Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 128 Blue Rainbow Academy
In a life-or-death moment, Xia Yu hastily raised the cursed doll to defend himself. The instant the bullet struck the doll, the Gu worms exploded, and a large hole was corroded in the doll's head!
"Ahhh!"

Xia Yu screamed. The doll was bound to her soul, and now that it was damaged, the backlash was directly affecting her.

Her right eye instantly became bloodshot, and dark, cursed lines appeared on her skin.

"It's not over yet!" Liu Yan flicked her finger, and a Blood Rust Gu worm pounced on Xia Yu, biting her wrist!

"Ugh!" Xia Yu cried out in pain, trying to break free, but found her movements had become incredibly sluggish, and her skin was as black as rusted metal—the [Rust Poison] had taken effect!

Jiang Jin gave her no chance to catch her breath. He drew his hunting blade from his waist, the blade wreathed in rust-red worms. He took a step forward, the blade flashing like a rainbow.

"Shh!"

Xia Yu's chest was slashed open with a hideous wound. The wound did not bleed, but instead quickly developed rust-like decay marks that spread outwards.

Soul-devouring Rust!

Xia Yu looked down at her wound, finally revealing a look of horror, "You..."

No wonder the Blood Lord sent her to test Jiang Jin's abilities!
This is... completely using her as a pawn!
And what about the outer circle members that Blood Lord sent to him? Weren't they told to come in and help when all the windows inside the hotel shattered? Where did they all go?

Now she was filled with regret. If she had known this would happen, she would never have dared to provoke Jiang Jin, this god of death! Wasn't she just courting death?

Now, Liu Yan's natal Gu worm has burrowed into her wound and begun to gnaw at her internal organs from the inside.

Xia Yu staggered backward and finally collapsed in the corner, her pupils gradually dilating.

Xia Yu's body eventually turned into a withered corpse, its skin covered with traces of rust.

Jiang Jin looked at her watch with a smug expression, preparing to wait for it to turn into a skull key to open the treasure chest.

“She’s not dead yet.” However, Liu Yan said this.

Jiang Jin stared intently...

The corpse had turned into a doll!
The doll became rusty, and after Liu Yan sent in the Gu worms to investigate, she said, "The Reincarnation System indicates that this is a vengeful doll made specifically for a Level 2 Witch Puppet Master. The Reincarnation System's evaluation is that being able to make it to this extent is almost the limit for a Puppet Master. This woman is truly amazing; she is practically a top-tier Puppet Master. No wonder she was able to easily wipe out your patrol team."

"Who exactly is she, and why is she here to kill the official patrol?"

“That’s normal,” Liu Yan said, not surprised at all. “Most reincarnators have a mindset that transcends worldly affairs, so it’s not surprising that a few madmen occasionally appear. This puppet can only be used by the priestess; it’s of no use to us.”

Jiang Jin nodded and said, "The profession of witch seems to be really evil. The more you go on, the more inhuman and ghostly you become."

“If this woman doesn’t die this time, we’ll have a formidable enemy.” Liu Yan frowned slightly. “With her talent, becoming a Level 3 Blood Sacrifice wouldn’t be difficult, and if she continues to grow, there might actually be a glimmer of hope that she can become a Level 4 Witch Summoner.”

"It seems we need to find out her identity and kill her as soon as possible."

……

Xia Yu woke up in the basement of the Bloodstained Team's base, looking utterly disheveled.

Although she escaped with her life, she lost her natal cursed puppet! Now, she doesn't know how long she'll have to wait to advance to LV3 Blood Sacrifice!
Hearing the commotion, Jin Shumei opened the basement door and looked at Xia Yu's disheveled appearance with a cold smile.

"Oh my, judging from Miss Xia's appearance, you must have achieved a resounding victory?"

Xia Yu wished he could disappear into the ground. He had lost face so badly! The operation had failed, his face had been seen, and so many patrol team reincarnators had died. The Meme Contamination Monitoring Department would definitely investigate thoroughly!

You see, she was confident enough to kill everyone and ensure no one was left alive, which is why she dared to do it! But now, her identity will soon be discovered?
Would the Blood Lord protect him? He might even kill him to silence him! At least Xia Yu knew for sure that if he were in that situation, he would definitely kill him!
She may not understand social niceties, but she still understands simple principles. When it comes to matters of life and death, Xia Yu is not crazy at all.

"Um, Sister Jin," Xia Yu said without hesitation, taking out a fragment of resentment from her Reincarnator watch. "This is my way of showing my respect to you, Sister Jin. Could you please put in a good word for me with the leader?"

“So you do have some resentment crystal fragments,” Jin Shumei said, not surprised. After all, she was the wife of the leader of the Insect Nest branch, so she should have some resources. “What, just one?”

Just one?
Xia Yu gritted her teeth. "What do you think this is? This is a shard of resentment! You can only obtain it by hunting ash ghouls or dealing with rule-based evil spirits! Even if ordinary people manage to get one, they'd mostly use it immediately to enhance their weapons or skills. Is it that easy to save up just one? This is something you risk your life for!"
"Sister Jin, I know you're senior in the troupe, and the troupe leader trusts you a lot..." Xia Yu continued, "Also, I see we're about the same size, so all the clothes in my room, and all the luxury bags, are for you, Sister Jin! Please accept them! Also, here are some of my stored resentment crystals, a total of..."

Jin Shumei walked over and accepted all the resentment crystals and resentment fragments that Xia Yu handed over without hesitation, putting them into her Reincarnator Watch.

"Seeing that you're sensible, I'll talk to the commander and see if we can spare your life. Sigh, what can I do? I'm too kind-hearted."

……

Wen Qi is currently in a real bind.

Except for Jiang Jin, the entire 12th Patrol Team was wiped out!

Based on Jiang Jin's description, the enemy is suspected to be Xia Yu from the Misty Swamp team?
Does this mean the Insect Nest team is preparing to openly rebel and directly wage war against the imperial court?

For years, the imperial court has adopted a conciliatory approach towards the Insect Nest, turning a blind eye to many of their actions, precisely because the Insect Nest's strength is terrifying; a siege of the Insect Nest team would result in too many deaths. But if the Insect Nest were to actually do that… the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Miss Liu,” Wen Qi said, looking at Jiang Jin and Liu Yan in front of her, “I just received instructions from above that the warrant for your arrest has been lifted and the court has decided to pardon you… How did you manage to do that?”

"This is a secret between me and the imperial court. In short, I am no longer a wanted criminal."

Liu Yan looked very relaxed. On the way back to the camp, she held Jiang Jin's hand the whole time, and raised her arm from time to time so that people around them could notice their wedding rings. She didn't hide her love at all.

Wen Qi warned, "This matter is very serious... I myself will bear a great deal of responsibility! The department will be sending people to investigate soon..." Wen Qi knew that being held accountable was inevitable, and whether she could still serve as an assistant officer was now a question. "Keep that doll safe; it's important evidence. We will also send reincarnators to the scene to clean up the mess, erase witnesses' memories, and communicate with the police to have the Meme Contamination Monitoring Department take over the case. Don't go to the Horror Dungeon for now; cooperate with the department's investigation. Murdering members of the Ring Patrol Team is a blatant provocation against the government and the imperial court! It cannot be forgiven!"

Next, Jiang Jin took Liu Yan to meet Yu Tianlun and Xu Yinqiu.

"You must be Liu Yan!" Xu Yinqiu and Liu Yan had never met before, but they hit it off immediately. "You're even prettier than Jiang Jin described!"

"Thank you, Commander Yu and Sister Yinqiu, for taking care of Jiang Jin recently," Liu Yan said, taking out several bags from her Reincarnator watch. "These are the welcome gifts I prepared for you. It's been so long since I joined the group, and it's only now that I've come to see you."

"Yes, you're too kind," Yu Tianlun said, growing to like the new member more and more. The key was that Liu Yan was a witchcraft reincarnator he had always hoped to recruit, and the results of her battle with Jiang Jin far exceeded his expectations!

With the addition of Jiang Jin and his wife, Yu Tianlun believes that he will be able to return to his peak and transform Nirvana into a team that is no less powerful than the former Dawn!

"Alright, absence makes the heart grow fonder, I won't disturb you two any longer. Jiang Jin, take Liu Yan back to her room. Liu Yan, if you have any inconveniences, just let me know," Xu Yinqiu patted her chest and said, "I'm currently in charge of logistics and procurement for our group, I'll buy you a few more clothes tomorrow."

Women can become instant friends the moment they start talking about buying clothes. So Liu Yan chatted with Xu Yinqiu for a while longer before Jiang Jin and she returned to their room.

The newlyweds, reunited after a long separation, naturally found their passion ignited that night, a scene brimming with springtime intimacy, a harmonious blend of yin and yang, heading straight for the ultimate harmony of life...

In a few days...

The annihilation of the 12th Patrol Team of Muxu City should have been a major event that shook the entire Reincarnator community. Several team members, including Captain Ning Daoyi, died tragically, and a large number of curse remnants and traces of witchcraft were found at the scene—such a heinous case would normally have prompted the Meme Contamination Monitoring Department to send an elite investigation team to investigate thoroughly.

However, the final official case report was only two thin pages long:

Incident characterization: Meme contamination-induced collective hallucinations led to patrol members killing each other.

Key evidence: The traces of witchcraft detected in the team members' bodies have been determined to be due to contact with a source of contamination.

Recommended action: Strengthen meme screening in the outer ring area; the affected area will be temporarily closed as a red-code zone.

The report was stamped with the official seal of the Muxu City Membrane Pollution Monitoring Department and signed by Deputy Director Chen Chongming.

Jiang Jin crumpled the case report into a ball and slammed it against the wall.

"A collective hallucination? Fratricide?" His voice trembled slightly with anger. "My testimony will also be classified as a hallucination?"

Xu Yinqiu silently picked up the crumpled paper and unfolded it. Her professional instincts as a healer made her notice the details that had been deliberately ignored in the report: "There is a problem with the detection data of the pollution source... This is clearly the work of the witch reincarnator, but she insists on calling it meme pollution."

The strangest thing is that the cursed doll found at the scene was not mentioned at all on the evidence list.

“Someone doesn’t want the truth to come to light.” A gray worm crawled across Liu Yan’s fingertip. “There’s definitely more to this than meets the eye.”

In the administration building of Camp Yihai, Assistant Officer Wen Qi was adjusting her uniform collar in front of the mirror. The scene from the interrogation three days ago still sent chills down her spine—

"Officer Wen!" The head of the investigation team slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Your patrol team was wiped out so quickly! This was the last line of defense for the city! Is this all you've got?"

Wen Qi bowed deeply: "It was due to my inadequate supervision, and I am willing to accept the punishment."

Logically, she was just an assistant officer, with higher-ups above her. But that person had powerful connections and backing, and she was the one who actually did the work. When it came to credit, he naturally took the lead, but when it came to taking the blame, she was the one to shoulder the responsibility.

Unexpectedly, in the end, they simply said "strengthen management" without even demoting him, only fining him half a year's salary.

Wen Qi gave a wry smile at herself in the mirror. She had managed to keep her official position.

……

A few days later.

Muxu City, Wenbei District, 25 kilometers outside the outer ring road.

This area has many private schools, and one of them is Blue Rainbow Academy, one of the seven restricted zones!
The rusty iron gate of Lanhong College was half open, and the school nameplate on the lintel had long since faded, leaving only the blurry words "Lanhong".

Jiang Jin, Liu Yan, and Xu Yinqiu stood about two hundred meters outside the school gate. This was a temporary patrol post, where several fully armed members were vigilantly scanning the surroundings. They were responsible for ensuring that no one approached and accidentally entered the restricted area; only reincarnators were allowed to enter and exit. "Show your identification," one of the patrol members said coldly, raising his gun.

Jiang Jin raised his left hand, and the other party also activated their Reincarnator Watch to scan, thus obtaining their specific Reincarnator information.

"The Nirvana Team?" The patrolman nodded and said, "Now that you're a team, there's no need to remind you of the precautions in the quarantine zone, right?"

“Yes,” Xu Yinqiu nodded and said, “We know very well what to do inside the quarantine zone.”

The team member waved his hand: "Go in, be careful. I hope you all come back alive."

The three had just entered the school gate when they heard the sound of the rusty iron gate closing behind them.

Jiang Jin turned around abruptly, only to see the iron gate slowly closing. Even more strangely, the bolt was sliding by itself, as if a pair of transparent hands were locking it!

"Looks like we've been 'welcomed'." Liu Yan's Gu worms slithered restlessly around her sleeve, constantly issuing warnings.

Jiang Jin gripped the boning knife tightly: "Let's see what awaits us then."

On the playground in front of me, a faded plastic jump rope is scattered among waist-high weeds, and a dirty ball is half-buried in the soil, its surface covered with mold.

The basketball hoop in the northwest corner is severely tilted, and the rusted steel pipe base is broken.

Then, Jiang Jin saw a blood-stained school uniform hanging in a basket, with dark red blood dripping from the left sleeve.

In the sandpit at the edge of the playground, a dozen small footprints stretched haphazardly toward the teaching building, but what was most chilling was that all the footprints had their toes pointing backward.

"Squeak-"

The basketball hoop suddenly groaned under the strain. The school uniform swung more and more violently, and the bloodstains from the cuffs drew strange, eerie arcs in the air.

Soon, text prompts appeared on the retina of the left eye.

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have entered the Korean-style terror containment area of ​​Blue Rainbow Academy. Please abide by all the following rules:"
First, the blood-written words on the blackboard should be replaced with mathematical formulas.
Secondly, any dolls found in the sandpit must be reburied.

Third, the third row of books on the bookshelf closest to the door in the library must always have an odd number of books.

Fourth, the vengeful spirits wear school uniforms embroidered with the blood-stained graduation year.

Fifth, any writing on the desk should be covered with correction fluid.
Sixth, the playground swings automatically rock; you need to sit on them and count to 13.
Seventh, you must cover your ears when the library closes with its closing music.
Note: When possessed by a spirit, SAN decreases by 8% per minute.

Jiang Jin asked Xu Yinqiu, "What does this fifth Korean phrase mean?"

“It means go die,” Xu Yinqiu replied.

After walking around the abandoned school for a while, the mission prompt reappeared on the retina of my left eye.

"All the Nirvana Team members have entered the primary school. They have received a mission: Go to the primary school building, and upon meeting the first person, ask them in Korean: Where is Ms. Park Yeo-ok's class?"

“Park Yeo-ok?” Jiang Jin frowned slightly. “That name isn’t…”

“Teacher Park from ‘Teacher’s Grace’,” Xu Yinqiu said. “Although it’s possible that they share the same name, they are both elementary school teachers, so it’s unlikely to be a coincidence.”

The three walked along the rubber track on the playground toward the primary school building.

Most of the glass windows in the corridor were broken, with only a few intact ones covered in children's handprints, as if someone had desperately pounded on the windows for help.

Suddenly, Jiang Jin stopped in his tracks.

"Did you hear that?"

The sound of children's laughter drifted from afar, clear yet hollow, as if it came from another world.

"Ignore it." Liu Yan flicked her finger, and a Gu worm flew toward the source of the sound. "It should be a residual image of meme contamination."

Pushing open the door of the primary school building, a damp, musty smell mixed with an indescribable fishy odor hit him. Jiang Jin raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose, squinting his eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were already dilapidated, with peeling and curled plaster revealing the blackened wooden structure underneath.

The wood was covered with tiny holes, as if it had been gnawed by countless woodworms.

"Watch your step," Liu Yan whispered a reminder, as a gray nematode slithered restlessly around her sleeve.

There were many yellowed exercise books scattered on the floor, some of which had been roughly torn into pieces.

Most of the writing on the pages was blurred, but the crooked Korean exercises and the teacher's red pen marks were still legible. Even more disturbing were the marks made with red crayon—

Some papers were covered with distorted human faces, their eyes painted as two black holes; others looked like children's scribbles, depicting adults in skirts lying in pools of blood.

Jiang Jin used the tip of his shoe to push aside a pile of scraps of paper, when he suddenly kicked something hard. It was a rusty tin pencil box, inside which were five pencils neatly arranged.

Liu Yan suddenly grabbed the two of them and pulled them back!

At the corner of the corridor ahead, the wall plaster was peeling off at a visible speed, revealing a dense array of handprints behind it!

Dozens of bloody handprints, each the size of a child's, were layered on the inside of the wall!
The handprint looked so fresh, as if it had just been pressed on, and there was even blood slowly sliding down the wall.

It was as if... countless children were being pushed outwards from inside the wall.

Immediately afterwards, a sudden nursery rhyme rang out.

The sound came from the second floor; it was cheerful but terribly off-key, mixed with children's giggles.

As the three looked up, they saw a short shadow flash past the stair railing.

pat.

A drop of warm liquid landed on Jiang Jin's face. He wiped it away, his fingertips stained crimson—fresh blood was seeping from a crack in the ceiling.

Next, they went up to the second floor.

"There are people ahead," Xu Yinqiu suddenly said in a low voice.

At the end of the corridor, a woman stood with her back to them.

She was wearing an old-fashioned navy blue suit, her hair neatly pulled back, and her hands clasped in front of her, her posture so perfect it looked like some kind of teaching demonstration.

Xu Yinqiu stepped forward and spoke in fluent Korean: "?"

It means they are asking where Ms. Park Yeo-ok's class is located.

The female teacher didn't turn around; she simply raised her right hand slowly and pointed to a classroom on the left side of the corridor. Her fingers were pale and slender, but her nails were covered in blood.

"Thank you," Xu Yinqiu said politely, but her back was already tense.

The female teacher didn't turn around, but simply nodded slightly, and then—

Her neck suddenly twisted 180 degrees, revealing a rotting face!
Liu Yan's Gu worms instantly sprang out from her sleeve, but the female teacher's figure had already vanished like smoke, leaving only a faint laugh echoing in the corridor.

The classroom the female teacher was pointing to had a sign that read "Class 2, Grade 3".

Jiang Jin pushed open the classroom door, and dust fell in a flurry.

The desks and chairs in the classroom were neatly arranged, and there were still chalk marks left on the blackboard, as if a teacher had been giving a lesson just a moment ago.

The classroom walls were covered with simple children's crayon drawings.

Jiang Jin recognized it immediately; it was the painting that hung in Teacher Park's room in the movie!
Suddenly, all the paintings floated up from the wall and hovered in mid-air without any wind.

The little figure in the painting began to writhe, and blood seeped from the paper, dripping onto the floor.

"The SAN value is starting to drop." Xu Yinqiu quickly formed hand seals, and Zhu You's healing aura enveloped the three of them. "Be careful, we'll probably be entering a terrifying dungeon soon!"

Liu Yan's Gu worms darted out from her sleeve and pounced on one of the paintings, but the little figure in the painting suddenly reached out, grabbed the Gu worms, and tore them in half!
"How is this possible?!" Liu Yan's expression changed drastically. This spirit body could actually harm my Gu worms?!

Jiang Jin's mortar was already pointed at the paintings: "Back off!"

He pulled the trigger, and the moment the bullet struck one of the paintings, the little figure in it let out a piercing scream and burst into flames. But the other paintings, as if enraged, crawled out of the paper and transformed into translucent vengeful spirits that lunged at the three of them!

Outside in the corridor, all the classroom doors that were once empty were now open, and countless vengeful spirits of children crawled out from them, their eyes vacant, but with eerie smiles on their lips!
The next second, countless pale little hands reached out from the ground and grabbed the three people's ankles—

The classroom floor was transformed into an abyss composed of countless children's drawings.

The three of them fell!
　One chapter was missing on the 23rd; this chapter contains 6000 words, making up for the missing chapter from the 23rd.
　　I also recommend that everyone watch the original film "Teacher's Grace".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)