Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 335 The Emergence of the Hunting Domain
While Jiang Jin was struggling to break through the LV3 barrier in the Lost Layer, Lian De was still filled with self-reproach and guilt. He felt that the vice-captain's risky attempt to break through might also be related to him. Noticing the worried look in his elder brother Lian Xuan's eyes, a strong impulse to "atone for his sins" surged into his heart.

“Brother,” Lian De said in a hoarse voice, “I want to… try divination again. The target is still ‘her’. Maybe we can divine some key information that we’ve overlooked before, such as the more specific location of the well, or… more detailed information about her mother, Shizuko’s past.”

He wanted to prove his worth in this way and make up for the mistake that almost led to a major disaster.

Lian Xuan felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at his younger brother's pale face and pleading eyes. The two brothers had lost their parents at a young age and had grown up relying on each other. Lian Xuan had practically treated his younger brother like a son.

Deep down, he harbored a vague plan: to find the legendary "En no Kakushi statue" that granted Yamamura Shizuko superpowers. If he could find that statue, perhaps his younger brother could use his priestly skills to make offerings, drawing upon the power of this founder of Shugendo to combat Sadako's curse, and even gain some protection.

However, seeing his younger brother's current state of being affected by the curse and his restless mind, Lian Xuan was filled with worry. The profession of priesthood, the later it progresses, requires establishing connections with various powerful and ancient beings, even "invoking divine possession." This process itself is accompanied by enormous risks, and it is easy to gradually lose oneself.

“Brother, your current state is not suitable for high-risk divination.” Lian Xuan suppressed the complicated thoughts in his heart and gently but firmly advised, “'Her' corrupting influence is too strong. You were just affected, and it would be too dangerous to reconnect. Let’s wait for Vice Commander Jiang Jin’s results, okay?”

Lian De opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing the undeniable concern in his brother's eyes, he finally nodded dejectedly and silently sat back down in the corner.

Seeing the oppressive atmosphere, Kong Huaizheng, in order to ease the tension and gather more information, took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Takamiya Yui: "Mr. Takamiya, within your Japanese Reincarnators, is there any further information about 'her'? After all, the original author of the film, Koji Suzuki, the director, Hideo Nakata, and the screenwriter, Hiroshi Takahashi, should all be under close surveillance by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, right? Hasn't any inside information leaked out?"

Yui Takamiya shook her head, her expression somewhat helpless: "Specific information has been strictly blocked by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and related specific teams. For most of us Japanese reincarnators, 'she' is one of the most terrifying evil spirits, like the Slit-Mouthed Woman and Okiku Sarayashiki, and we know very little about her specific origins and how to deal with her."

"The Slit-Mouthed Woman..." Kong Huaizheng seemed to have his memories stirred up. "I also entered the Slit-Mouthed Woman's terrifying instance back then, and almost got 'beautified' by that giant pair of scissors. By the way, I seem to have heard that before the 'Fall of Edo' incident, there was a case in Tokyo involving a substitution incident caused by a rule exchange related to the Slit-Mouthed Woman?"

Upon hearing this, Takamiya Yui's expression changed slightly, seemingly reluctant to mention that chaotic and desperate period. However, out of politeness, she briefly stated, "Yes, after Japan was affected by meme contamination, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare implemented a 'lifetime rule' system. Citizens of meme-affected areas are assigned three to five strange rules that they must abide by. If they are not satisfied, they can exchange rules with others through the official app, but there are many restrictions."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, trying to be as concise as possible: "About five years ago, there were two girls named Reiko Eguchi and Makiko Noto, who were good friends and started a business together. Later, Makiko proposed exchanging a rule with Reiko. One night, while they were working overtime in the studio, they triggered rule contamination, and Reiko died in a manner very similar to that of the Slit-Mouthed Woman. The subsequent investigation revealed that before her death, Reiko had repeatedly asked Makiko to exchange the rule back through an app, but Makiko had read her messages but not replied. Some people believe that Makiko deliberately had her friend die in her place, but Makiko defended herself by saying that she was too scared at the time and dared not act rashly. This incident occurred during the Japanese occupation of Edo, and many people still remember it vividly."

At this point, Yui Takamiya suddenly seemed to remember something.

Mr. Wang Qiusen's wife is also named Makiko...

However, it's probably just a coincidence of names; Makiko is a very common name in Japan.

As dawn broke, the torrential rain that had lasted all night finally subsided, leaving only a light drizzle.

The door to the Japanese-style room where Jiang Jin was located was pushed open, and he walked out with a pale face but unusually bright eyes, even a hint of excitement.

Although he did not directly advance to LV3, Yu Tianlun could sense that his aura had become more refined and profound, as if he had touched a crucial threshold.

"Get ready, the rain has stopped, we'll head to Izu Oshima immediately." Yu Tianlun said succinctly, without going into details about Jiang Jin's cultivation.

Without asking any further questions, the group quickly packed up the necessary equipment.

Yu Tianlun checked the villa again, especially the protective array in front of the television, the traps and animal snares set up by Jiang Jin, to ensure that nothing would go wrong after they left, and that they could sense anything that might happen.

The group left the villa, hailed two taxis, and headed to the nearby pier.

To travel from Hakone to Izu Oshima, you need to take a ferry from Atami Port or Ito Port.

Without much hesitation, the group chose Atami Port, which was closer.

When we arrived at Atami Port, the sky had completely cleared up, and the sunlight shone on the sparkling sea, dispelling much of the gloom of the night.

The port was bustling with people, filled with the presence of the living, which made the reincarnators who had just escaped from the cursed villa feel as if they had been transported to another world.

The process of buying the ferry tickets went smoothly. They chose the fastest high-speed jet ferry, the "Shojaku," bound for Okada Port on Izu Oshima Island.

Boarding the "Xiangque" ship, the vessel is spacious and bright, with many passengers, including tourists and islanders returning home.

The reincarnators chose a relatively quiet spot by the window to sit down. The ship slowly departed from the harbor, gradually increasing its speed, heading towards Izu Oshima.

The sea breeze blew in through the porthole, carrying the salty smell of the sea.

Just then, Takamiya Yui's gaze was suddenly drawn to something on the sea surface beside the ship.

It was an old-fashioned, even worn-out glass bottle, bobbing up and down with the waves!

“Hate the message in a bottle?” Takamiya Yui muttered to herself, a hint of surprise on her face.

He quickly took out a specially made fishing net, a standard accessory for Japanese reincarnators, from his Reincarnator watch, walked to the side of the boat, and, seizing the opportunity, skillfully scooped up the bottle.

"The message in a bottle encountered at the edge of the mysterious layer of the sea should not yield any items, right?"

Despite saying that, Yui Takamiya still held a sliver of hope and carefully opened the bottle.

A chilling aura emanated from the bottle, but quickly dissipated into the air. Takamiya Yui first put the cap back on the bottle, then turned it upside down. A sheathed knife fell out of the small glass bottle!

The scabbard is simple and unadorned, yet it exudes a sense of historical weight and a subtle sharpness.

"Huh? We actually found something?" Kong Huaizheng came over, somewhat surprised.

Chinese reincarnators cannot see the message in the bottle of hatred, but they can see the items that come out of it.

Kong Huaizheng knew that most of the time, these drifting bottles were empty except for the cap itself, just like how most scratch-off lottery tickets would only say "Thank you for your patronage." It was extremely rare to be able to directly open a physical weapon, especially such an extraordinary-looking weapon.

"Mr. Takamiya, I never knew you were such a lucky guy!"

Takamiya Yui gently pulled out a section of the sword; the blade gleamed coldly, as if it could cut through light.

He stared intently at the words appearing on his left retina, his face lighting up with unbelievable joy: "This...this is the legendary sword 'Ima-no-Tsurugi,' the one Minamoto no Yoshitsune used in his youth! It contains a true hint of 'divine wind'! It's perfect for my 'Severance' swordsmanship!"

"Minamoto no Yoshitsune?" Kong Huaizheng wasn't very familiar with Japanese history. "Was he a very famous samurai?"

Takamiya Yui explained simply, "Minamoto no Yoshitsune, whose childhood name was Ushiwakamaru, was a legendary warlord in the late Heian period of Japan, hailed as the God of War. He was a master swordsman, and his life was full of tragedy. This sword... is truly an unexpected find."

He stroked the scabbard with great affection, feeling as if the sword was tailor-made for him.

While Gao Gongwei was retrieving the message in the bottle, Jiang Jin did not rest.

He sat in his seat, closed his eyes and concentrated, continuing the attempt he had not finished in the villa.

His mental energy once again sank into the Lost Layer, sensing the pollution of rules emanating from the surrounding sea and the Izu Oshima Island he was about to arrive at—a pollution of the same origin as Sadako's curse.

The cooldown period was over, and he once again used his professional skills as a logic sophist to conduct an extremely dangerous rule-modification experiment:
His first attempt targeted Rule Seven. He tried to modify the rule of "copying the videotape" to "once successfully copied, the copyer can escape any curse brought by the videotape." His mental energy was severely depleted, but the feedback was only chaos and rejection; the modification failed. The root logic of the curse could not be changed through logical sophistry.

On his second attempt, he turned to defense, trying to establish a clause that "as long as the videotape is copied, 'she' will suffer a backlash from the rules if she attempts to mind control me or gets close to me." This failed again; an even stronger backlash came from the level of the rules, making him dizzy.

The third time, he combined his own abilities with the current situation. He tried to modify it to "As long as I copy the videotape, my boning knife can directly injure any spirit weaker than the annihilation layer, and I am immune to any mind control." But... he still failed. It seems that even for a logical sophist, the rules themselves do not allow for such a "convenient" loophole.

But he didn't give up, his mind racing. Suddenly, a thought struck him—this was a Japanese horror game instance, the curse originating from Japan…

In his fourth attempt, he modified the rule to: "As long as I have copied the videotape, any Japanese sword in my hands can wound any spirit at or below the shallow layer of annihilation!"

This time, he sensed a peculiar resonance between the Lawyer's abilities and some underlying rule of the instance!

The modified "logic" has been partially accepted at the rule level!
Although it comes at the cost of a hefty SAN value (a full 15%), and there are many unclear restrictions (such as the degree of injury, the specific definition of spirits, etc.), the rules... have been passed!
He immediately replenished his SAN with steak and paid the price.

The moment the rule change was approved, Jiang Jin felt his LV3 barrier, which he had never been able to budge, loosen violently!
The key problem that had been troubling him—the problem of "accommodating and transforming rule pollution to build a domain"—was opened up by this successful and targeted "taming" of the rules!
A faint but real sense of "domain" lingered in his mind.

Although it is only in its early stages, it is indeed a real and growing field of rules!

He had thought it through long ago. Although hunters are known as all-rounders, they still need to have a focus in their hunting domain. Trying to do too much at once will backfire and may even lead to an overly obvious weakness in the domain. Therefore, his domain will specialize in offense!

Offense is the best defense!

He suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He was certain that, with this breakthrough insight, and in the next seven days, combined with the greatly enhanced Crimson Jade, he had about a 40% to 50% chance of truly reaching the level of a LV3 Forbidden Zone Hunter!

He then went to the ship's side and witnessed Takamiya Yui retrieving the message in a bottle and obtaining Minamoto no Yoshitsune's sword!
Just then, Takamiya Yui said, "With Minamoto no Yoshitsune's sword, my original sword 'Tsukikage' seems rather useless, since I'm not a dual-wielder."

Jiang Jin's heart stirred, and he walked over to Gao Gongwei, saying, "Gao Gong-kun, congratulations on acquiring this treasured sword. Since you just said that, how about this 'Moon Shadow'... I wonder if you could transfer it to me? I feel that it might be destined for me."

The core of the rules he just revised is "Japanese swords," and he needs a suitable Japanese samurai sword.

Takamiya Yui's original sword, "Tsukikage," was clearly a high-quality, authentic Japanese sword.

Gao Gongwei hesitated for a moment, then readily unsheathed the "Moon Shadow" sword and handed it to Jiang Jin: "Jiang Sang, please take it if you don't mind. Your country's Dragon Soaring Army protects our people, and I've always wanted to find an opportunity to repay you. This sword is called 'Moon Shadow,' and although it's not a famous sword, it's still quite sharp."

"Thank you." Jiang Jin took "Moon Shadow" and ran his fingers over the cold scabbard, feeling the sharpness and spirituality contained within it.

This knife will become one of his key weapons in dealing with Sadako and in his attempt to reach Level 3.

Soon, the ferry arrived at the origin of the curse—Izu Oshima!
(End of this chapter)