Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 343: The Little Corner Stone Statue

Around noon, on the streets of Shibuya.

The Nirvana team was having a meal at a relatively quiet Japanese restaurant.

Despite the exquisite sushi, fresh sashimi, and golden-brown, crispy tempura laid out before them, everyone seemed unable to taste the food.

Gao Gongwei picked up a piece of tuna and sighed, "The taste is good, but I still miss the Mapo Tofu and Twice-Cooked Pork from Boss Wang's restaurant. That hot, spicy, and fragrant flavor is truly unforgettable."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tianlun's eyes flashed with a complex expression, and he said in a low voice, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I still wouldn't have known that the Japanese-Chinese intelligence dealer 'Boss Wang,' who had done several deals with me and whose intelligence was accurate and kept his mouth shut, was actually Wang Qiusen, the former deputy leader of the Light Wheel Team..."

His tone carried a hint of melancholy and a sense of loss for what was to come.

Jiang Jin didn't participate in the discussion about food and the past. His brows were furrowed, and he lowered his voice to say to Yu Tianlun, "Team Leader, you've seen how dangerous this dungeon is. Kong Huaizheng died under mysterious circumstances, and Sadako's strength far exceeds expectations. I'm afraid I'll have to resort to unconventional methods. Either summon Ghost Eye Yang Jian, or... use that coffin nail obtained from the [Terror Resurgence] plane."

He paused, his tone heavy and resolute: "Team leader, why don't you, Lian Xuan, Lian De, and Sister Yin Qiu take the return-to-town runes and leave this instance first, preserving the team's vitality? Li Shang and I will stay behind and figure out a solution."

Yu Tianlun slowly put down his chopsticks, his gaze fixed firmly on Jiang Jin: "Jiang Jin, I'm staying not just for you. The Path of the Shaman also requires finding a breakthrough opportunity amidst extreme pressure and crisis. This severely polluted instance, with its distorted rules and the volatile power of the Annihilation Layer, presents an excellent environment for me to challenge for LV4. Risk and opportunity coexist, and I won't leave. If I stay, Yin Qiu won't leave either. Lian Xuan, Lian De, in this moment of crisis, I'll change the runestone binding to you; you can go now."

Lian Xuan and Lian De repeatedly expressed their determination to live and die with the team, saying that if they left now, they would have no standing in the team anymore.

Just as the atmosphere became somewhat tense, the door to the restaurant's private room was gently pulled open.

Reiko Asakawa led in an elderly man with gray hair who looked somewhat nervous.

Reiko looked at Jiang Jin with undisguised admiration and tenderness, her voice softening several degrees: "Kurosaki-kun, I've invited Saito-senpai. Senpai, this is the Mr. Kurosaki Ichigo from the General Affairs Department whom I mentioned to you."

Saito-senpai looked at the group of people in the private room, each with a different demeanor and clearly not ordinary office workers, and a hint of vigilance and unease flashed in his eyes.

Without any hesitation, Li Shang secretly cast a spell once more. An invisible force invaded Saito's mind, mixing with his fear of the unknown, and then he asked, "Senior Saito, do you know any secrets about Izu Oshima?"

Under the influence of the black magic, Saito's body began to tremble slightly, his eyes became unfocused, and he unconsciously began to mutter fragmented words: "Ferry...rusty...can't look...'her'...an old well...the old well will appear..."

His voice was filled with terror, as if he were recalling extremely horrific scenes.

Seeing this, Li Shang further activated the black magic, forcibly digging out the deepest memories hidden in his heart.

Saito's breathing became rapid, veins bulging on his forehead. Finally, under the powerful influence of the black magic, he stammered out the long-buried truth: "It was...it was 1944...we went to Izu Oshima...to film the documentary 'A Study of Izu Folklore'..."

His voice was hoarse and pained: "At first... everything was normal... until... until some islanders started hallucinating, saying they saw... an ancient, rusty ferry they had never seen before at sea..."

"Later... fishermen salvaged an ancient stone statue from the nearshore waters... saying it was a statue of En no Ozunu, the founder of Shugendo... we thought it was great material... so we went to film it..."

“But…but then…the footage that was developed…all of it…had problems!” Saito’s face showed an expression of extreme fear. “That stone statue…on the film…was distorted! It was alive! And…and in the snow and noise of many footage segments…a…a pitch-black ancient well inexplicably appeared! And…and long black hair that looked like it was floating in water!”

"Then...something started happening on the island...many people...became strange...men crawled like worms...women kept combing their hair...they were all muttering a name...SADAKO..." He suddenly clutched his head, "Then...Mount Mihara erupted! Not a normal eruption! It was...it was accompanied by many bizarre deaths! Before they died...they all screamed that they saw a well...saw something...crawling out of the well!!"

“We were terrified…we sealed up all the film footage…all the related materials…it was taboo! Absolutely taboo!”

The Death Ferry, the small horn statue, distorted images, the ancient well, the crawling man, the woman combing her hair, the volcanic eruption, mysterious deaths...

Jiang Jin immediately pressed on, "Mr. Saito, about a repair call..."

He gave the repair phone number mentioned in the rules and continued, "And there's another repair technician wearing a gold eagle badge, do you remember him?"

Saito looked up blankly, shaking his head with a confused expression: "Repair... technician? I don't know... what's this Golden Eagle Badge? Never heard of it..."

……

Stepping out of the restaurant, the afternoon sun shone brightly, but Jiang Jin's heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.

Saito revealed a wealth of information, connecting Sadako's curse, the death ferry, the strange events on Izu Oshima, and the eerie Okunozu statue.

However, there is still no clue about the "repair technician".

What exactly is this so-called "repair technician"? Is it some terrifying entity, even more secretive and indescribable than Sadako? What role does it play in this heavily contaminated copy? This unknown is more unsettling than the known horrors.

Asakawa Reiko stayed almost constantly by Jiang Jin's side, her beautiful eyes brimming with intense emotion.

She kept trying to find topics to talk about: "Kurosaki-kun, what kind of food do you like? If you're free this weekend, I know a really good French restaurant... What are your hobbies, Kurosaki-kun? Do you like watching movies or sports?"

Jiang Jin was extremely agitated. On one hand, he had to digest the shocking information Saito had brought and consider his next move; on the other hand, he had to deal with Reiko's "deep affection," which had become incredibly troublesome due to the black magic. He had absolutely no interest or energy in playing along with her, feeling that Li Shang's black magic had gone far too far. As night fell, the group returned to Reiko Asakawa's house.

Using the excuse that he had "important work to discuss," Jiang Jin forcefully ordered Lingzi to take Yangyi back to their bedroom to rest, and solemnly instructed, "No matter what sounds you hear, you absolutely cannot come out tonight!"

Although Lingzi looked at Jiang Jin with reluctance and worry, under the influence of the black magic and her obedience to "Kurosaki-kun", she still obediently led Yang Yi into the bedroom and closed the door tightly.

In the living room, Jiang Jin, Yu Tianlun, and the others turned on the television and VCR again, and put in the original videotape that still smelled of seawater.

They hoped to find clues about the "repair technician" or a deeper secret from the source of the curse.

Snowflakes, dark clouds, a mirror combing hair, moving text, a twisted and crawling crowd, a man covered with a white cloth, the character "贞" (zhen, meaning chastity) in his pupils, an ancient well... The scene plays on a loop again and again.

Everyone opened their eyes wide, trying to catch any detail that had been previously overlooked.

However, even after the videotape had been played repeatedly and night had fallen outside, they still found nothing.

Late at night, everyone took turns resting and keeping watch in the living room.

Jiang Jin took an antidote and took the night watch. He leaned against the window, vigilantly sensing any unusual activity around him, his mind constantly replaying Saito's words, the shadow of the death ferry, and the mysterious maintenance technician.

Just then, the bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Reiko Asakawa came out carrying a steaming cup of coffee.

She was dressed simply in casual clothes, with a gentle and caring smile on her face.

"Kurosaki-kun, you must be tired from keeping watch. I made you a cup of coffee." She handed the coffee to Jiang Jin, her body almost touching his.

Jiang Jin stiffened, awkwardly accepting the coffee and subtly taking a half-step back: "Thank you, Ms. Qianchuan, you don't need to..."

“Just call me Reiko.” Reiko interrupted him, looking at him intently, her eyes filled with love and a hint of grievance. “Kurosaki-kun, do you… hate me?”

“I didn’t…” Jiang Jin’s scalp tingled, feeling that this was even more unbearable than facing Sadako.

He could feel the gazes from his teammates, some dozing off, others on high alert. Although they all turned their heads to the other side or stared at the ceiling, their slightly trembling shoulders betrayed that they were trying their best to suppress their laughter.

Yu Tianlun simply shook his head, looking like he couldn't help.

Reiko noticed Jiang Jin's resistance and aloofness. She bit her lip, seemingly making up her mind, and said directly, "Kurosaki-kun, I like you! From the first time I saw you, I felt that you were different from others!"

Jiang Jin almost spat out the coffee he had just drunk.

As expected of a woman from an island nation, she's so unrestrained.

Before he could answer, Reiko pressed on with a determined and reckless tone, "Kurosaki-kun, did you reject me because you're already married? I don't care! Even without a formal title, I'd be willing to stay by your side! Or... does Kurosaki-kun dislike that I've been married before and have a child?"

Her eyes were slightly red, making her look pitiful.

This is Nanako Matsushima, the Japanese drama goddess who captivated a generation of Japanese people!
Jiang Jin felt like a million alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

What on earth is going on?! Li Shang, did you mix the script of Tokyo Hot into your black magic?!
Unfortunately, he's currently living under someone else's roof, and the subsequent investigation might need to rely on Lingzi's "protagonist" aura. He can't completely ruin the relationship, nor can he rudely refuse her and provoke her, who is under the influence of the black magic. Otherwise, who knows what consequences it would cause.

This made his attitude ambiguous; he neither explicitly accepted nor decisively rejected her, making him seem like a scumbag. But to Lingzi, it seemed like he was playing hard to get, giving her even greater hope.

Seeing that Jiang Jin didn't immediately refuse outright, Lingzi was secretly delighted. She took another step closer, almost pressing her entire body against his arm, tilting her head back and breathing softly, "Kurosaki-kun... you can come to my house whenever you want..."

Jiang Jin's body stiffened, feeling as if he were being roasted over a fire, a more agonizing experience than any previous battle with ghosts and monsters.

Just then, he growled in Chinese at Li Shang, who appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, "Li Shang! Think of something!"

Li Shangyi waved his hand: "Then let's lift the curse, and then she can call the police."

Lian De suppressed a laugh and replied in Chinese, "Deputy Commander, stay calm! You're sacrificing your dignity for the team, it's an honor! Don't worry, the brothers all understand, we'll keep it a secret and won't tell your wife! Do whatever you want, we didn't see anything!"

"Get lost!" Jiang Jin squeezed out the word through gritted teeth, feeling that his lifelong reputation was about to be ruined by this damned black magic and his teammates who were always looking for trouble.

This night was destined to be incredibly long and "painful" for Jiang Jin...

(End of this chapter)