Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 271 Lin Lu's Talent

Lubana's light-hearted words exploded in Lin Lu's ears like a thunderclap!

A woman wearing a hair clip!

And... she went upstairs!
"Officer Jiang! Watch out!! Upstairs!!" Lin Lu was terrified and, without thinking, screamed as she rushed towards the stairs!
Meanwhile, upstairs in the master bedroom.

Jiang Jin had just walked to the bedside and was trying to check on Lucky, the calico cat that was curled up.

Lucky seemed a little uneasy, his ears perked up, and a low gurgling sound coming from his throat.

Just as Jiang Jin was feeling puzzled, Lin Lu's heart-wrenching screams and warnings came from downstairs!

Hunting instincts immediately triggered a frantic warning!

A chilling malice suddenly erupted from behind him!

Jiang Jin's reaction was lightning fast!
Before he could even turn around completely, his right hand had already taken the Mourning Shotgun from the Reincarnator's Watch. Relying on his intuition and the muscle memory he had developed from many battles, he instantly swung the muzzle behind him!

Through the cold metal scope, he locked onto a blurry, distorted, bright energy outline—less than three meters behind him!
Without hesitation or delay, Jiang Jin switched bullets and pulled the trigger instantly!

"boom--!!!"

The deafening gunfire shattered the tranquility of the night!

The gun spewed out blue-green flames!
He infused this shot with powerful spiritual energy and used a Soul-Locking Bullet!

The Soul-Locking Bullet not only incorporates the eerie blood of the Haitian Voodoo Cult's resurrected corpses, which can cause massive damage to spirits and hinder their regeneration and escape, but it can also carry Liu Yan's Gu worms into [Insect Explosion Bullets], which can explode the moment they hit the target, interfering with their perception and stealth abilities!

Then, the [Fatal Penetration] effect is triggered!
The bullet, with incredible speed and accuracy, struck that unseen, terrifying being!
puff!

A strange sound, as if it had pierced through something, came from behind!

Then... a sharp, distorted, inhuman scream instantly filled the entire room! The sound was filled with pain and resentment!

Almost at the same time the gunshot rang out, Jiang Jin activated his Ghost Eyes at full power! He needed to see clearly what was being attacked!
however--

*Smack! Smack! Smack!* ...

All the lights in the room went out in that instant!

Utter darkness swallowed everything, with only the faint light from the streetlights outside the window managing to penetrate.

In You Tong's vision, Jiang Jin only had time to see a distorted figure being struck by the Soul-Locking Bullet. A burst of Gu worms exploded from the chest, creating turbulent air. The figure swayed violently, blurred, and then suddenly recoiled backward—

Disappeared!
It didn't move in a physical sense, but rather it merged directly into the wall or into a deeper layer of pollution, completely disappearing without a trace!

The piercing scream abruptly stopped.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Only Jiang Jin's heavy breathing and Lin Lu's panicked footsteps running up the stairs could be heard.

In the darkness, Jiang Jin gripped the Mourning Shotgun tightly, the muzzle still pointing in the direction where the shadow had disappeared. His muscles were taut, and his dark eyes seemed to scan the surrounding darkness, not escaping his perception of any subtle fluctuations in the rules of corruption.

But he found nothing more.

That thing... seemed to have temporarily retreated after taking a solid hit from the Ghost Eye Bullet that had switched to Soul-Locking Bullet.

A few seconds later, it was as if the circuit breaker had been restored—

Snapped!
Without warning, all the lights in the room turned on again!

The light dispelled the darkness, but it also made the terror of that moment even clearer. A lingering chill seemed to remain in the room.

Lin Lu rushed into the bedroom, her face deathly pale. Seeing Jiang Jin standing there with a gun, his eyes sharp, she hurriedly asked, "Officer Jiang! Are you alright?! Just now... just now I heard a gunshot..."

"I'm fine." Jiang Jin slowly lowered the gun, but his vigilance remained. "I hit it. But it escaped and disappeared into the deep contamination layer."

He glanced at the gun barrel; he had already used one of his three Soul-Locking Bullets for the day.

As expected of the Ghostly Eye Bullet, it has enhanced the power of the Soul-Locking Bullet. And, finally, it successfully shot down the [Hunter Mark]!
It can be triggered once every 5 minutes!
He walked to the wall where the shadow had disappeared and examined it carefully.

He could sense that the remaining materialistic space there had been contaminated, with abnormally chaotic spatial fluctuations. However, now that the ghosts had retreated, this contamination was gradually being replaced by the normal spatial physics of the materialistic layer.

"It's injured, but... not badly."

Jiang Jin made his judgment.

It managed to escape after taking a hit from an enhanced Soul-Locking Bullet; it's not to be underestimated.

……

Meanwhile, in a penthouse suite at a luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok.

Valeria the Blood Spider was lounging on the sofa, talking to the Blood Lord via a special cell phone.

The handprint on her neck had been barely covered with foundation, but it still throbbed faintly, a reminder of what had happened to her.

"Commander, this is the situation. That newcomer named Lin Lu has a very special physique. He has a high affinity and adaptability to rule contamination, which is extremely rare... I think he has great value for 'training'."

Valeria hadn't originally planned to make the call to avoid having the credit shared, but now she had no choice.

On the other end of the phone came the voice of Blood Lord: "Oh? The Nine Yin Gathering Body? That does sound interesting."

Just then, a coquettish female voice faintly came from the other end of the phone, seemingly asking in a coquettish tone, "Who is it?"

Valeria's ears perked up instantly, and her face darkened: "Captain... over there... I think I heard that vixen Xia Yu's voice? Are you with her again?"

The Blood Lord's voice carried a slight chuckle, and he didn't deny it: "Yes, she and I were handling some things. What, is my Blood Spider jealous?"

Valeria snorted coldly. Although she always wanted to get rid of Blood Lord, she didn't want to be outdone by Xia Yu: "Hmph! I don't care who you're with! I'm just reminding you that Lin Lu might have people from the Nirvana team with her, which is a bit troublesome. They're currently trapped in a high-level Thai horror dungeon, and I almost fell for it. We need support to 'invite' her out as soon as possible, lest she be killed by something in the dungeon or intercepted by other teams."

Blood Lord pondered for a moment and said, "Nirvana? They've got their eye on it too? This is a bit troublesome."

Blood Lord, after all, intended to befriend Jiang Jin and was unwilling to have another conflict with him.

In the background noise on the other end of the phone, you could faintly hear the sound of flowing water and soft music.

At this moment, on a huge, circular waterbed that resembled a swimming pool, Blood Lord was half-reclining, while Xia Yu, like a mermaid, clung to his side, drawing circles on his chest with her slender fingers.

After all, Xia Yu's promotion to LV3 was great news for Blood Lord, whose two generals, Zhou Chen and Qin Mei, had both been demoted. He had already planned to reorganize a branch, led by Xia Yu. Because he was in such a good mood, he became affectionate with Xia Yu at this moment.

Upon hearing Valeria's report and request, Xia Yu's eyes flashed with interest. She leaned closer to the microphone and said in a sweet voice, "Guild Leader, this sounds like an interesting dungeon. How about... I go? I just advanced to LV3 and need a 'hunt' to consolidate my strength, and also to earn some merit for the team. I promise to bring back that little sister with the special constitution 'intact' for you, so that we can have another sister to serve you in the future."

She emphasized the word "serve," but her eyes gleamed with a cruel yet excited light.

Blood Lord said, "That's not necessary. It would be best if you could get her to join the group willingly, but you must not offend the people of Nirvana."

The Blood Lord's principle is to only possess promiscuous women, but he will not use his soul seal to force himself on virtuous women. This is his bottom line. Otherwise, how would he be different from the lecherous demon accused by Bai Ye and her mother back then?
He looked down at Xia Yu in his arms, and then weighed the situation reported by Valeria.

A newcomer with a special affinity for rule corruption is indeed worth capturing, and Xia Yu, at LV3, should be able to recruit him under the guise of the Bloody Team without any risk of failure.

The only concern was that this process might damage their relationship with the Nirvana team. "Alright," Blood Lord made the decision. "Xia Yu, you'll go to this instance. Valeria, send Xia Yu the instance entrance coordinates and detailed information about the target. Remember, you absolutely cannot clash with the Nirvana team."

"Yes, Commander." Xia Yu replied with a smile, her eyes flashing with determination.

"Okay," Valeria reluctantly agreed and hung up the phone. She looked out the window at the Bangkok night view, her expression uncertain. Although the mission was accomplished, she was extremely annoyed that Xia Yu had interfered.

On the waterbed, Blood Lord put down the phone and patted Xia Yu's smooth back: "Go, don't disappoint me. Be careful too, Valeria suffered a little loss, that instance might be a bit strange."

"Don't worry, Captain..." Xia Yu smiled confidently, leaned down and planted a kiss on his lips, "A novice sorcerer... is just an appetizer for me."

At this moment, Xia Yu was certain that the resentment of her doll had been absorbed by Lin Lu! Beside Jiang Jin, the Nine Yin Gathering Evil... there was no mistake!
While her LV3 realm is still unstable, it might not be too late to remove the resentment from her body and consolidate her realm!
Xia Yu got up, her bare feet stepping onto the soft carpet, and her graceful figure walked towards the dressing room, ready to begin her "hunting" journey.

A more dangerous crisis from the outside is approaching Jiang Jin and Lin Lu, who are trapped in "Sweet Home".

At this moment, after seeing off Lubana, who was still in a daze and immersed in her own pain, Jiang Jin and Lin Lu exchanged a glance and saw an unprecedented solemnity in each other's eyes.

The door closed slowly, as if shutting out the last shred of security from the outside world. The house returned to a suffocating silence, but the invisible pressure in the air felt heavier than ever before.

The "third party" was likely enraged and injured. No one knows what a wounded, terrifying being lurking in the shadows will do next.

"I have to try again!" Lin Lu took a deep breath, a resolute glint in her eyes.

She knew her strength was weak, but the abilities of a sorcerer might be the only way to actively contact that "being." She could no longer rely entirely on Jiang Jin.

She took out the handwritten copy of "The Secrets of Guletai Black Magic" again and turned directly to the chapters on "curses" and "tracking".

This time, she was no longer content with merely perceiving; she wanted to try to actively exert influence!
She sat cross-legged in the center of the living room, placing the resentful hair tie, the strange blood marrow bottle, the mute soul-suppressing bell, and the silk-wrapped wooden plaque in front of her.

She first carefully drew out three strands of black hair, radiating cold resentment, from her hair and wrapped them around the wooden plaque's neck, wrists, and ankles. Then, using the liquid from the blood essence bottle, she drew a more complex and sinister black magic circle on the floor.

She was completely focused throughout the process, fine beads of sweat constantly appearing on her forehead, and her face growing paler and paler. Each time she sketched the runes, each time she chanted the incantation, it consumed a large amount of her mental energy and her meager SAN points.

She could feel the omnipresent, chilling gaze in the air, as if that being was mocking her overestimation of her abilities in the darkness.

Just as Lin Lu's black magic reached its most crucial moment, attempting to send the curse's power into the contaminated layer through a magic circle and medium—

Lucky, the calico cat who had been quietly curled up in the corner of the sofa, suddenly raised its head!

Its eyes actually began to change, just as described in rule number two!

Originally, the left eye was black and the right eye was amber, but the amber color in the right eye is being eroded and covered by a dense black color at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Within seconds, Lucky's eyes turned into a pure, unfathomable black!

It no longer appeared languid; its entire body was stiffly crouching, its black pupils staring straight ahead (not in the direction of the forest deer), exuding an extremely ominous aura!

"Officer Jiang! A cat!" Lin Lu exclaimed, but her ritual could not be interrupted!
Jiang Jin, who had been on high alert, immediately noticed Lucky's unusual behavior: "Understood!"

Without hesitation, he immediately acted according to rule number two. He walked up to the cat, but didn't get too close, and began repeatedly and clearly calling its name: "Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!..."

His voice was steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable quality, as if he were trying to pull it back from some kind of control or abnormal state through this call.

Just as Jiang Jin was following the rules and calling out the cat's name, Lin Lu was also at the most crucial step!
She bit her fingertip, dripping a drop of blood into the center of the magic circle. At the same time, she formed hand seals and used all her mental energy to unleash the curse imagery she had constructed in her mind—a hatred for the hidden thing, a quest for its traces, and a temporary imprisonment of its power—through the magic circle and the wooden plaque!
"Ugh!" Lin Lu groaned, her body swaying violently, almost fainting to the ground.

A large amount of SAN value was deducted, and the screams and venomous curses of countless dead souls from Xia Yu's memories surged in his mind once again!

The images were clearer and more agonizing than before: the desperate massacre within the quarantine zone, the extreme agony of having one's soul ripped out...

This time, Lin Lu did not back down or break down. She gritted her teeth, her eyes even bloodshot from excessive mental exertion.

She transformed her desire to survive, her responsibility to her parents, and even her fear of death into an unwavering willpower, forcefully controlling this foreign and terrifying torrent of resentment and guiding it toward a predetermined goal—not to absorb it, but to use it as "ammunition" and "power" for her black magic!
"Get in...!" she growled.
Om-!
The magic circle on the ground suddenly lit up with a blinding blood-red light for a moment!
The wooden sign, covered in black hair, trembled violently, making a creaking sound, as if it could not bear the weight!
Immediately afterwards, Lin Lu felt as if her consciousness was being pulled by a tremendous force, and she suddenly sank downwards!

Having pierced through the materialistic layer, entered the mysterious layer, and continues to fall deeper into the cold, chaotic, and malicious Lost Layer!
There, she finally clearly "saw"—or rather, sensed—the source of the resentment that sent chills down her spine!

It was an incredibly vast, incredibly dark, and incredibly painful entity!
It seemed to be injured by Jiang Jin's attack and was in a state of agitation and anger. However, Lin Lu's curse power, like several cold, barbed chains, barely wrapped around its edges. Although it could not truly harm it, it successfully imprinted a sense of "rejection" and "imprisonment" on its surface for a short time!
puff!
Lin Lu suddenly spat out a small mouthful of blood, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground. The light of the magic circle instantly went out, and the wooden plaque stopped trembling and became dull and lifeless.

She felt as if her body had been hollowed out, her head was buzzing, and her vision was blurry.

But she managed a weak smile.

"It...it's a success..." she said weakly to Jiang Jin, who had rushed over. "The curse...it's working...although very weakly...I feel...it...'it'...can't...easily enter the material world for the time being..."

Jiang Jin quickly helped her up, and looking at her pale face with a sense of accomplishment, he was filled with shock and admiration!
How long has it been? She actually managed to cast an effective curse on a terrifying being who was at least at the Lost Layer, all while being a Level 1 newbie!
Even the most basic interference is nothing short of a miracle!

Her adaptability to rule corruption and her talent for black magic are outrageously strong!

He became increasingly convinced that Lin Lu was an absolute must-have talent for the Nirvana team!

She has an excellent temperament, exceptional talent, and remarkable potential for growth and resilience! We absolutely must bring her into the group!

……

Meanwhile, inside a dimly lit private room in Bangkok's Silom district.

Xia Yu's figure appeared quietly.

She also used the precious "evil spirit bookmark" to forcibly enter this instance world.

To compete with Blood Spider in beauty, she wore a black, tight-fitting leather outfit today, showing off her hot and sexy figure. Her face was covered with exquisite makeup, but her eyes held a playful and cruel look, like a cat hunting a mouse.

Valeria was already waiting there. When she saw Xia Yu enter, and especially when she sensed the more solid and dangerous aura of a Level 3 Blood Sacrifice, her red pupils contracted sharply, and she felt an extreme displeasure and vicious jealousy welling up inside her.

"Oh, isn't this our noble witch Cleopatra?" Valeria leaned back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Congratulations on advancing... It's a miracle you didn't die on the way."

Xia Yu smiled and sat down, picking up a glass of wine from the table and swirling it gently. "Thank you for your concern, Sister Blood Spider. I was lucky, unlike some people who just hide behind the scenes complaining and begging the raid leader for help, only to almost get strangled by the monsters in the dungeon..."

She glanced meaningfully at Valeria's neck, which still bore some marks.

"You!" Valeria sat bolt upright, a flash of murderous intent crossing her eyes, but the restriction of her soul imprint prevented her from acting. The Blood Lord understood her personality and had long ago restricted her from killing her companions. "Enough nonsense! Information about the target. The owner here has been found. The newcomer is currently using the name Lu Ni, and she and a man named Atai have been arranged by the Reincarnation System to be a couple, living in a house in Sukhumvit. Here is the address."

She slammed a note on the table. At that moment, she didn't know that Atai was Jiang Jin.

“Lu Ni? Heh, a fake name, right?” Xia Yu smiled contemptuously, picked up the note and glanced at it. “Quite quick, huh? Looks like Blood Spider Sister is only good for finding people this way.”

"It's better than some people who try to get resources by sleeping with the commander!" Valeria retorted.

"That's a skill in itself..." Xia Yu didn't seem to care at all, but rather seemed quite proud. "After all, the captain likes someone like me..."

The two were at loggerheads, exchanging harsh and vicious words, filled with undisguised hatred and competition.

If it weren't for the absolute restriction of the soul imprint, they would definitely fight to the death here without hesitation.

Valeria glared at Xia Yu's smug face, cursing him viciously in her heart: That bitch! Why didn't she succumb to her resentment and go insane during her advancement! Hmph! Just you wait, one day…

Xia Yu carefully put away the address, stood up, and looked down at Valeria: "Alright, intelligence received. Blood Spider, you can enjoy your drink here. The rest of the 'hunt'... is up to me. Don't worry, I'll properly 'invite' that 'precious' new little sister back!"

She emphasized the word "please," her smile sweet yet chilling, before turning and swaying her hips as she left the private room.

Valeria watched her departing figure, then smashed the wine glass in her hand to the ground, shards of glass and wine scattering everywhere.

"You vixen...you just wait!"

(End of this chapter)