Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 330 Abomination Bottle Caps and Death Ferry

When Jiang Jin and the other three returned to the Hakone villa, it was already noon.

Upon entering the living room, Jiang Jin's eyes immediately fell on Gao Gongwei.

“Mr. Gao Gong,” Yu Tianlun introduced them, “Vice Leader Jiang Jin, you’ve met him before in the [Lanruo Temple] instance, and these are Li Shang, Lian De, and Kong Huaizheng.”

Gao Gongwei stood up and bowed ninety degrees to Jiang Jin, performing a standard Japanese greeting: "Jiang-san, it's been a long time. How did you and Commander Yu escape from Lanruo Temple back then? I've been very worried about you."

Jiang Jin nodded in return, saying, "You're too kind, Lord Gao Gong. I was just lucky."

He couldn't tell anyone about Ghost Eye Yang Jian's affair.

He changed the subject, his tone inquisitive: "But you, I remember you were only LV1 back then, right? It's not easy to escape that hellhole unscathed."

Gao Gongwei gave a wry smile and waved his hand: "It was purely good luck, just a fluke."

He was clearly unwilling to discuss the details.

Jiang Jin didn't delve into the matter further, continuing the conversation: "Lanruo Temple... that instance is now under high surveillance by the space. Recently, many unsuspecting reincarnators have encountered black-robed monks from Lanruo Temple in Qingtan Community, been forcibly pulled into the [Lanruo Temple] instance, and then disappeared without a trace. The monitoring department has repeatedly issued warnings, urging all reincarnators to be extremely cautious when entering Qingtan Community, and to closely monitor the spread of the [Grandma] meme."

Kong Huaizheng chimed in, his voice tinged with lingering fear: "That's right, there are definitely fewer and fewer reincarnators daring to go to Qingtan Community now. I knew a friend who wanted to go there to enter the [First Commandment] instance, but he inexplicably ran into the black-robed monks from Lanruo Temple who were trying to kill him. Luckily, a white-robed monk appeared at the crucial moment and showed him a way out, otherwise he would definitely have died there. Currently, [Lanruo Temple] has been assessed as the most terrifying Hong Kong-style horror instance contained in Qingtan Community, second only to [Hong Kong Ghost Stories]."

Jiang Jin turned his gaze back to Gao Gongwei and asked casually, "By the way, Gao Gongwei, did the Old Core Organization cause you any more trouble afterward?"

Gao Gongwei shook her head, her tone tinged with gratitude: "It's alright. Because Boss Wang, that is, Wang Qiusen, later said that he would protect me. The Old Core seems to have some reservations and has not come to me again for the time being. It is only now that I know that Boss Wang is such a famous reincarnator."

After exchanging pleasantries, Jiang Jin handed the original videotape to Takamiya Yui, his expression serious: "Takamiya-kun, this is the cursed videotape. The rules are printed on the outer packaging. Please read them carefully and strictly abide by them."

Gao Gongwei took the cold, heavy videotape with both hands, took a deep breath, and nodded solemnly: "I understand, thank you for reminding me, Jiang-san."

Watching Gao Gongwei turn and go upstairs to the prepared room for that fatal viewing, Kong Huaizheng leaned closer to Jiang Jin and lowered his voice, saying, "Vice Commander, shouldn't we trust him too much? Didn't you say before that he seemed to have some connection with the people of the Old Core when we were at Lanruo Temple?"

Jiang Jin gazed intently at the staircase and said in a low voice, "Of course, we need to be vigilant. However... he's leveling up very quickly; he's already a Level 2 Apprentice. If he gets any stronger, it might not be a bad thing. After all, he's a native Japanese, and his skills might have some unexpected effects on 'her'."

Afterwards, Jiang Jin gave Yu Tianlun a detailed account of the strange events he had encountered at the park restaurant—the hair that appeared in the steak, the sound of waves that only some people could hear, and the feeling of being stared at like a thorn in his back.

After listening, Yu Tianlun pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then, let's consider continuing to implement Rule Seven and copying more videotapes for now. This is currently our only clear method that may alleviate or transfer the curse."

Lian Xuan, standing beside him, looked worried as he gazed at his younger brother, Lian De: "Logically speaking, copying the videotape is the way to break the curse in the movie. But in this severely contaminated copy, all the rules may be distorted. I'm worried that this isn't just about passing on the curse; it might trigger other unknown chain reactions."

Just as everyone was discussing, a phone rang faintly from upstairs. It rang twice and then stopped abruptly—this indicated that Takamiya Yui had finished watching and answered the phone call that led to hell.

Not long after, Gao Gongwei came down from upstairs. His face was extremely pale, and although he tried his best to remain calm, a trace of fear remained deep in his eyes.

"Finished watching?" Jiang Jin asked.

Gao Gongwei nodded and handed the videotape back to Jiang Jin, her voice a little hoarse: "I've finished watching it... and I've also received a 'phone call'."

He paused, seemingly trying to dilute some of his fear with recollection: "Speaking of which, I was an elementary school student when I first saw the movie 'Ring.' It caused a huge sensation in Japan and even throughout Asia, becoming a childhood nightmare for many. After the fall of Edo five years ago, it's said that even the director, Hideo Nakata, was placed under close surveillance by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare." Jiang Jin took the videotape and calmly analyzed: "The plot of the movie is probably of little reference value now. This copy is too heavily contaminated with memes. I estimate… whether those key characters, such as Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Miki Nakatani as Reiko Asakawa, Ryuji Takayama, and Mai Takano, still exist is unknown."

Lian De, who was standing to the side, clicked his tongue and interjected with a hint of regret: "It would be such a pity if that were the case. I really like Nanako Matsushima. I've read her works such as 'The Witch's Condition' and 'The Ice World'."

Yui Takamiya took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. The cigarette box was an exquisite dark blue with elegant gold lettering on it—"Peak," a popular high-end cigarette brand in Japan.

He looked at everyone and politely asked, "Would you mind if I had a cigarette?"

Everyone said they didn't mind. The physical constitution of the reincarnators far surpasses that of ordinary people, and nicotine has a negligible effect on them.

Gao Gongwei took out a slender "Peak" brand cigarette and lit it with his slightly trembling hand.

He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke, which seemed to ease his tense nerves somewhat. But everyone could still clearly see that his hand trembled slightly uncontrollably when he lit the cigarette.

After all, the name "Sadako Yamamura" is a terrifying cultural symbol imprinted on the collective subconscious of the Japanese people. As a Japanese person, Yui Takamiya's shock and the resonance she felt were far stronger and deeper than those of foreign reincarnators like Jiang Jin.

After silently smoking half a cigarette, Takamiya Yui spoke again, his voice much lower: "In 'The Ring,' the sea, the ancient well... these core horror elements are all closely related to water. You Chinese may not fully understand, but for us Japanese, 'water' is often closely associated with 'death' and 'the underworld.'"

He took another drag of his cigarette and continued, “Japan is a disaster-prone island nation, plagued by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions… The sea has both nurtured us and swallowed countless lives. In our culture, the other side of the sea is often considered the ‘world of the dead,’ the land where the dead reside. This is why the terrifying image of ‘her’ resonates more strongly and is more deeply rooted in our Japanese culture.”

He then reminisced: "Back when global meme pollution first started to spread, there were large-scale collective hallucination events in Tokyo Bay. Many people claimed to have seen a dilapidated, rusty 'death ferry' appear on the fog-shrouded sea. Accompanying the ferry were countless 'hate bottles' floating on the sea."

“Any ordinary person who retrieves a message in a bottle and opens it out of curiosity will almost certainly die a bizarre and unnatural death in a short period of time.” Takamiya Yui’s tone was tinged with awe and fear. “The collective sense of terror that the sea brings to the Japanese people is the same as that of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; it is ingrained in their very bones.”

At this moment, Lian De asked curiously, "I've also heard of the Japanese 'hatred bottle cap,' which is similar to the Chinese 'resentment crystal,' right? Could you show me?"

Takamiya Yui nodded and took an item out of the Reincarnator's Watch.

It was the cap of a glass bottle that looked quite ordinary, but upon closer inspection, the cap had an ominous dark color and its surface was covered with fine, twisted patterns that resembled blood vessels.

“This is the ‘Abomination Bottle Cap’,” Takamiya Yui explained. “Its usage is very special. As long as you screw this cap onto any ordinary bottle containing liquid and then open it, the liquid inside will be contaminated and turned into ‘Death Seawater’ containing the power of a death curse.”

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "By drinking this seawater of death, and then relying on one's own will and spiritual power to gradually 'refine' the cursed power within, one can strengthen oneself little by little. This is a cultivation method unique to us Japanese professional reincarnators. If you were to drink it, you would only suffer from contamination."

Jiang Jin nodded, explaining that this was the same as their method of absorbing the ashes of resentment.

“So this is the Abomination Bottle Cap,” Lian De said. “It’s said that only you Japanese Reincarnators can collect Abomination Bottles in the Horror Dungeon, right?”

Then Gao Gongwei came up and handed the bottle cap to Yu Tianlun, saying, "However, this bottle cap can also be exchanged for resentment crystals. I'll give it to you as a souvenir."

Yu Tianlun smiled and said, "Then I'll gladly accept it."

Yui Takamiya continued, “When we use this method to raise our strength to the critical point of LV5, we must go to the legendary ‘Sea of ​​Death’ and find and board the ‘Death Ferry’. Because only inside the Death Ferry is the path to the true ‘Interdimensional Layer’ hidden, thus breaking through LV5, just like the three chimneys in your country.”

Different cultural backgrounds have given rise to drastically different ways of combating terror and enhancing strength.

Therefore, the meme contamination suffered by this Japanese horror copy may also have some hidden connection with the mysterious "death ferry".
(End of this chapter)