From the end of the world

Chapter 13: Broom Star 1
The witcher woman's death sentence for the weird cave was changed from "immediate execution" to "suspended execution".

This turn of events also gave me a small sense of relief.

Since the destruction of the cave has been postponed to tomorrow, I can just explore it again today.

But I don't know how much exploration results I can get in such a short time. The first and most fatal point is that I don't know the pattern of the appearance and disappearance of caves.

Why did the cave appear when Chang'an was alone the night before and when Chang'an and I were present, and then disappeared after Agent Kong arrived? The answer must be here.

I continued to monitor the conversation between Agent Kong and the witcher woman, thinking about the terms they had mentioned before.

The "corrupted demon hunter" they were talking about was undoubtedly the serial killer. As for whether it was Ma, it was unknown for the time being. Anyway, just from the literal meaning, it can be seen that the so-called "demon hunter" should be someone who hunts things related to demons. The definition of "demon" is probably not limited to strange things like "cave", but also includes corrupt demon hunters.

The so-called "degeneration" may refer to the fact that the prey of some demon hunters has changed from "demons" to "humans". This speculation echoes the recent criminal behavior of serial killers.

The demon hunter woman's tone showed a sense of mission to eliminate strange things, and she also mentioned that Luoshan should deepen cooperation with the public security department. I think "Luoshan" should be an anonymous supernatural organization recognized by the government, or simply an anonymous official organization in a different system from the public security department.

An organization that specializes in dealing with supernatural events does exist!

I felt an indescribable excitement about this, as if I was witnessing with my own eyes my wild imagination becoming reality step by step.

After that, the demon hunter woman seemed to have nothing more to discuss with Agent Kong. Agent Kong quickly ended the call, turned back to the community, and came to the door of the house.

He took out the key and opened the door, then went into the house and checked everywhere.

He mainly checked the ritual array on the floor. He did not rush into the array, but walked around it to observe the state of the array from different angles. He also took out his mobile phone and took several photos of the array.

In order to avoid being seen by him if he suddenly turned around, the "firefly" I was controlling simply stuck to his back.

"This shouldn't be possible." He muttered to himself, "Why can such an incomplete array be activated? There are clearly no conditions around that can make up for the array's flaws..."

He looked around several times before finally giving up. He casually covered the room with the black plush carpet rolled up next to him, then turned and left the house.
-
While continuing to monitor Agent Kong, I was not sitting idle either.

While maintaining the monitoring status, I moved to a nearby computer city and purchased the equipment I would need when exploring the cave.

After Agent Kong left, I did not rush back to the house. Instead, I released some more "fireflies" inside and outside the community to check if there were any suspicious people.

Even Agent Kong and the female witcher have no idea why the fallen witcher set up a ritual array in that house, so I have to take into account the possibility that "the appearance of the cave meets the expectations of the fallen witcher" and may be the result of the fallen witcher's intentional act.

So has the Fallen Demon Hunter been keeping a close eye on the movements of the room on the 15th floor? Although it is unlikely that he has been keeping a close eye on it for eight months, it is entirely possible that he has been keeping a close eye on it while someone was staying in the room on the 15th floor.

I don't want to have some unknown dangerous person spying on my every move in the dark while I'm exploring the cave.

Perhaps the landlord should be included in the list of suspects, as someone in this position would know when someone moves in and could reasonably pay attention to changes in the room.

Now I am monitoring four different areas at the same time, namely Ma Zao, Chang An, where Agent Kong is, and the inside and outside of the residential area where the room on the 15th floor is located. In other words, there are so many scenes in my mind at the same time, and the last one is even more important. This feels like thinking about multiple unrelated problems at the same time with high intensity. Even though I have allocated most of my focus to the last one, my concentration is also rapidly depleted.

I would take a break from time to time, look at the scenery in the distance to relax my mind, and then continue to investigate. However, until the evening, after searching everywhere I could, I still couldn't find anyone who met the label of "suspicious behavior" inside or outside the community.

Is it really not here, or did I just not find it? I can't spend too much time on this, I still have to explore the cave later.

I guess I won't be able to go home tonight, so I have to let Ma Zao know first. Unfortunately, I don't have a landline at home, and Ma Zao doesn't have a cell phone (at least I didn't find one on her last night). It seems I have to find time to go home and let her know.

It just so happens that I also have some questions and must ask her in person.

I'm hungry too, I can have a meal when I get home.

…By the way, I always feel like I have forgotten something.
-
I soon returned to the door of my house.

Through the "fireflies" in the room, I saw Ma Zao before I opened the door. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room, huddled up with her knees hugged. Her sleeves and trouser legs were rolled up in layers, and the loose and baggy clothes made her look even smaller.

She didn't turn on the lights or the TV. She just sat there in silence, looking out the French window at the scenery, reminiscent of a small appliance in standby mode.

At this moment, the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window was in the evening, with a gradient of dark blue and dim yellow, which made her small figure look slightly sad.

I inserted the key into the door lock, and the slight sound immediately made her wake up quickly as if an invisible switch was pressed, and her head turned to the entrance with extreme alertness. When I opened the door, she had already jumped off the sofa quickly, and then she lost her balance and fell.

"...What are you doing?" I was speechless.

“……” She stood up by holding on to the coffee table next to her, her face stern as if to hide her embarrassment.

Then, she slowly walked in front of me, walked around me twice, and looked me up and down. She then came closer and looked more carefully, as if she wanted to observe some signs from the gaps in the fabric of my clothes. She also sniffed from time to time, trying to smell some smell.

I was confused, so I raised my arms to follow her observation and asked again, "What are you doing?"

She raised her eyes and looked at me, then took two steps back.

"...You're back so late." She seemed to be probing something, and seemed to be hiding some dissatisfaction.

Before I left, I told her that I was only going out for a short while, but I ended up staying out for most of the day. It was really my fault. Having said that, I couldn't tell her the truth, so I could only be vague and say, "I had something to do with my friends."

"Did you encounter something outside?" she asked with a frown.

"What did you encounter—what do you mean?" I asked knowingly.

She began to list them one by one: "For example, have you ever encountered a person who should have been dead suddenly appearing alive in front of you, or roads appearing in places where roads shouldn't appear, or limbs and organs that shouldn't grow on your body suddenly and inexplicably grow on you..."

What was that last thing she was talking about? Did the various disasters she might attract include this indescribable phenomenon that sounded like a human gene mutation? I complained in my mind while answering calmly, "No."

She asked anxiously, "Really?"

"Really not." I lied with my eyes open, but in fact, "cave" fits the second example she listed very well.

"That's good." She seemed to think that I had no reason and no courage to cheat in this matter, so she showed a relieved expression.

Then, she hesitated again and looked at the door behind me. "But I'd better leave first. If I stay here..."

"No!" I said reflexively.

"Ah?" She was startled.

"How could I let a girl like you who can't protect yourself walk around outside?" I quickly lowered my voice, trying to make myself seem as reliable as possible. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me, and I will do my best to protect you during this time."

"Uh, thank you, thank you?" She looked puzzled.

I also felt that I had overreacted, but there was nothing I could do. I really didn't want to let her go. Not only had I not yet solved her secret, but when I thought about how this was the first time in so many years that I had encountered a strange incident, maybe it was because of her "jinx physique", I wanted to buy a baby carrier on an online shopping app and hang her on my body like a baby, keeping her close to me 24 hours a day.

I admit that I find it really unbearable to have such thoughts about a teenage boy of the opposite sex who is a few years younger than me. Even if I am really given this opportunity, I may not really do it. I say this purely to express my feelings.

But speaking of Ma Zao's physique that attracts disasters, there is one thing I must ask.

Although this would make her suspicious of my previous situation, out of responsibility, I had to confirm it as soon as possible.

I put my backpack next to the shoe cabinet, turned on the light switch in the living room, and looked at her.

"Ma Zao, I want to ask you a question, is that okay?"

"Go ahead and ask," Ma Zao said cautiously, "As for whether I will answer, that depends on your question."

"People around you will be affected by your special physique and will easily encounter strange things. That's what you said before, right?"

"Yes."

"Is this phenomenon limited to the people around you?" I asked, "Or will it spread further outward, and even the people around you will be affected and encounter strange and dangerous things?"

(End of this chapter)