Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 233 The Weeping Buddha Statue

As night deepened, Lanruo Temple was enveloped in an unprecedented silence and desolation.

Yu Tianlun and Jiang Jin did not rest, but instead gathered with Gao Gongwei in a secluded meditation room.

Although the conflicts at the daytime funeral have temporarily subsided, the pressure and sense of crisis have not diminished at all.

They needed to integrate information and analyze the situation, and Takamiya Yui, this unexpected "captured" or "surrenderer," became a key source of information.

As Yu Tianlun listened intently to Gao Gongwei's account of his own experiences, the meme experiments of the old core team, and the current situation of the Edo Special Zone, his brows furrowed more and more.

It wasn't because of the horror of what Takamiya Yui said, but because of the exceptionally clear and profound understanding and insight she displayed when describing those abstract, bizarre, and indescribable phenomena of "rule contamination."

This is definitely not the perspective that an ordinary LV1 reincarnator could have.

He seemed to have an innate affinity and analytical ability for such distorted, chaotic, and illogical phenomena.

“…Therefore, I believe that ‘pollution’ is not simply erosion or destruction,” Takamiya Yui said, her gaze focused, even with a strange calmness reminiscent of discussing academic matters. “It’s more like a…forced ‘overwriting’ and ‘rewriting.’ It uses a completely new, foreign, and often malicious set of ‘rules’ to overwrite the original physical laws and cognitive logic of the materialist layer. What the old core team is currently doing in the [Deserter’s Home] instance is attempting to artificially control and guide this ‘rewriting’ process…”

Yu Tianlun and Jiang Jin exchanged a glance. Jiang Jin realized that he had greatly underestimated this seemingly frail Japanese reincarnator.

His profound understanding of the nature of rule-based pollution is more like...a talent?
If this person is a friend rather than an enemy, and can grow up smoothly, he will likely become an extremely powerful figure in the future...

The topic somehow shifted from the abstract issue of rule-based pollution back to Takamiya Yui's personal experiences.

Perhaps it was the pent-up emotions of the past few days and the brief opportunity to be listened to that made him open up.

His eyes softened with sorrow, and his voice deepened: "Speaking of which... my wife, and her younger sister. She's currently a reincarnator in your Muxu City, and she might... have already met with some misfortune..."

He paused, as if lost in a distant memory: "Five years ago, when the 'Edo Incident' broke out, Tokyo... had completely become a living hell. Meme contamination was completely out of control, and those quarantine zones... Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Shibuya... were no longer passively existing dangerous areas, but had become... nests of evil spirits actively spreading death and madness."

His tone carried the lingering fear and trauma unique to survivors: "At that time, people were frantically trying to escape Edo. Railways and highways were all paralyzed, and there was trampling, fighting, and... something even more terrible everywhere. And... our imperial court had already secretly moved to Kansai, leaving behind only desperate civilians and a shrinking Self-Defense Force defense line."

“My sister-in-law… miraculously escaped from that hellish place… and eventually managed to come to China.”

Takamiya Yui's tone even carried a hint of envy: "China is recognized in the world as the country with the best control over meme pollution, the most stable social order, and the most effective integration of reincarnators' power. Although the price is... extremely strict control in some aspects, at least, ordinary people have a greater chance of survival."

At this point, Takamiya Yui seemed quite moved and continued, "In today's world, the three countries with the strongest overall strength among reincarnators are generally recognized as the United States, China, and then Japan."

This ranking made Yu Tianlun and Jiang Jin raise their eyebrows slightly.

Gao Gongwei seemed to see through their thoughts and added with a wry smile: "Of course, this ranking has always been controversial. For example, India insists that their reincarnators are second only to the United States because their reincarnator profession originates from various ancient and bizarre inheritances; many people in China also believe that, with its huge population base and highly organized meme pollution monitoring department, China's top reincarnators and overall strength have surpassed the United States, which is full of internal factions and relies more on individual heroism."

“But regardless of the controversy,” Takamiya Yui’s tone turned heavy, “two facts are undeniable. First, the United States possesses the world’s largest number and highest quality LV4 and above reincarnators, which is the terrifying cornerstone of its superpower status. Second…”

He took a deep breath, a shadow crossing his eyes: "Worldwide, the most terrifying, the most intractable, and the most dangerous memetic contamination outbreak point is Manhattan in the United States. And the second most dangerous one... is our country's Oedo Special Ward."

Jiang Jin was well aware of this as well; there was no dispute that the top three most terrifying meme-contaminated regions in the world were the most dangerous.

The terror of Manhattan lies in its fusion and mutation; it twists and blends together the rules of countless horror films and urban legends, giving birth to countless incomprehensible monsters and phenomena. Edo, on the other hand, tends more towards devouring and assimilation; its pollution is more like a silent, spreading decay, occasionally pulling people into a world of strange and resentful rules, with entrances everywhere and impossible to guard against.

“That is why,” Takamiya Yui sighed, “our court was finally forced to make the decision to almost abandon the entire Kanto Plain and move the political and economic center westward… Edo has become a cursed, living tomb.”

Gao Gongwei seemed tired of talking. He looked at Jiang Jin and Yu Tianlun and said sincerely, "My wife's younger sister is named Shirakawa Rin. I heard that she joined the Bloody Team in China... but we have lost contact with her. She may no longer be alive."

Rin Shirakawa? ??
Upon hearing this name, both Jiang Jin and Yu Tianlun's expressions changed drastically!
At this time, the monks of the temple carefully treated Master Mingxin's body with secret herbs and spices to slow down the decay, and then solemnly placed it in a heavy cypress coffin.

According to the rituals passed down in the temple, the body must be kept in the Buddha Hall overnight for disciples to chant sutras and keep vigil, in order to help the spirit of the Dharma Master ascend to the Pure Land as soon as possible, and also to allow all beings to have the opportunity to pay their respects and bid farewell.

The Buddhist hall was brightly lit with candles, and the coffin was placed in the center, surrounded by forty-nine ever-burning lamps, illuminating the compassionate yet solemn face of the Buddha statue.

As night deepened, only seven or eight monks remained in the Buddhist hall.

The monks spoke in hushed tones, their words filled with remembrance and reverence for Master Mingxin.

“The abbot has cultivated for a lifetime and finally attained Nirvana. He is a role model for us all,” an elderly monk sighed, his palms pressed together.

"Yes, although the temple was full of hardships and demonic obstacles, my senior brother always maintained righteous thoughts. Now that he has been liberated, it is also a meritorious deed."

However, amidst this solemn and sorrowful atmosphere, a sudden change occurred!

A middle-aged monk who had been chanting sutras with his head down suddenly raised his head, and his expression changed drastically!

His finger trembled as he pointed to the Buddha statue directly in front of him, his voice shaking with fear: "You...you look! The Buddha...the Buddha's eyes! That...that's...tears?!"

Everyone looked on in horror, only to see that two lines of liquid with an eerie glow were slowly seeping from the corners of the eyes of the clay-sculpted, golden Buddha statue!
The “tears” slowly gathered and slid down, leaving the monks horrified.

"Tears! It really is tears!"

"Article Nine of the Temple Rules... The Buddha statues in the Buddha Hall will not shed tears... If you see a Buddha statue shedding tears, please lick the tears with your tongue. If the tears are salty, you are safe; if the tears are bitter, immediately extinguish the three ever-burning lamps!"

This rule was now vividly and bloodily presented before them!

After all, as stated at the beginning of the ninth temple rule, there has never been a case of a Buddha statue shedding tears!

Not even once!

Panic swept through all the monks like a plague in an instant!
"Quick! Lick it off! Do it according to the rules!" a monk shouted, rushing towards the base of the Buddha statue.

But the Buddha statue is over ten feet tall, and the tear stains are high on the cheeks, so there is no ladder to climb it!
Moreover, there were seven monks in the Buddhist hall; how could those two lines of tears be enough? Who should go first? Who should go last?
In an instant, the usually solemn and dignified Buddhist hall descended into frenzied chaos!
The monks scrambled to climb the smooth, golden Buddha statue, pushing, pulling, and even trampling on each other, all in an effort to reach the Buddha's tears, having long since forgotten their reverence for the Buddha.

Many people's robes were torn, prayer beads were scattered all over the ground, and the scene was completely out of control.

"It's too late! We can't climb up!"

"The rules! The rules say if the tears taste bitter, the lights have to be turned off! We need to determine the taste of the tears!"

However, something even more terrifying happened.

The struggling monks suddenly froze in place.

Because tears began to well up uncontrollably in their own eyes—tears that were not transparent, but thick and as black as ink!
Black tear tracks ran down their faces, contorted with fear, and then flowed to their lips!
The monks then let out even more piercing screams!

"It's bitter! It's so bitter! Ugh!"

"Mine too! It's bitter!" "Me too! It's over! It's over!"

"Quickly, go and extinguish the ever-burning lamps! Three of them!"

However, when they ran to the ever-burning lamp, they couldn't extinguish it no matter what they did.

Amidst desperate cries, a young monk suddenly pointed at the Buddha statue before him, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets, and burst into maniacal laughter: "It's Grandma... it's Grandma watching us! Hahahaha! We're all going to die!"

Another monk suddenly knelt down and frantically kowtowed to the void, pleading, "Spare us! Grandma! We've always followed the rules! Spare us!"

Some people tried to recite the Diamond Sutra, but the sutra, which in the past seemed to contain supreme power, was now pale and powerless, unable to dispel the terrifying curse that permeated the Buddha statue in front of them.

at this time--

"Crunch... crunch..."

A sickeningly loud sound rang out from the center of the Buddhist hall.

Everyone stopped moving and crying instantly, their eyes turning to the cypress coffin in utter terror.

The heavy coffin lid, which should have been perfectly sealed, was trembling slightly, as if something was trying to push it open from the inside!
“Abbot…” a monk stammered, his teeth chattering.

The next moment, a muffled "bang" was heard, and the coffin lid was suddenly flung open by a huge force, sliding diagonally to the ground!

"Ahhhh!"

Their last shred of reason crumbled, and the monks let out hysterical screams!

Before long, the monks who heard the screams rushed in!

The Buddhist hall was deathly silent, completely empty, and the Buddha statue had returned to normal.

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at the open coffin!
Inside the coffin——

Nothing!
The remains of Master Mingxin have disappeared!
Huikong happened to walk into the Buddhist hall at that moment and witnessed the horrifying sight of the empty coffin. He gasped in shock, as if fear had gripped his throat in an instant!

He instinctively looked at the calmest person beside him, and the only person he could think of to rely on at that moment—Yan Chixia! Then, he hid behind him!

At this moment——

That familiar, melancholic melody rang in Huikong's ears once again!

This time, the music was exceptionally clear, as if it were coming from not far outside the Buddhist hall, directly penetrating Huikong's brain.

Huikong trembled all over, almost unable to think, and his body instinctively followed the sound of the zither, staggering out of the Buddhist hall!

He followed the sound of the zither, wandering through the corridors and courtyards.

The music seemed to have a life of its own, guiding him closer and closer, clearer and clearer...

Finally, he burst out of a dense bamboo forest, and the sight before him made him stop abruptly, his blood almost freezing—

The open space that should have been a vegetable garden has disappeared, replaced by a lake! In the center of the lake, a pavilion named "Dwelling in the Water" stands alone on the water.

This time, there was an ancient seven-stringed zither in the pavilion.

Although there was no one in the pavilion, he instantly thought of someone.

Nie Xiaoqian!
The name that he could never recall the face of, yet which brought him extreme fear, instantly filled Huikong's mind!

Just as Huikong was completely captivated by the music, two strong hands grabbed his shoulders simultaneously and pulled him back a step.

Huikong turned around in shock, only to see that Yan Chixia and Xiahou had arrived at some point, their expressions extremely solemn.

"You..." Yan Chixia asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Huikong suddenly remembered the second rule of the temple: "If you hear the sound of a zither at night, please walk slowly toward the source of the sound. If you have not arrived when the sound stops, turn around and leave immediately, and remember—if anyone asks, you must say that you have never heard the sound of a zither."

He bit his lip hard, shook his head violently, his face as pale as paper, but he dared not utter a single word.

At that moment, the music abruptly stopped.

Meanwhile, in various rooms and corners of Lanruo Temple, something even more chilling than the strange occurrence in the Buddha Hall was happening.

One by one, the scattered reincarnators disappeared without a trace.

There were no sounds of fighting, no screams, and not even any trace of struggle.

Panic spread at an explosive speed.

"Brother Wang! Li Yan is gone! He was just next to me!"

"Our team is missing three people! In the blink of an eye!"

"Can't get in touch! Absolutely can't get in touch! No one answers the mental link!"

Wang Sen, the petty boss who had previously been aggressive towards Jiang Jin, demanding Feng Ya's relics and compensation, now had no trace of arrogance on his face, only boundless fear.

After they reported the information, a cold and authoritative command forcefully entered the consciousness of all the remaining members of the Temple team's Xuanjia branch:
"I am Vice-Commander Xiao Tianze! All members of the Holy Temple team, listen to my command: the danger level of the Lanruo Temple instance far exceeds our expectations! I hereby activate the emergency plan with my authority as Vice-Commander, authorizing all remaining members to immediately use their team return items! Abort all missions and force a return! Repeat, return immediately! This is an order!"

Only top-tier teams like the Temple possess this precious team item that can forcibly interrupt a mission and pull members back from the instance!
Clearly, Xiao Tianze realized that for a hope that might not even save Ye Xiu, they had already lost Feng Ya. It was obviously not worth it to let the entire Xuanjia branch be wiped out here!

The moment the order was given, several faint silver lights appeared throughout Lanruo Temple.

As if grasping at a straw, Wang Sen tightly gripped the return-to-town item in his hand—a silver rune. Enveloped in silver light, he and several other streaks of silver light abruptly vanished from the spot.

Those who could execute orders without hesitation or who had a trump card to save their lives chose to flee immediately.

After the silver light dissipated, there were less than ten reincarnators left in the entire Lanruo Temple, scattered throughout the temple!

(End of this chapter)