The King of Curses

Chapter 9 Her Dependence, His Guidance

An Zhizhen was originally worried that Cen Dongsheng would get hurt and just hoped that he could escape as quickly as possible, but she ended up witnessing him violently beating up "Miss Zhou".

Moreover, it was not a fierce fight with back and forth, but a one-sided display of violence. Cen Dongsheng smashed "Miss Zhou" into the wall with just one blow. The scene looked like a funny scene in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

But this isn't an animation, this is the real world. If a normal person's flesh and blood is treated so roughly...

"Is she...dead?"

An Zhizhen took two cautious steps closer and looked at the woman whose head was stuck in the wall. Her limbs were twitching slightly and her neck was tilted at a strange angle.

"almost."

Cen Dongsheng glanced at her casually. He could still hear faint breathing coming from the wall.

"Miss Zhou" struggled for a while, her hands and feet began to wave wildly, and she crawled on the floor. Although she was so seriously injured, she seemed to have the vitality of a cockroach and was still alive.

"Be careful, Dongsheng...!"

"Ok, I know."

Cen Dongsheng raised his foot slowly.

"boom!"

He trampled on "Miss Zhou's" head mercilessly.

This time, he stepped directly through the wall, and the woman's body fell into the hole.

In the midst of the smoke and dust, Cen Dongsheng saw that the other person's head had been completely deformed, the skull was shattered, and the brain tissue inside had probably turned into a mess. This time he really couldn't survive.

Cen Dongsheng walked towards An Zhizhen. He felt that there was no need for her to see this scene.

"Let's go, it's safe for now, Sister Zhizhen."

"Winter Life..."

"Let's go back to the room and talk."

Sister Zhizhen stared at his face with an incredible look, and then turned her gaze to a place not far away. Tile fragments and wall debris formed a small pile of ruins, and the body of "Miss Zhou" was buried underneath.

"You, you killed her...is it okay?"

"Sister Zhizhen, have you noticed her hands and feet?"

"……Um."

An Zhizhen nodded. Perhaps because she was a doctor by profession, she had a better understanding of human physiological structure, and she liked to observe others, so when "Miss Zhou" attacked her neighbor, she noticed something strange about her at first sight:

"Miss Zhou's" hands and feet were bent backwards, with strange and thick protrusions on the toes and heels. She moved like a bear or a monkey, and her internal skeleton seemed to have been alienated and no longer belonged to a human. When she took a quick glance at her in front of the door, she also noticed that "Miss Zhou" had a whole row of sharp canine teeth in her mouth, which were very suitable for biting, which was obviously unusual.

Therefore, the opponent can perform strange actions such as "climbing on the wall" or "jumping onto the railing".

Theoretically, there would be an obvious gap in strength between an ordinary woman who has not received professional training and an adult man. However, "Miss Zhou" can easily hunt humans because her body structure is already very abnormal.

"Unfortunately, her body has undergone an irreversible mutation." Cen Dongsheng calmly stated his conclusion, "She is beyond help."

Like the curse-casters, ghosts also possess incredible supernatural powers, some of which are "common abilities".

When he was still in the Exorcism Division of the Ruling Bureau, the most annoying ghost power was probably "spatial manipulation", a high-level common ability belonging to the owner-level (Class A) ghosts, which could turn the interior of a haunted house into a terrifying maze full of murderous intentions.

"Possession" is a common supernatural power possessed by ghosts of level C and above, but ghosts of different levels have different strengths and weaknesses.

For example, the difference between a lonely ghost (grade C) and a fierce ghost (grade B) is that once the former possesses a human being, it cannot leave the flesh and blood body, and the victim will quickly degenerate into a beast that only acts on instinct. This state is also called a "cannibal ghost"; while the latter retains the ability to think and can even communicate with people like normal people, and is more latent.

The transformation of "cannibal ghost symptoms" is irreversible. So in a sense, being possessed by a higher level ghost is actually a good thing. If there is a ban master willing to drive it away, or the ghost leaves on its own for some reason, the victim has a smaller chance of surviving.

"is that so."

An Zhizhen sighed and seemed to accept this statement temporarily. But she obviously had a lot of other confusions and incomprehensible questions——

"But you, just now, she...what on earth is going on?"

Cen Dongsheng observed Sister Zhizhen's expression calmly.

Her expression and eyes seemed calm, but she was probably in chaos inside.

At present, Sister Zhizhen knows nothing about ghosts and forbidden masters. Is she really in a state of not awakening? After all, he came to Xiaokang Building several months earlier than the outside world speculated that An Zhizhen had acquired the ability.

"Special Life Prohibition: Heaven's Powerful Leader" - An Zhizhen's most famous ability, in short, is to make "everyone" support her leadership position; at the same time, as a leader, she can also gather the power of "everyone" to cast a spell.

It sounded a bit abstract, and he really didn't know the specific effect of this ability. He only knew that she could easily manipulate other spell-forbidden masters to use for her own purposes. "The him in my memory" was just an ordinary, or a small-time B-class spell-forbidden master, not even qualified to be a dog for others, so naturally he didn't understand the details...

But he knew that no matter what, if An Zhizhen awakened her abilities, neither ghosts nor humans in this era would be her match, let alone a mere cannibal ghost.

"... Dongsheng, do you know anything?"

An Zhizhen tilted her head slightly and stared at him with a look that was a mixture of uneasiness and dependence, as if she couldn't bear to look away even for a moment.

Cen Dongsheng could understand her feelings. Although Sister Zhizhen knew nothing, she was smart enough and had a calm judgment. She might have sensed the approach of an unprecedented crisis.

Judging from the current situation, he is indeed her only support, as he is not only a close acquaintance but also has unexpectedly demonstrated amazing fighting ability.

But even so, Cen Dongsheng, who knew very well how the future of this world would develop, still felt complicated and at the same time developed a subtle sense of responsibility.

Let me train and guide that An Zhizhen? Me? Really?

Cen Dongsheng took a deep breath, calmed down and replied:

"Go back to your room first, Sister Zhizhen, and I'll explain."

*
Under the dim light in the room, the two sat face to face beside a round coffee table.

He had just been to this room during the day, and the atmosphere was different now. The single woman's room was clean and tidy, the furniture was arranged with a sense of homely warmth, and there were flowers on the table, emitting a faint fragrance.

An Zhizhen put on a coat, went to the kitchen to make two cups of steaming hot coffee, placed one cup in front of him, and then sat down cross-legged.

There was a half-opened thick book on the table. Cen Dongsheng seemed to be able to imagine her sitting alone on the sofa, reading lazily with her chin supported by one hand.

Too bad, now is not the time to enjoy the atmosphere.

Cen Dongsheng had no intention of concealing any information related to ghosts. In fact, when they talked this afternoon, he was already prepared to explain the supernatural content to An Zhizhen.

But in the intelligence and files he knew, Cen Dongsheng had never heard of this supernatural incident that happened in Xiaokang Building...

There are two possibilities. One is that he was simply unaware due to his status and position. Another possibility is that his action of coming to Xiaokang Building triggered a series of changes.

And, different possibilities mean different directions in the ensuing questions:
For example, would An Zhizhen's ability awaken early? If I wasn't there, would her life be in danger?

"Dongsheng." An Zhizhen held the teacup in both hands, pursed her red lips, and sighed softly, "I'm sorry to make you laugh. I was so panicked that I was at a loss."

"Really? I think you acted pretty calmly."

"I'm trying to stay calm, but I'm still half pretending. If you hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid..." "That's not what I'm talking about." Cen Dongsheng said, "After all, you saw me kill someone with your own eyes."

"…I trust my judgment."

Sister Zhizhen looked serious.

"Dongsheng, I believe you are very special and have that kind of powerful power, but you will never kill innocent people or use your power to do bad things, right? I believe you, she is really hopeless."

"Well, there's no hope."

Cen Dongsheng nodded. He took a sip of coffee and used the rim of the cup to hide his expression.

Kill innocent people indiscriminately? He certainly wouldn't do that, mainly because he didn't want to waste his energy on meaningless things.

"Ms. Zhou... She and I are neighbors. Although we are not very familiar with each other and only chat a few words when we meet, I believe that she definitely does not want to live as a monster. Since that kind of change is irreversible, it is not a bad thing to be able to get rid of it early..."

"Ah."

"But, what on earth made her become like that...?"

An Zhizhen's slender brows were tightly furrowed, and the hand holding the teacup subconsciously exerted force, and the fingertips turned slightly white.

"Is it some kind of virus? Like in horror movies, the kind that turns people into insane, man-eating monsters..."

"Ah, it's exactly like in horror movies. But it's not a 'science fiction horror movie', it's a supernatural movie."

Although in the future - when humans have become accustomed to coexisting with ghosts in the same world, it may not be a bad idea to treat them as aliens or monsters from another dimension, but their form of existence is indeed what people perceive as ghosts, spirits or monsters.

Their birth time is so long ago that it is difficult to trace their origin; they have always accompanied mankind in the shadow of long history, leaving hidden traces of their existence in civilizations around the world, until the first decade of the 21st century, when they began to invade reality on a large scale.

"Supernatural movies? Do you mean... 'ghosts'?"

Sister Zhizhen came to this conclusion hesitantly, and judging from her expression, she obviously found it hard to believe.

"Yes, ghosts. Or rather, their general name is 'ghosts'."

Cen Dongsheng talked freely.

"What happened to Miss Zhou just now was that she was possessed by a ghost. As a result, her impulses and desires were unbridled and she was completely out of control, turning into a cannibal. But apart from this, real ghosts are a more dangerous existence, between fantasy and reality, and can cause all kinds of supernatural phenomena."

"I always feel that..."

Sister Zhizhen hesitated to speak.

"hard to believe?"

"……Um."

The woman nodded slightly, her long black hair swaying slightly with her movements. She leaned forward and asked in a low voice, mysteriously:

"And, according to this statement, Dongsheng is a ghost-catching master? Like a Taoist priest or a monk?"

"That's about right." Cen Dongsheng laughed. "To be precise, it's called 'forbidden master', or 'curse forbidden master'. 'Master of the curse forbidden students, use curses to exorcise evil spirits'... Have you heard of this term?"

An Zhizhen shook his head.

"But I feel like you're not the same as most people imagine... er, a little different? Shouldn't you be chanting sutras, performing rituals, using spells, or something like that? But you just..."

It was purely violent means - Sister Zhizhen's eyes clearly showed this.

It would be more plausible if Cen Dongsheng claimed to be a reclusive martial arts master or a retired soldier.

"To deal with different enemies, you naturally have to use different methods."

Cen Dongsheng smiled slightly.

To deal with cannibal ghosts possessed by Class C ghosts, it is indeed most convenient to eliminate them by physical means. After all, once they are merged, they cannot be separated. In this area, the police army of the old era can still play a role.

However, when it comes to dealing with such a huge group of ghosts and monsters, the past methods are still too limited; if one wants to deal with the "ghosts" themselves, one can only let the masters of forbidden arts who have adapted to the new era do it.

Even without taking the spells and prohibitions into consideration, the true Qi used by the spell masters, this energy sublimated from the "Yang Qi" in the human body, is naturally the nemesis of the Yin Qi bodies of ghosts and monsters.

By the way, the so-called "Yang Qi" is not simply defined as heat in physics, but one pole of the yin and yang balance that exists in the dark - even if a forbidden master can summon winter and create extreme cold, he still uses sublimated Yang Qi.

"Ghosts or forbidden masters, they do possess certain powers that are beyond the knowledge of modern science..."

Before An Zhizhen could respond, Cen Dongsheng raised his hand to stop her.

"I know that Sister Zhizhen is still skeptical about what I said. Words are not enough to prove anything. Fortunately, there is a piece of important evidence in front of us."

He extended a finger and pointed at the curtain.

"Sister Zhizhen, have you noticed? It's really quiet right now."

Neither of them spoke again. There was no sound in the room anymore, and even the sound of the hands of the wall clock moving could be clearly heard.

Because of this, the silence outside was made even more eerie. Outside this room - the corridor, the stairs, and even the entire Xiaokang Building was like a tomb, without a single sound.

"...Yeah, it's really quiet."

An Zhizhen's slightly furrowed brows never relaxed.

"This happened in the corridor, and someone died, but the neighbors around didn't react at all... I thought they were all hiding, but it seems that it's not that simple."

"Yes. Sister Zhizhen, the reason why you can't hear human voices is very simple."

Cen Dongsheng said.

"Because, you and I are now... in another dimension."

"……what?"

"The 'haunted house' phenomenon - a group of people are swept away from a certain area and isolated in another dimension that does not intersect with the original world. This place is no longer reality."

Cen Dongsheng pointed at the curtains again.

"If you don't believe me, please open the window and take a look."

……

An Zhizhen opened the curtains and looked down.

The familiar scenes disappeared wherever she looked. What she saw was not the buildings and the city in the distance shrouded in the night, but "black" - a pure, thick darkness covering the sky and the earth, like the universe, like the abyss, without any light.

The city disappeared. No, to be more precise, the "real world" disappeared.

Her expression changed from astonishment, to disbelief, to enlightenment, as if she had accepted it all in a short period of time.

"I see, it turns out all of this is... true."

(End of this chapter)