Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 199 New Team Members
At the Edo garrison headquarters in Shinjuku, Zhao Zhenguo was reviewing the latest meme contamination report when his adjutant suddenly knocked on the door and entered.

"Commander, a Japanese reincarnator team calling themselves the 'Musashi Team' has requested a meeting. They claim to possess important intelligence."

Zhao Zhenguo frowned: "Reincarnators? What are they trying to do?"

The adjutant handed over an encrypted document: "Team Leader Isaka Sousuke stated that they had previously collaborated with the Chinese 'Nirvana Team' and are willing to provide information regarding the 'Zoo Ghost Stories' instance."

"The Nirvana Team?" Zhao Zhenguo's eyes narrowed. "Is this our country's Reincarnator Team?"

Intelligence management for reincarnators is quite strict. Zhao Zhenguo is the leader of the Yanjing Military Region, so he doesn't know much about the reincarnators in Muxu City.

Given his status, his meeting with a private reincarnator in Edo was politically sensitive.

The Edo Special District was already a place half-abandoned by the Heian-kyo court. Let alone reincarnators, even ordinary people were in a state of waiting to die. Therefore, there were almost no official reincarnators in the Edo area; they were all civilian reincarnators. Moreover, the other party mentioned information about the "Zoo Ghost Stories."

In terms of being inhumane, Xiao Rizi has always been consistent from the past to the present.

The existence of reincarnators was known only to the military high command. Before their arrival, the imperial court emphasized that cooperation with local civilian reincarnators was possible, but caution was needed in methods and screening to prevent Edo government officials from using the situation to their advantage and cause controversy. After all, a key mission of this troop deployment was to promote cooperation between the reincarnators of the two countries and establish them as important allies.

Zhao Zhenguo pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Arrange a meeting, but strengthen security. Only officers with access to information about the reincarnators should participate, and the Edo Special District government should be notified."

The meeting place was chosen to be a hotel near Tokyo Bay that had been temporarily requisitioned by the military. The Longxiang Army special forces had set up a perimeter in advance, with snipers occupying high ground.

After all, the other party is a reincarnator, so we must be prepared if they have any malicious intent.

Sousuke Isaka arrived on time with three core members.

“Commander Zhao,” Isaka Sousuke bowed slightly, speaking fluent Chinese, “thank you for taking the time to meet me.”

Zhao Zhenguo returned the salute: "Commander Isaka, I heard you have important information about the [Zoo Ghost Stories] instance?"

Without wasting words, Isaka Sousuke said directly, "I have a twin brother named Isaka Ryota, who is an Onmyoji reincarnator. After entering the [Zoo Ghost Stories] instance, he never returned. But in his final moments, he sent back some information through telepathy."

"What specific information is there?"

Isaka Sousuke took out a file folder and handed it to Zhao Zhenguo.

Sousuke Isaka put away the scroll: "We originally intended to use this intelligence to exchange for cooperation with Chinese reincarnators in the Horror Dungeon. However, we had no connections and no one to introduce us. The Dragon Soaring Army's current garrison in Edo presents an excellent opportunity... The Musashi team wants to establish an alliance with the Dragon Soaring Army and China's top reincarnation teams. The meme contamination in Edo is getting more and more serious, and we can't hold on by ourselves!"

Then he added, "Moreover, we suspect that the Old Nuclear Organization is using the Edo Special District to conduct experiments. Five years ago, when Edo fell, we suspected that the Old Nuclear Organization was behind it all."

"Old core?"

Although the Old Nuclear Forces originated in China, they now wield considerable influence in East Asia, with branches in Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. All countries consider them terrorist organizations that must be eradicated.

“We will consider your proposal. But we are only the military. Cooperation between reincarnators still needs to be approved by our country’s Meme Contamination Monitoring Department.”

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Back at headquarters, Zhao Zhenguo immediately convened an emergency meeting.

"The intelligence from Musashi's team is highly credible!" the intelligence chief analyzed. "It closely matches the information we obtained from the United Nations regarding the 'Zoo Ghost Stories'."

Zhao Zhenguo nodded and turned to the communications officer: "Contact the domestic authorities. I need to speak directly with the Nirvana team in Muxu City to learn more about this Musashi team."

Shortly after, the encrypted channel was connected.

Yu Tianlun, who was stationed at the Yihai camp, was summoned by Wen Qi again.

This time it's a big shot from the Yanjing Military Region!
Although the military cannot interfere in politics, if the military has any connection with Yu Tianlun, the civil officials in the court will inevitably have to be more cautious in their power struggles.

When Yu Tianlun came in, Wen Qi went up to him.

“Commander Yu,” she said, completely abandoning her official airs in front of Yu Tianlun, “I’m reminding you, the person who will be contacting you this time is Commander Zhao Zhenguo! A high-ranking military official stationed in Edo! You’d better be careful with your words!”

"I know that. I greatly admire and respect Commander Zhao for bringing glory to our country by stationing troops in Edo."

Although Yu Tianlun was extremely disappointed with the current state of the court, he had great respect for the military.

The imperial guards of today are fully worthy of the title of soldiers!
Since Yu Tianlun's identity was that of a civilian reincarnator, he underwent a detailed SAN value test and descent test before speaking with the commander.

After the call was connected, Yu Tianlun saw Zhao Zhenguo's square face on the screen in front of him.

"Commander Yu," Zhao Zhenguo said, "Hello, I am Zhao Zhenguo, the Commander-in-Chief of the Longxiang Army stationed in the Edo Special District."

Yu Tianlun saluted Zhao Zhenguo and said, "Greetings, Commander! I am Yu Tianlun, the leader of the Nirvana Team, and a Level 3 Spellcaster!"

Zhao Zhenguo has now confirmed that Yu Tianlun is the heroic reincarnator who prevented the leak of the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts meme in Muxu City back then!
This person also has a certain reputation within the military.

But... wasn't Yu Tianlun a Level 4 Reincarnator back then? How did he become Level 3? And his team was called Dawn, how did it become Nirvana? Did they change their name, or did I remember wrong?

Zhao Zhenguo was, after all, a soldier. How could he know about the dirty dealings within the imperial court? He also had no idea that Yu Tianlun had survived a brush with death.

Afterwards, Zhao Zhenguo brought up the matter of the Musashi Samsara Team, wanting to learn about the Musashi Team through Yu Tianlun.

"I only had contact with the scouts of Musashi's team, but I have never met Commander Isaka. As far as I can remember, Musashi's team is indeed more benevolent towards our country's reincarnators."

"They also mentioned that the Old Nuclear Organization may be operating covertly. According to the intelligence we have obtained, since the emergence of the Manhattan meme in the Pacific region, the Old Nuclear Organization has recently been collecting 'cognitive distortion' meme carriers in various East Asian countries, and may indeed be planning something big."

This information wasn't exactly a secret among the reincarnators, so Zhao Zhenguo told them directly.

"The old nuclear organization?" Yu Tianlun felt only intense hatred for this organization.

A bunch of lunatics! Terrorists!
These people are utterly inhuman beasts, they all deserve to die!

"Then, Commander Yu, why don't you tell me about your contact with Musashi's team... to help us assess the authenticity of the intelligence they provided..."

……

Jiang Jin hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief.

The person on the other end of the phone was a staff member from the Meme Contamination Monitoring Department, who informed him that Jiang Han and the other criminal police officers who had entered the tunnel, as well as all close contacts, were currently in stable condition, thanks to the newly developed cognitive stabilization pills. Although they could not cure meme contamination, they could at least slow down the worsening of symptoms.

However, they also reminded Jiang Jin: "The effects of the drug can last for two weeks. We don't know if drug resistance will occur when we take it again after that."

At this moment, Yu Tianlun pushed open the door and entered with a rare smile on his lips: "Black Sparrow Pavilion has agreed."

Jiang Jin looked up: "The Bright King's Glazed Jade?"

“Yes,” Yu Tianlun handed him the letter. “Gao Lan replied personally that as long as we complete the mission at Lanruo Temple, the Mingwang Liuli Jade will be ours.”

"That's great!" Jiang Jin realized that Black Sparrow Pavilion's willingness to agree this time was probably closely related to Commander Zhao's conversation with Yu Tianlun.

However, the timing of entering the Lanruo Temple instance is still uncertain. After all, the appearance of the instance entrance still needs to be determined by their priest-class reincarnations.

Fortunately, Jiang Jin's family is still able to hold on.

In the days that followed, long queues formed outside the Nirvana team's villa.

The Nirvana Team wiped out the Bloodthirsty Team, yet Blood Lord made absolutely no move to retaliate. Meanwhile, high-ranking military officials from the Dragon Soaring Army proactively contacted Yu Tianlun himself…

The rumors are getting more and more exaggerated, and everyone is convinced that Yu Tianlun... is probably already a near-LV4! Perhaps, in a few more days, he will return to LV4!
Joining Nirvana at this point means a higher survival rate and greater opportunities to acquire resources!
Compared to the previous deserted atmosphere, now everyone is scrambling to join the group!

Then many people realize what it means to be ignored by me yesterday, but today you can't afford to miss me!

Many people feel that Yu Tianlun might be the template for a male protagonist in online novels? After being expelled from Dawn, is he going to make a comeback? Does he also have a ring-wearing old man? Is Su Yuan from Dawn following the template of the annulment of an engagement?

Inside the "Forgotten River Residence" tavern for reincarnators in Muxu City, news about the Nirvana team has become the hottest topic.

"Did you hear? The line for the interviews stretched for three blocks yesterday!" A skinny guy wearing tactical goggles slammed his hand on the table. "Even 'Bloody Hand' Du Feng went—that guy's a tough guy who soloed Midnight Hospital!"

The middle-aged man in the Taoist robe next to him scoffed, "Du Feng is nothing! This morning I saw 'Ghost Calculator' Chen Jiu knock on the door, and he didn't even pass the preliminary test!"

A waiter, wiping glasses, interjected, "Do you know why so many people suddenly want to enter Nirvana?"

At this moment, a sarcastic sneer came from the corner: "Heh, so what if he's latched onto Long Xiangjun's coattails?" All eyes turned to the speaker—it was Liang Ji.

"Oh, you're a stray dog ​​from Yin Sha?" someone immediately retorted. "I heard you lost a hundred Nirvana Resentment Crystals?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

"They're getting anxious!" The tavern erupted in laughter.

Information brokers on the black market spread an even more absurd version:

"My cousin works in the monitoring department, and he said that Yu Tianlun's SAN value never drops!"

"The Black Sparrow Pavilion has reached an agreement with them, offering the Bright King Glazed Jade as payment for them to explore and clear the dungeon?!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. This kind of incredible equipment was usually only accessible to top-tier teams.

The most exciting discussions took place on the Reincarnators' internal forum.

Pinned post: "A Rational Analysis: Are Yu Tianlun and Su Yuan Recreating the Engagement Annulment Stories?"

"Look at this comparison picture with the plot of Battle Through the Heavens!" The blond kid pointed excitedly at the screen.

"Watch out, the Dawn team has already said that if you spread these kinds of rumors again, they'll throw you all into the [Pus Blood Swamp] dungeon!"

On this day, Jiang Jin was helplessly watching the Nth reincarnator try to get close to him.

"Brother Jiang!" The other person offered a cigarette obsequiously, "I heard you've been to the [Water Pool Evil Spirit] instance?"

"I don't smoke. Thank you."

"Then take a look at this."

Jiang Jin looked at the phone in the other person's hand, and saw that the title of a popular forum post was:
Rational Discussion: Is the Nirvana Team Following a "Mary Sue" Script?

The accompanying image features Yu Tianlun's cool profile and a close-up of Jiang Jin. The most upvoted comment is:

"Yu Tianlun: Nalan Suyuan, fortunes change every thirty years, never underestimate a young man's potential!"

At this moment, Xu Yinqiu sat at a makeshift interview table in the living room, facing a burly man with a scarred face: "Occupation? Level?"

"Hunter class, LV2 Ghost Hunter," the burly man grinned, "Specialty: dismembering all kinds of spirits and ghosts."

Xu Yinqiu nodded and then inquired more carefully about his resume. A short while later, realizing he was exaggerating, she expressionlessly crossed out the name on the list: "Go back and wait for news. Next."

Liu Yan was in charge of another group of interviewees. She was carefully examining a woman dressed in a cheongsam: "Murong Yan? Her profession is... a level 1 witch/grass witch?"

Where have I heard this name before?

Murong Yan smiled slightly and said, "Yes, I am skilled at manipulating paper figures and concocting poisons."

Liu Yan raised an eyebrow: "If you're talking about the priestess profession, then tell me about your resume."

Murong Yan's smile deepened: "I once survived a completely rule-based instance, does that count?"

Liu Yan paused, then looked up at her: "A completely rule-based...dungeon?"

"Moreover, I'm here to find an 'old friend'." Murong Yan's gaze passed over Liu Yan and fell on Jiang Jin, who had just entered the living room.

As soon as Jiang Jin stepped into the living room, he saw Murong Yan.

"Murong Yan?" He was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "It's you!"

Murong Yan chuckled: "Thanks to you."

"You two know each other?" Liu Yan immediately realized that this was the reincarnator who survived the Ghost Festival convenience store instance that Jiang Jin had participated in before! He had mentioned it to her once!
Meanwhile, Xu Yinqiu also took a liking to a reincarnator who came for an interview.

Kong Huaizheng – A Reincarnator specializing in curses, LV1 Cursed Artisan. He can inflict misfortune on targets through contact with objects and can also create various cursed items. Although his level is not high, his resume suggests he is quite powerful. A Reincarnator's watch can display their past dungeon experiences, which cannot be faked.

After three days of continuous interviews, Murong Yan and Kong Huaizheng were selected as temporary team members.

Inside the Nirvana team's training room, Yu Tianlun pushed a wooden box in front of Kong Huaizheng.

“These are the relics of Li Zhen, a cursed reincarnator from the Shadowblade team,” Yu Tianlun’s voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of oppression. “Now, they are temporarily entrusted to you for use.”

Kong Huaizheng's fingers trembled slightly as he slowly lifted the lid of the box.

A pungent smell of blood and old paper wafted over, and the items inside the box gleamed eerily under the light.

A handwritten copy of "One Hundred Explanations of Amulets"—the pages are yellowed, and dried blood fingerprints remain on the edges.

As soon as Kong Huaizheng touched the cover, a dark red liquid suddenly seeped out from the spine of the book, then quickly disappeared.

“There are 108 ways to make talismans in the book,” Yu Tianlun said calmly. “From the simplest ‘copper coin soul-locking array’ to the ‘blood coffin suppression technique’ that requires a human sacrifice, it’s enough for you to learn for a lifetime.”

Kong Huaizheng swallowed hard, turned to the first page, and saw a warning written in vermilion:

"The way of aversion is to repay evil with evil. Those who practice this art will be forever trapped in the cycle of cause and effect."

Then, Kong Huaizheng saw five bronze nails lying quietly inside the box. According to the prompts from the reincarnation system, the nail heads were emitting a cold aura.

Then he picked up a pale white lantern, its shade so thin it was almost transparent—it was made from the skin of a person who had died a violent death, and the inside was covered with incantations written in corpse oil.

“Light it,” Yu Tianlun handed over the match, “let me see how tough you are.”

The moment the flame touched the wick, the entire lantern suddenly shook violently, and a distorted human face appeared on the lampshade.

Kong Huaizheng's temples throbbed, but his heart was filled with excitement as he said, "Commander Yu, this is good stuff!"

Then he took out three ivory-colored dice and rolled them on the table; these were carved from children's finger bones. Just as Kong Huaizheng picked up the dice, he heard a faint sob.

At the bottom of the box lay a scarecrow the size of a palm. As soon as Kong Huaizheng touched it, the scarecrow suddenly sat up, its empty eye sockets staring straight at him.

“This is the real weapon,” Yu Tianlun’s voice suddenly lowered. “As long as you know the target’s birth date and time, each nail can reduce the target’s SAN value by 5%.

Kong Huaizheng nodded.

Then, he turned to the last page of "One Hundred Solutions to Cures of Cursed Amulets" and pointed to a passage covered in blood:

"By using blood as a bond, one can obtain a person's birth date and time remotely."

Obtain your birth date and time...

Only then can a scarecrow be used to curse and kill the target of the curse!

Yu Tianlun turned to Murong Yan on the other side and took out a gilded lacquer box: "This is the relic of Shadow Blade Shirakawa Rin, and it is now yours."

Everything that Shirakawa Rin obtained from the bloody key was given to Murong Yan.

The items in the box include:

The Thousand Cranes Compass: Its pointer is forged from the hairpin of a woman who committed suicide, and it can trace the source of resentment.

Blood Curse Paper Doll: A stack of Xuan paper soaked in blood, which can be torn off and transformed into a paper doll.

The String of Vengeful Bells: Three bells, each sealed with the resentment of a different vengeful spirit, can be used to command them to fight when shaken.

Ash Rouge: It can bewitch spirits when applied, but removing it will peel off a layer of skin.

All of the above can only be used by a Shrine Maiden reincarnator.

You know, making paper dolls is the most troublesome thing for a shrine maiden. But here, you can automatically turn a piece of paper into a doll just by tearing it up. And it even comes with nice things like a string of vengeful bells.

"What a treasure!" Murong Yan was overjoyed. As expected of the Shadow Blade team's witch-class reincarnator!
(End of this chapter)