Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

When Chen Mo and Zhou Yuan entered the third team's room, the others had already taken their posts.

The overhead lights were on, illuminating the three people's faces in a half-light, half-shadow.

As soon as Zhou Yuan entered, he said, "Oh, you're all here? We're not late, are we?"

"You're not late, just in time." Old Ge put his teacup on the table, beckoned to Chen Mo, and said, "Come here, let me introduce you."

Chen Mo quickly took two steps forward.

"Lin Ruoyun, she's in our team, and she's good at feng shui formations. She was out on fieldwork when you reported for duty yesterday, so we didn't run into her."

Lin Ruoyun, who was leaning against the edge of the table looking at something, looked up when she heard this and her gaze fell on Chen Mo.

She was wearing the same inspection bureau uniform as everyone else. The same clothes looked loose on Zhou Yuan and like work clothes on Lao Ge, but on her, they inexplicably carried a sense of purity and innocence.

"Hello." Lin Ruoyun smiled slightly.

She was extremely fair-skinned, with her long hair loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head, and a few stray strands falling beside her ears, making her jawline appear even more delicate.

"Chen Mo." He nodded. "I just reported for duty yesterday. Please take care of me from now on."

"Sister Lin is the pillar of our team," Zhou Yuan chimed in. "With her around, we feel confident even when we go into those chaotic places."

"Stop talking nonsense." Lin Ruoyun glanced at him, but the smile on her lips didn't fade. She turned to Chen Mo and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. If you encounter anything related to formations during field operations, just call me."

"Alright, alright, you all know each other now, right?" Old Ge clapped his hands, gulped down the last mouthful of water in his teacup, and said, "Let's get down to business."

"Chen Mo, I was originally planning to take you out for a walk today, to help you get to know the roads in our area."

He gestured with his chin toward Lin Ruoyun, "But then Ruoyun came over and said there was a situation she needed to check on. Since you're coming along too, let's consider it our first team operation."

------

The tram swayed along, and Zhou Yuan's mouth never stopped the whole way.

"Old Ge, when will our team get a car? Look at the second team, they drive Santanas everywhere they go. We're crammed into electric cars every day. It's embarrassing if word gets out."

Old Ge, a cigarette dangling from his lips, didn't light it, just kept it there. "What's so pretentious about it? Taking the tram is down-to-earth. Besides, can you even drive?"

"I can't, but you can."

"Even if I could, I wouldn't drive." Old Ge took off his cigarette. "That alley at the east end of the street, can you even drive in? Just take the tram to the intersection, get off and walk a few steps, it's much more comfortable."

Zhou Yuan pursed his lips, leaned close to Chen Mo and whispered, "He's just stingy."

Chen Mo smiled but didn't reply.

The tram stopped at the Dongjiekou station.

After getting off the bus, I walked for seven or eight minutes and then turned into a narrow alley.

Deep in the alley, a dilapidated wooden door was half-open, and an old woman with gray hair sat at the door, clutching a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.

Old Ge stepped forward and took out his ID: "Is this Huang Yuanfang's house?"

The old lady looked up, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the group, and stopped the prayer beads she was turning in her hand.

"Are you... from the Inspection Bureau?"

"Yes, we received the feedback and came to check."

The old woman jumped up and blocked the doorway: "What are you looking at? My daughter-in-law is perfectly fine! Who reported this?"

"Those gossipy neighbors? They just can't stand to see my family doing well!"

Old Ge put his ID back in his pocket and tried to keep his tone calm: "Auntie, we'll just go in and take a look. It would be best if nothing's wrong, but if something is, we can find out and deal with it as soon as possible."

"No!" the old woman's voice shrilly. "My daughter-in-law is so heavily pregnant, she can't take a fright. If you people go in, what if you cause a disturbance..."

"What are you colliding with?" Old Ge interrupted her.

The old woman choked for a moment, then stubbornly insisted, "Absolutely not! I've lived this long, what haven't I seen? My daughter-in-law is perfectly normal, she doesn't need you to see her!"

Zhou Yuan muttered quietly from behind, "This doesn't sound quite right."

Old Ge took a step forward.

The old woman instinctively took a step back, but quickly regained her footing, the veins on her hand gripping the prayer beads bulging: "What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, this is trespassing..."

"Auntie," Old Ge sighed, "I've tried to reason with you, but you won't listen. So don't blame me for being unreasonable."

The old lady opened her mouth to shout, but Old Ge raised his hand and pulled out a piece of thin hemp rope from somewhere, quickly tying her up tightly.

His movements were swift and efficient; he was clearly a veteran.

"Please bear with it for a moment." He helped the old lady to sit down on the stone stool by the door. "Zhou Yuan, keep an eye on things."

Zhou Yuan responded and stood next to the old lady, grinning, "Auntie, don't glare at me. I'm just following orders. Once the investigation is complete and everything is fine, I'll untie you right away."

The old lady was so angry that her face turned pale, but she was tied up and couldn't move, so she could only mutter curses under her breath.

Seeing that this wasn't working, Zhou Yuan picked up a rag from the corner and stuffed it into her mouth, while simultaneously waving away the neighbors who were peeking around, "The Bureau of Investigation is handling a case. Anyone who doesn't want trouble, go back to your own rooms."

------

Chen Mo and the other two followed Lao Ge into the courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was fairly tidy. However, for some reason, as soon as Chen Mo stepped inside, a chill ran down his spine. (The question arose from a discussion among readers: "What happened?")

He glanced around instinctively, but there was nothing unusual: a few potted plants, clothes hanging out to dry, and some miscellaneous items piled up in the corner.

But the chill lingered, as if something was watching him from the shadows.

Lin Ruoyun paused for a moment.

"Captain Ge," she said in a low voice, "there seems to be something in the room."

Old Ge nodded without saying a word, drew the sword from his waist, and walked straight towards the main house.

The door was ajar. He used his scabbard to pry it open and cautiously peered inside.

It was very dark inside.

It was already a cloudy day, and now a light rain has started to fall, swallowing up all the light from the hazy sky outside the window.

After finding no danger, Chen Mo followed Lao Ge into the house. It took them a few seconds for their eyes to adjust before they could barely make out the outline of the house.

A square table, two long benches, and faded New Year pictures hanging on the wall.

It was deserted and quiet, and didn't seem warm at all.

Once inside, the smell became even stronger.

It wasn't a musty smell, nor a rotten smell, but rather an indescribable fishy smell.

"Where's that pregnant woman?" Old Ge muttered to himself as he walked inside.

Liu Dayong followed him in, took out his small flashlight, and swung the beam around the room. There was no one in the main room, and the doors to the two bedrooms on the left and right were open. It was dark inside, and no movement could be seen.

"Huang Yuanfang?" Old Ge called out.

No one answered.

Liu Dayong took a flashlight and entered the bedroom on the left, the beam sweeping across the bed and the corner of the wall.

The quilt was folded neatly, the wardrobe door was closed, and two pairs of cloth shoes were placed on the floor.

He stepped back and shook his head at Lao Ge.

Old Ge's face darkened, and he strode towards the room on the right.

Chen Mo stood still.

The chill grew stronger and stronger, creeping up his spine as if something was watching him from somewhere unseen.

Something is wrong!

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the rooftop.

The roof is made of wooden beams, and over time, the beams are covered with grayish-black, fluffy material that hangs down in strands, almost invisible in the darkness.

Upon closer inspection, the fluffy material doesn't resemble ordinary dust or spider webs; it's too dense and too thick.

It covered the entire roof completely, like a giant curtain.

"Old Ge," Chen Mo said, his voice low, "the higher-ups."

Old Ge had just reached the door of the bedroom on the right when he heard this, he stopped and looked up.

Liu Dayong also shone his flashlight upwards.

A beam of light pierced the darkness and shone on the roof.

In that instant, everyone saw it clearly.

That's not dust.

It's spider silk.

Countless spider webs hung down from the roof beams, layer upon layer, as thick as winter cotton wool.

Rows of fist-sized, grayish-white particles clung to the spider silk, gleaming dimly in the flashlight beam.

"Insect eggs".

Countless insect eggs.

In the very center of that spiderweb-covered roof, a person was lying prone.

a woman.

She was wearing loose pajamas, her belly was bulging, and her limbs were twisted in the opposite direction at angles that defied all logic.

Elbows turned outwards, knees bent inwards, hands and feet moved nimbly across the web like spider legs.

They climbed from one end of the roof to the other with light, subtle movements that made no sound.

Like a spider, a humanoid spider.

Liu Dayong's flashlight stopped, the beam trembled, and his face appeared somewhat pale under the flashlight beam.

"Spider...Spider Mother Goddess."

The woman seemed to sense something and turned her head 180 degrees.

His face was deathly pale, almost transparent, and the bluish-purple veins under his skin were visible.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints, and the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

Her mouth was half-open, with a viscous liquid hanging from the corner of her lips, dripping down her chin and leaving a long, thin trail in the air.

The woman stared intently at them, then suddenly grinned.

The smile starts at the corners of the mouth and gradually widens to both sides, widening so much that a normal person's mouth cannot open that wide.

In the instant her smile reached its limit, Chen Mo saw something wriggling deep in her throat.

Slender, white limbs emerged from the dark cavity and then retracted.

"Old Ge..." Liu Dayong's voice was weak, "She's... pregnant..."

Old Ge didn't move or make a sound, his right hand gripping the knife handle tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The woman on the rooftop continued to laugh, her laughter silent.

Her limbs began to move, and she crawled toward them from the very center of the roof.

It hangs upside down, head up, with its bulging belly drooping towards the ground, like a giant egg about to hatch.

Spider silk swayed behind her, and insect eggs flickered in the flashlight beam.