Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 593 Tracking
Is it still that old trick of bringing the dead back to life?
That was naturally the first thought.

But Zhou You quickly shook his head.

This guy's soul's gone, how can he be resurrected? Is he going to turn his body into a zombie?
Right before his eyes, an old man in a silk robe was slumped on the ground, and judging from his appearance, this should be the legendary governor.

At this moment, the sky had cleared, and moonlight streamed in, illuminating the withered body, yet there was no sign of life or any kind of yin energy.

This is a corpse, completely dead, a corpse that can never be brought back to life.

"No wonder a modified array was broken so easily. Turns out the manipulator was already dead. Wait, no, this guy was obviously the mastermind. How could he have died so easily?"

To put it simply, my current feeling about traveling around is like watching Detective Conan. The boss of the Black Organization is about to make his appearance, but then suddenly an obituary comes in, saying that the person was hit by a car and killed this morning. We can finally see the grand finale.
He couldn't describe the feeling either; there was just a strange sense of interest stuck in his throat that he couldn't swallow or spit out.

After knocking on the gatekeeper's door again to make sure there were no ambushes, Zhou You walked up to the gatekeeper and used the hilt of his sword to lift the old man's head.

He was immediately taken aback.

Just like his stereotype, it was a cunning, treacherous face with a cold, hawk-like gaze.

However, at this moment, on that politician's standard face, there is an expression—fear.

During this period of time, Zhou You had seen a lot of fear, some begging for mercy, some pitiful, and some struggling in despair, but this was the first time he had seen this kind of fear.

It felt like something sacred was collapsing before your eyes, or something precious and beautiful was being ripped apart—a fear devoid of hope and life.

—What did this guy see?

Zhou You felt he didn't possess the ability to frighten others to that extent, so...
There is only one thing left that can frighten this governor so much.

That god of the underworld.

"But then a question arises: why would his own worshipped god frighten him like this? Could it be murder to cover it up? But that doesn't make sense either; who would kill their own cult leader to cover it up?"

Unfortunately, the information available now is like a tangled mess, with no clues to unravel.

That Soul-Hook has been dead for who knows how long. Besides, if it really was the God of the Underworld who did it, he might not have left any trace of his soul. Feng shui doesn't have anything like that. Should I set up an altar to invite the gods? But I don't have that much time.
As he was pondering this, he suddenly had a sudden inspiration and looked up at a corner of the room.

There, a camera stands out conspicuously.

Wait, it can't be that easy, can it?

I made a call to the doorman out of common sense, and he said that the surveillance equipment in the house was independent and stored only on the resident's computer—however, they could provide some remote hacking services.

Looking at the computer on his desk, Zhou You fell silent instantly.

What's so special about this? The power of modern technology!
He quickly obtained the data.

There were no surveillance cameras on the first and second floors—which is understandable, since those two places were used as sacrificial sites and there would be no way to leave any evidence against anyone. So Zhou You only pulled up the surveillance footage from the master bedroom and set the time to today.

—At least in the footage, this guy is still alive.

And they seem to be quite busy.

From the moment he got up, he was either approving various documents or contacting his subordinates by phone. He even held several video conferences in between, and it wasn't until the evening that he finally got a little time to rest.

After that, the guy just kept his eyes closed and rested.

He wasn't watching videos or listening to music, nor was he reading books like most elderly people. He just sat there, leaning against the soft chair back, with his eyes closed, seemingly dozing.

Just like that, if it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest, one might even mistake him for someone who had already died at that moment.

After a long silence, it was finally broken.

After a series of knocks, and without receiving a reply from the governor, a hunched old man walked in—judging from his appearance, he was the attendant the gatekeeper had mentioned—then he bowed his head and said a few words to the governor.

The report was supposed to be about the banquet, but the governor simply waved his hand impatiently, and the old man walked out.

Then came another long period of resting with my eyes closed.

Zhou You fast-forwarded through the past.

Nearly two hours later, someone came in to report again. This time, the magistrate did not brush it off. Instead, he straightened up, frowned, listened to the report, gave some instructions, and then lay back down in his chair.

—It was around 10 p.m., which should have been the time when Zhou You and Yasuda Shigeaki had their conflict. As the host of this place, he should bear some responsibility, but that's not the point.

Zhou You started fast-forwarding again, and finally, after another half hour—which should have been the time he started to turn back—someone came in again.

This time, it wasn't the usual old servants who returned, but a figure wearing a cloak.

The moment Zhou You saw the figure, his muscles tensed instantly, and even Duan Xie, who had been idly wandering nearby, abruptly raised his sword, pointing it directly at the person in the image—

Although there were no words or proof, he instantly understood the other party's identity.

—Even if that Yellow Springs Calamity God wasn't the real body, it was still a key clone he created!
Sure enough, the moment he saw the figure, the usually aloof and arrogant governor suddenly froze, then scrambled out from behind his desk, knelt respectfully on the ground, and kowtowed several times.

Then, he raised his head and nervously said a few words.

There was still no sound coming from the screen, but Zhou You still possessed the ability to read a thousand words, so he could still make out what the governor was saying from his lip movements.

Those words are.

"My lord, what brings you here?"

The cloaked figure lowered its head, seemingly in response.

Immediately, the magistrate's expression became even more fearful and apprehensive.

"My lord, the last sacrifice was a last resort, used as a shield, but I have found a better one and will send it to you soon. I only ask that you grant my request."

The rest of the words were rather complicated, and even if Zhou You watched them in slow motion, he could hardly understand them, so he could only skip them for the time being.

Hearing the governor's rapid-fire words, the cloaked figure did not respond—but just as the governor was becoming increasingly uneasy, it suddenly nodded.

All fear vanished, replaced by overwhelming joy.

"Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! I entrust the resurrection of my grandson and my own life to you."

Before he could finish speaking, the cloaked figure had already taken two steps forward.

Then, a hand covered in pustules, no longer resembling a human, reached out and gently pressed it on the head of the person in front of them.

Even now, the governor still has some questions.

"My lord, I haven't prepared the body for my grandson's resurrection, and I haven't sent the materials for prolonging his life to the shrine. Although that place is sealed off,..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the hand exerted a little force, and his body immediately began to tremble like a leaf.

"My lord? My lord! I have done nothing to wrong you. I have done my best to fulfill all your requests. Why—"

The conversation abruptly stopped.

A few seconds later, the governor seemed to see something through the cloak, and his eyes immediately turned to extreme horror.

"Wait, wait, wait, my lord! Didn't you promise us all eternal life? Didn't you say we could all return to the garden and enjoy peace and happiness forever? Why is my grandson here? Could it be that I will also return here?! No, I don't want to, I don't want to, spare me, please spare me. No, let me die, please let me die!"

In an instant, the voices ceased. The cloaked figure released the governor, causing the soulless body to kneel on the ground, then casually raised his head.

Through the video, he opened his chapped lips and slowly uttered a sentence.

"Stop this, or he will end up like you."

As the words fell, the air suddenly tightened—as if some invisible force was beginning to manifest in the world and rapidly approaching Zhou You—

But the next second, Duan Xie slashed down without hesitation.

As the computer split in two, the things that had infiltrated disappeared without a trace.

half an hour.

Zhou You suddenly smiled.

"You really don't want me to go? Coincidentally, I'm the kind of person who'll go even more the more you try to stop me. Besides, do you know what I hate most about being threatened?"

I took out my phone, found the number, and dialed it directly.

The phone rang only once before it was answered—as if the person had been waiting for a long time.

"Mr. Mori, how's it going on your end?"

Hearing Ashikaga Hikaru's urgent words, Zhou You smiled calmly.

"Don't worry, the governor's side has been resolved."

"May I ask how you resolved it?"

"It's simple, he's dead."

A sharp crackling sound suddenly came from the other end of the phone.

"You mean, you just killed him???"

Hearing that voice, which was comparable to a tenor, Zhou You quickly moved the phone away from his ear.

"Don't worry, am I the kind of person who acts impulsively?" Before the other person could reply with "I think so," Zhou You immediately continued, "I died when I got there. How should I put it? Just think of it as infighting within their sect, so they killed him."

".real?"

"Would I lie to you? Oh, by the way, I should also tell you that there are quite a few skeletons buried under this governor's house. If you get a few reporters to come and take some pictures, your matter will be resolved."

Ashikaga Hikaru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. Mr. Mori, you've avenged yourself. I'll send someone to pick you up right now. Miss Hu Shuang also called me earlier. Once you're back, I'll arrange a smuggling route for you and make sure you get to China safely."

To his surprise, Zhou You rejected the proposal outright.

"That's not urgent—by the way, do you know any places in Kyoto called 'Daisha'?"

Ashikaga Hikaru was a little confused by the question, but he still answered.

"Yes, there are, for example, Matsuo Taisha and Fushimi Inari Taisha."

Are there any places that have recently been locked down, or partially locked down?

"Wait a moment, I'll have my men check."

Ashikaga Hikaru quickly gave his answer.

"Fushimi Inari Shrine is temporarily closed due to ongoing building repairs in parts of the rear hall. Why are you asking about this?"

Zhou You said.

"It's just that I got some information that this so-called Yellow Springs Cult's stronghold is very likely in that place."

"—What!!" Ashikaga Hikaru exclaimed again, "That place is the most famous shrine in Kyoto, with tens of thousands of tourists visiting every day. Although that's why there aren't many Onmyoji or shrine maidens guarding it, but..."

The conversation abruptly stopped.

Soon, Ashikaga Hikaru, in a calm voice, slowly uttered a few words.

"I see, it's the darkest place under the lamp, is that it? I was wondering why those guys from the Special Investigations Division searched for so long but couldn't find a single trace, and they all hid here. So, Mr. Mori, what are you planning to do?"

Zhou You laughed.

"Give me a car, take me there, and I'll handle the rest."

Unexpectedly, Ashikaga Hikaru fell silent.

He spoke after a full ten seconds.

“Mr. Mori, let me give you some advice. After all, this involves a god. Let’s avoid getting involved if possible. I will later report the governor’s criminal evidence and the cult’s hiding place to the Metropolitan Police Department—you probably don’t know, but I’m also a named witness there. Then I’ll find a way to clear your name, and after that, let’s call it a day.”

But Zhou You's voice remains unchanged.

"Brother Ashikaga, you probably don't know, but I'm the kind of person who always settles scores and seeks revenge. Besides, based on my fight over the past few days, I think that those useless Japanese guys probably can't resolve this matter."

At this point, Ashikaga Hikaru had nothing more to say.

His last words were a long sigh and a single sentence.

"I'll arrange it."

When I went out again, I found the doorman still waiting at the door with a smile.

"Hey, weren't you planning to run away? Why are you still here?"

The doorman, now behaving like a true servant, bowed slightly and answered politely.

“If you can’t solve it, or only solve half of it, then we’ll naturally have to run away. But since you’ve already taken care of the culprit, there’s no point in us running away, is there?”

After saying that, he quickly changed his expression and accepted the greeting with a fawning smile.

"Besides, the team leader just came to instruct you that you need to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine. Look, there was just a heavy rain, and you don't know the way. You need a driver to help you drive."

Zhou You thought about it and agreed, so he nodded.

"Alright, where's Ashikaga's car? I'm in a hurry, let's go there quickly."

The doorman smiled.

"Sir, you're joking. The team leader has already driven all the cars out. Where are we supposed to find our car?"

"Then how will you deliver it to my destination?"

The doorman pointed to a spot not far away.

"We certainly have a car, and its owner just passed away, so it's currently ownerless. We can just borrow it, can't we?"

(End of this chapter)