Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 285 Salem Town and the start of the story.

Wakefield, Massachusetts.

The morning sunlight failed to completely dispel the eerie atmosphere left over from Halloween.

Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren arrived at a western university, invited by the school to give a small-scale lecture on occultism.

As is well known, Massachusetts has a long and dark history in the United States, deeply intertwined with the mystical. Given the Warrens' considerable reputation within the mystical community, this lecture was quite popular.

The couple, accompanied by seven students—Jiang Jin, Ye Xiao, Lian Xuan, Lian De, Su Wan, Li Zheng, and Yao Xixi—arrived at the university. The large group of Asian faces attracted considerable attention, sparking much discussion and speculation that they were likely Japanese or Korean.

After Blood Lord's explanation, they all knew that the main plot of the original movie was about to begin today—Mrs. Caroline Perrin would arrive here to ask the Warrens for help and tell them about a series of terrifying events that had occurred in their newly moved-in house.

Three hours before the lecture began, Jiang Jin raised his hand and apologized, saying that he was feeling unwell and might need to go to the clinic.

The Warrens expressed their understanding and told him to get some rest.

However, Jiang Jin's real purpose was not to seek medical treatment.

He had already spoken with the Blood Lord, and he was going to retrieve the treasure map that the Blood Spider had "given" to him. The map showed that a powerful item, extremely useful to hunters, was hidden in this town steeped in dark history.

Blood Lord knew that Valeria possessed the treasure map, but since it was an item only hunters could use, he naturally had no interest in it. Jiang Jin's increased strength would be beneficial to their progress through this terrifying dungeon.

Afterwards, Jiang Jin rented a Ford sedan and, according to the map he had purchased, headed straight for Salem, a famous yet ominous town to the northeast.

Salem, a town whose very name carries with it a bloody and ignorant history.

As Jiang Jin drove, he recalled the relevant information he had found: In 1692, in this Puritan town, which was still a colony at the time, a series of hysterical "witch trials" took place.

It began with the bizarre behavior of a few young girls, such as convulsions, screaming, and claims of being possessed. However, the accusations spread rapidly, and in an atmosphere of collective panic and religious fanaticism, more than 200 people were accused of using witchcraft. Ultimately, 19 people were hanged, one was crushed to death by a pile of boulders, and several others died in prison.

This tragedy became a prime example of judicial persecution of "witchcraft" in American history, forever associating Salem with the word "witchcraft."

Wakefield is only 11 miles from Salem, less than a 20-minute drive away.

As the car entered Salem, even in broad daylight, Jiang Jin immediately felt a strong sense of unease.

The atmosphere in the air seemed to become heavy, and the sunlight seemed to have lost its light and heat.

The death knell in the passenger seat emitted a low, mournful wail, its body tensing up, clearly sensing the unusual danger of the place.

Following the directions on the treasure map, Jiang Jin drove through the town.

The buildings lining the streets mostly retain their colonial-era style, and some shops even use a "witch" theme to attract tourists.

But beneath this seemingly ordinary appearance, Jiang Jin could sense something deeper.

As he got closer to the core area marked on the treasure map, the surrounding environment began to change strangely!

His SAN value plummeted, and he began to slide involuntarily from the materialistic layer into the depths of the lost layer.

He decisively activated his Ghost Eyes!

The moment the view shifted, even though he was mentally prepared, Jiang Jin couldn't help but gasp!
In the vision of the Ghost Eye, the streets of Salem were no longer filled with sparse tourists and local residents, but with countless blurry, painful, and twisted female ghosts!
Dressed in 17th-century clothing, some with twisted necks and others with terrified faces, they wandered silently at the boundary between the mysterious and the lost.

These are undoubtedly the victims of that tragedy more than three hundred years ago. Their resentment has not dissipated over the centuries and is deeply bound to this land!

A powerful resentment formed an invisible barrier, hindering progress.

Jiang Jin immediately ordered Deathstroke to open the Ghost Domain!

The enhanced Ashhound growled, and the gray mist expanded, barely carving a path through the dense wave of vengeful spirits.

Just then, something even more chilling happened!

Dark red, viscous blood began seeping from the car's windshield and side windows without warning! This blood wasn't flowing randomly; rather, it seemed alive, rapidly gathering and outlining, ultimately forming a clear name—

Mary Towne Estye!

The name, carrying a heavy scent of blood and curse, caught Jiang Jin's eye.

Jiang Jin immediately slammed on the brakes, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Mary Tom Esther...

Jiang Jin stared at the blood-stained name on the car window, feeling the almost tangible resentment around him and the extreme unease emanating from the death knell, his heart churning violently.

The treasure indicated by the treasure map was within reach, but the pervasive sense of danger ahead sent chills down his spine.

Ultimately, reason prevailed. He couldn't risk barging into an area that was clearly deep within the Lost Layer and might even touch the edge of the Annihilation Layer without any preparation.

He took a deep breath and decided to make one last attempt.

He summoned the Blood-Eating Raven, passed on the last part of the treasure map's route information to it, and ordered it to go and scout the way.

The black crow let out a piercing cry, flapped its wings and flew forward, quickly disappearing from Jiang Jin's sight.

However, the Blood-Eating Crow... never returned.

Its spiritual connection with Jiang Jin was severed almost immediately after it flew into that area, disappearing completely as if forcibly cut off. The raven wood carving then returned to the watch.

Jiang Jin's heart sank to the bottom. The Blood-Eating Crows never returned, not even having time to transmit any valuable information; the dangers within their ranks were unimaginable.

Without further hesitation, he took a deep look at the direction marked on the treasure map, where an invisible vortex seemed to be devouring all living beings and spirits that approached.

He decisively turned the car around and slowly drove away from this cursed land shrouded in a history of sin and overwhelming resentment.

This trip to Salem ended in failure, but it gave him a profound understanding of the terror hidden within this instance world, far exceeding his current capabilities. That hunter's item will probably not be so easy to obtain.

……

During the Warrens' lecture, the couple began to recount a case they had experienced. The room was dark, and a projector showed a man shedding bloody tears. Near his waist, his skin began to bulge, forming an inverted cross shape.

This scene deeply moved the packed classroom.

Many people were very interested in the exorcism ritual and asked a lot of questions.

After answering the students' questions, Ed began to summarize, pointing to the blackboard.

"Alright, let's take a look at the three stages of the evil spirit's activity."

"Infestation".

"Oppression".

"Possession".

Ed went on to explain, "Appearance" referring to unusual sounds and sensations. People would hear voices and footsteps that shouldn't be there, and feel the presence of another person. Clearly, this is a typical phenomenon of the Mysterious Layer.

Blood Owl, who was assisting from the side, admired Ed. As a native of the dungeon world, he was able to intuitively understand the progression of the pollution layer phenomenon.

At this moment, he saw Caroline Perrin, a key character in the original movie, sitting below, listening attentively.

Ed then began to explain the second phase of "harassment," referring to how people with poor psychological resilience are more easily affected, and how the victims' mental will is destroyed under intense fear. Clearly, this is because their SAN value decreases, causing them to fall into a deeper layer of contamination, the Lost Layer.

Finally, Ed concluded that after these people's spirits are broken, they will enter the final third stage: possession.

Of course, the Blood Lord was well aware that this explanation fit the characteristics of this terrifying instance. The material layer of this world was generally quite stable, therefore, evil spirits needed a material medium to pollute and erode it.

Clearly, Caroline Perrin, sitting in the back, grew increasingly grim; these words had obviously intensified her anxiety and panic. Blood Lord knew the plot would soon be triggered. And Jiang Jin, standing beside him, was already prepared.

In the university parking lot, Jiang Jin, Blood Lord, and others were helping to move things when Caroline arrived, guided by Drew, a friend of the couple.

"Ed, Rowling, someone wants to talk to you." Drew didn't seem enthusiastic about the matter. After briefly introducing Caroline, he left without looking back.

Jiang Jin, Blood Lord, the Lian brothers (Lian Xuan and Lian De), Su Wan... all eyes were focused on the unassuming middle-aged woman in front of them.

As a medium, Lian Xuan could already sense a dark aura emanating from the middle-aged woman.

Rowling asked kindly, "How can I help you?"

Already extremely anxious, Caroline didn't even bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Something terrible has happened in our house... Could you come and take a look?"

Ed didn't take it too seriously. After all, many people were prone to overreacting and becoming paranoid, and quite a few would come to him claiming everything was a ghost story. Besides, the couple had only come to Massachusetts to give a lecture. Therefore, he simply replied, "It's getting late; we need to go home."

“No, you don’t understand.” Caroline became anxious when she saw that the couple seemed unconvinced.

“We understand,” Ed said, still not taking it seriously. “Many things can be reasonably explained.”

Jiang Jin was speechless upon hearing this. "Brother, aren't you a paranormal expert? Are you trying to do a 'Getting Closer to Science' thing?"

He quickly said, "Teacher, I noticed earlier that this lady listened attentively to your lecture the whole time, and she seemed quite anxious. Perhaps something has really happened to her. Why don't we listen to what she has to say?"

Blood Lord chimed in, "Yes, teacher, I also think we should listen carefully to what happened to this lady before making a decision."

Since both students had said that, Ed couldn't insist any further, so he asked, "Well, ma'am, what happened to you?"

“I… my five daughters are terrified,” Caroline said, giving Jiang Jin and Blood Lord a grateful look. She was even starting to stammer, “There really is something terrible in our house… You also have daughters, you would definitely do anything to protect them, right? Could you, could you come and take a look?”

This woman's emotional intelligence is really lacking; she's resorting to moral blackmail. Jiang Jin was about to try and smooth things over when Ed's wife, Rowling, was moved by her motherly compassion. Perhaps thinking of their daughter Judy, she nodded and made the decision for her husband: "Of course, we'll go."

The story thus officially begins...

“Well then, madam, could you please tell me your address?” Ed loved his wife Lorraine deeply, and since she had asked, he wouldn’t go against her wishes. So he asked, “Are you a local?”

"No, but it's not far from here. My name is Carolyn Perrin, and I live in Harrisville, Rhode Island. It's about an hour's drive away."

“Alright then, Mrs. Perrin, you go back first. My wife and I will come over after taking care of some things.”

However, Blood Lord replied, "It's alright, teacher. Why don't we go to Harrisville with Mrs. Perrin first, and come back after you've dealt with things?"

Blood Lord wanted to scout out the house first to see if the movie's plot had been significantly altered by the memetic contamination. As for Ed and Rowling, whose strength was even weaker than a Level 1 Reincarnator, Blood Lord never really considered them as allies.

“Then I’ll go too,” Lian Xuan said. “Teacher, is that alright?”

"Well... that's fine too." Ed couldn't help but sigh at how his student was getting more and more ambitious. Was he in such a hurry to graduate?

Afterwards, Jiang Jin, Blood Lord, and Lian Xuan rode in Caroline's car to her house.

“Madam, you seem to be in a bad mental state. Why don’t you give me the keys and I’ll drive?” As a police officer, Jiang Jin was very good at calming down victims and could tell that Caroline’s mental state was extremely poor.

"Okay, thank you..."

Jiang Jin had prepared the map in advance. After getting into the car, he fastened his seatbelt. Caroline sat next to him, while Blood Lord and Lian Xuan sat in the back seat.

At this moment, Lian Xuan suddenly looked at the Blood Lord and said in Chinese, "You are, the Blood Lord, right?"

Caroline, who was in front, couldn't understand Chinese, while Jiang Jin was a little surprised. Had Lian Xuan figured it out? Did he deliberately wait until after he was separated from his brother to say it?
Bloodlord nodded and said, "That's right, it's me. However, I don't want to hear you say that you have a grudge against our Bloody Team. After all, the Spirit Medium class is quite important in this dungeon, and I don't really want to kill you."

"You're overthinking it. I had the opportunity to meet you once in the [Village of Gods] horror instance before, and I was very impressed with you and Mr. Wu Zhiping at that time. So, I would like to ask you a question."

"what is the problem?"

"Mr. Wu Zhiping once told me that among the top ten professions, the most terrifying one is..."

Jiang Jin, who had stepped on the gas, was momentarily stunned.

Top 10 professions, the most terrifying...

What profession is it?
(End of this chapter)