevented them from entering the neighborhood—a fact that earned high praise from all the researchers.

Just as Xu Dongyou was preparing to head home, a shocking news story broke online and quickly went viral, causing widespread panic and fear among netizens.

Lu Xianhong, a superstar idol, was attending an event when suddenly, in broad daylight, a paper figure emerged from his back. Its face was deathly pale, with bright red makeup smeared across it, and its body was stained with Lu Xianhong’s blood, making it look as though it was dressed in red.

Lu Xianhong screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground, curling up like a boiled shrimp. The paper figure continued to crawl out of his body, almost completely emerging.

His screams grew louder and the crowd of fans, onlookers, media, and event staff snapped out of their shock and began screaming in terror, scrambling to flee the scene.

This bizarre, evil entity could potentially harm them too.

The security guards, tasked with maintaining order, were too frightened to approach. But, as Lu Xianhong’s bodyguards, they had a job to do. Reluctantly, one of them grabbed an iron rod and tentatively poked the paper figure.

The paper figure suddenly twisted its head around, rotating a full 180 degrees to glare at the guard with eerie, malicious eyes.

The guard was immediately paralyzed with fear, not daring to get any closer, despite being surrounded by colleagues, all armed.

This thing looked terrifyingly supernatural. It could very well be an evil ghost. They had all seen enough videos to know that even special forces with heavy weapons couldn’t handle such entities. Charging in would likely be a death sentence.

“Help me, save me,” Lu Xianhong reached out weakly, pleading with the security guards, but by this point, most of the paper figure had crawled out of his body, and the guards fled in fear.

The press conference emptied out quickly, leaving only Lu Xianhong’s anguished screams echoing through the venue. Fortunately, local police arrived on the scene, accompanied by a handler from the bureau. The handler, upon seeing the paper figure, immediately pulled out a talisman and slapped it onto the figure. Instantly, the paper figure fell silent.

For a moment, everyone was quiet.

“That’s it?” someone asked cautiously.

The handler nodded, though his expression was grim. “It’s over for now, but this is far more complicated than it seems. I need to head back to the bureau and report this immediately. I’ll be taking this person with me and the rest of the investigation will be in your hands.”

The police nodded in agreement—they were used to handling investigations like this.

The handler returned to the bureau, carrying the barely alive Lu Xianhong with him. It wasn’t because they intended to take him to a hospital; the truth was that Lu Xianhong’s internal organs had already been consumed by the paper figure. The only reason he was still alive was because the figure hadn’t fully emerged yet.

Once the paper figure crawled out, Lu Xianhong would be dead. Even if the figure was dealt with, Lu Xianhong wouldn’t survive for long. The only question was whether he’d die sooner or later.

But Lu Xianhong wasn’t aware of this. His overwhelming desire to live made him fully cooperative with the handler. When they arrived at the bureau, he didn’t even look around; he was entirely focused on pleading for help.

When the handler reached the bureau, the chief was already there. They brought Lu Xianhong to the sealed room, where they used special methods to completely seal the paper figure, then sustained Lu Xianhong’s life with spiritual energy.

“Do you know who did this?” the chief asked Lu Xianhong.

Lu Xianhong, thinking he had been saved, was about to answer but hesitated. His expression shifted.

The paper figure on his back was the same as the one he had seen that night. It must have been the mysterious person behind it. Not only did this person want to kill Xu Dongyou, but they also wanted to kill him.

If this mysterious person wasn’t dealt with, they might come after him again.

But then, Lu Xianhong remembered his own shady dealings. If the bureau caught this person, it would surely lead back to him and he would be exposed.

Either way, death was inevitable, but he preferred to delay it. Besides, he could always try to convince the handlers to protect him. With that thought in mind, Lu Xianhong quickly put on a confused and fearful expression and replied to the chief, “I-I don’t know who’s behind this. Please, you have to protect me.”

The chief’s expression darkened instantly, his aura radiating intimidation. Lu Xianhong couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear, but his terror of dying kept him from crumbling under the pressure.

The others were silent.

The chief said, “Do you know about a type of talisman we have in the Bureau called the Truth-telling Talisman? Once it’s used, you can only speak the truth.”

Lu Xianhong’s pupils constricted as he hurriedly said, “I’m not your prisoner. You don’t have the right to do this.”

The chief remained silent and said, “Since you’re not cooperating, the Bureau has no choice but to proceed this way.”

This was because Lu Xianhong’s time was running out.

Moreover, the chief had sensed through the soul aspect that Lu Xianhong seemed to have been affected by some force, just like Xu Dongyou. It was clear that the evil presence that had affected Xu Dongyou and the paper figure on Lu Xianhong’s back likely came from the same person or entity behind it.

Thus, it was crucial to find out who or what this entity was.

Immediately, a nearby handler took out the Truth-telling Talisman and recited the incantation. Lu Xianhong suddenly became anxious, trying to resist, but found himself unable to move. Terrified, he exclaimed, “What have you done to me? Why can’t I move?”

The handler holding the Truth-telling Talisman said, “Stop struggling. We’re doing this for your own good.”

Lu Xianhong didn’t believe it, thinking they were trying to control him. In reality, what the handler said was true—Lu Xianhong was close to death. The pressure in his abdomen from the lack of internal organs meant that any movement would only hasten his death.

They needed to extract important information from Lu Xianhong. The Bureau had also contacted his family to inform them that Lu Xianhong was dying and to come to a specific police station for a final visit.

Lu Xianhong’s family had seen the news and were frantically trying to find him. When the Bureau called, they quickly drove to the police station.

On the way, the family began to argue.

“Mom, we agreed that if Lu Xianhong dies, his inheritance will be mine. You can’t give it all to Zhao Di.”

“Don’t worry, Mom knows. I won’t give a penny to that Zhao Di girl.”

The daughter-in-law stayed silent throughout but smiled contentedly.

Meanwhile, after using the Truth-telling Talisman, the director and his team learned that Lu Xianhong, worried about his status and money, had been influenced by Xu Dongyou and had thus compromised himself.

He had sought out a peculiar and extraordinary person who used a certain method to kill Xu Dongyou but needed a medium. Lu Xianhong, having obtained a used makeup remover pad from Xu Dongyou at a previous concert, handed it over to the mysterious person’s controlled paper figure.

The chief asked if Lu Xianhong knew more about this extraordinary person, but Lu Xianhong said he did not. He only had the contact information from this person, which he had obtained through another friend who, for unknown reasons, had already died.

The lead ended there.

However, with this phone number, it might be possible to find some information. The chief then instructed his subordinates to take Lu Xianhong to a police station to say his final goodbyes to his family.

The Truth-telling Talisman had already worn off, and upon hearing the chief’s words, Lu Xianhong was too panicked to worry about his misdeeds being discovered. Instead, he asked fearfully, “What do you mean final goodbyes??”

The nearby handler was very displeased that Lu Xianhong had compromised himself out of fear of Xu Dongyou’s influence. Everyone in the Bureau knew how formidable Xu Dongyou was. He was not only crucial in calming Zhulong but also had vital special abilities. If it weren’t for Xu Dongyou during the previous monster incident, the casualties would have been incalculable.

But since Lu Xianhong was close to death, the handler refrained from being harsh and simply said coldly, “That mysterious person had already cast a paper figure curse inside you. Once the time comes or a certain trigger is activated, it will devour your internal organs and eventually crawl out.”

Devour the internal organs and then crawl out?

Lu Xianhong thought of the paper figure crawling out from his back and his already pale face turned even more transparent. “Impossible, this can’t be happening. I can’t die like this. Get me to a hospital quickly!”

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