Bab 260: Chapter 260: Are They Faking It?
The captain slowly awoke, his eyes blinking in confusion. For a moment, he couldn't remember what had happened. He rubbed the back of his neck; it was sore and numb.
Suddenly, he remembered where he was. He gripped his weapon, scanning his surroundings with a jolt of alertness.
This was bad. Something terrible had happened. He didn't know how he'd passed out, but losing consciousness in a place haunted by a malevolent spirit… the consequences were too horrifying to contemplate.
Looking at his comrades lying on the ground, he feared he was the only survivor.
"Why is this happening? What happened?" the captain muttered to himself, his expression filled with fear and anxiety. He had personally led his team to eliminate the malevolent spirit, but he never expected…
"Ow, that hurts."
"Ugh…"
"Where am I?"
The captain stared in disbelief as his comrades, whom he had presumed dead, slowly began to wake up. His previously despairing heart leaped with renewed hope.
"Captain, what are you doing?"
"Strange, why is my head bleeding?"
"Why are there so many bullets on the ground?"
As they came to, they realized something was wrong. Some had swollen hands, others had cuts on their foreheads, as if they had been abused.
"Are you all alright?" the captain asked, still in disbelief. He even wondered if they were still trapped in an illusion created by the malevolent spirit.
"Captain, we're fine."
"It sounds like you were hoping we weren't."
"But what's wrong with my head? It really hurts."
"Your head hurts? My hands hurt."
"Where's the malevolent spirit? We're still in the room; it must still be here."
But soon, someone exclaimed, "The malevolent spirit is gone!"
Their Maoshan ghost-hunting skills weren't for nothing. The motionless dial in his hand indicated that the malevolent spirit had vanished. More importantly, the previously gloomy atmosphere had changed. It was warm, filled with a sense of life.
Everyone sensed the change in their surroundings. It was undeniably different.
Lin Fan said, "It's definitely gone."
Baldy patted Lin Fan on the shoulder. "Good job, kid. We're all injured, but you're completely fine. You're pretty lucky."
Lin Fan smiled, saying nothing. He thought the spirit had been truly detestable, with a hostile attitude. He had warned it to be mindful of its behavior, but it had remained aggressive.
"Captain, there's a puddle of bubbling, viscous liquid here," a team member reported, pointing to a sticky substance on a chair.
The captain examined the puddle. "The malevolent spirit is dead. Some spirits turn into puddles like this after they die. Collect a sample for analysis."
"Yes, sir."
The team members got to work. They were eager to understand how the Nightmare Spirit had died, but it seemed destined to remain a mystery.
That day, the authorities issued an announcement: The Nightmare Spirit in the XX district of H City had been eliminated.
"Awesome! So fast!"
"Wow, we can finally move back home."
"Holy crap! The guy above is amazing, actually escaping from the spirit's territory. If it were me, I'd sell the place and leave."
"Sigh, no one would buy a house haunted by a malevolent spirit."
"True."
At the Operations Department:
Consultant Yang said, "Captain, this is strange. I've just checked, and the Nightmare Spirit was killed by an intense heat. But I can't imagine what could have done that."
"While malevolent spirits are vulnerable to flashbangs, those only cause minor discomfort. They definitely can't do this kind of damage."
Captain Zhou Qiang asked, "So, in your opinion, what could have eliminated the spirit?"
"Hmm… Samadhi True Fire," Consultant Yang muttered, his face flushing. He didn't even believe what he'd said. The thought was absurd.
Samadhi True Fire, my ass.
Zhou Qiang looked at Consultant Yang strangely, his mind filled with question marks. He seemed to be asking, "Are you kidding me?"
Meanwhile, Lin Fan was in his room, looking in the mirror and touching his face. "We look exactly alike," he murmured. He found it strange; he'd never seen anyone who looked so much like him.
The next day, the alarm blared.
"Lin Fan, wake up! Something's happened!" Baldy shook Lin Fan awake. They shared a dorm. As Lin Fan opened his eyes, he saw Baldy staring at his phone with a terrified expression.
"What is it?" Lin Fan asked.
"Look at the news. Six students at Chunming High School were burned to death in their dorm overnight. Another malevolent spirit has appeared, and this one's weird. The six students were definitely burned to death, but the surrounding objects are completely untouched."
"Isn't that terrifying?"
The photos in the news were indeed horrifying, sending chills down one's spine. The victims' faces were contorted, their hands like claws. They seemed to have suffered immensely before death.
"Yeah, truly terrifying," Lin Fan said calmly.
Baldy looked at Lin Fan suspiciously. "You've been acting strange lately."
"Have I?" Lin Fan blinked. Was it because Baldy knew him so well that he noticed something was off? But he felt like he was Lin Fan. After all, they looked exactly the same.
Baldy shook his head. He just had a strange feeling.
At Chunming High School, a police cordon surrounded the area. Many citizens stood outside the cordon, watching and expressing sympathy for the students in the boys' dormitory, while also feeling a sense of fear.
"I can't believe a malevolent spirit appeared at a school."
"Those poor kids. So young, and they died like that."
"Our country is still doing alright. I heard from some friends abroad that things are much worse over there. Tens of thousands of people are dying every day. Their God, their Jesus, can't do anything against these malevolent spirits."
"Didn't your friend come back?"
"He said it was safer abroad, that their military was the strongest and he felt secure. He didn't expect… now, even if he wants to come back, it's too late. We've sealed the borders, restricting anyone from entering or leaving."
"That's tragic."
"Tell me about it."
A military truck arrived and stopped at the school gate. Zhou Qiang got out and, seeing the large crowd, ordered them to disperse in case of danger. After all, they were dealing with a malevolent spirit, and they didn't know what kind yet. Based on the current situation, it seemed to be related to fire.
Lin Fan stood beside his comrades, looking at the school curiously. The evacuated school was quiet and empty.
"Nervous?" Baldy asked.
"Nope," Lin Fan replied.
Baldy chuckled. "You're pretending to be calm again. I know you're scared, but don't worry. I'm here. I'll make sure you're safe."
His words were brave, but his body trembled slightly. He was truly afraid.
As captain, Zhou Qiang had to protect H City. He waved his hand. "Let's go." He was prepared to die. He had the same mindset every time he faced a malevolent spirit.
The citizens clasped their hands in prayer, hoping the soldiers would return safely. These were the heroes in their hearts. If it weren't for them sacrificing their lives to protect H City, the consequences would be unimaginable.
They had heard that during the recent incident with the malevolent spirit in the residential building, more than twenty brave soldiers had died. They gathered to pray for these heroes, wishing them a peaceful journey.
"First squad, pay attention to your surroundings," Zhou Qiang commanded.
They still didn't know what kind of malevolent spirit they were facing, but judging by the energy fluctuations, it was at the Nightmare level. If left unchecked, it would cause immense devastation to innocent citizens.
There had been a case abroad where a malevolent spirit had appeared. Initially, it could have been killed with overwhelming force, but the authorities chose to capture it to study its structure, hoping to develop a powerful secret weapon.
Because of their negligence, the spirit devoured enough lives to evolve into a Wraith, causing a complete collapse of the situation. In the end, they had to use a weapon of mass destruction, sacrificing an entire city to eliminate the Wraith.
Such a price was unbearable.
"The scorching flames… the temperature is quite pleasant," Lin Fan muttered to himself, sensing the heat emanating from within the school.
"But it's so evil. Why are there so many evil beings?" He shook his head, curious about these strange beings, yet also disliking them. Being a good person was a much happier existence.
Baldy looked at his comrades. Eliminating malevolent spirits was their responsibility. If they didn't do it, no one would protect the people.
But every time they faced a malevolent spirit, many colleagues died. They cherished the time they spent together, every minute, every second.
"Eliminate the malevolent spirits, protect our home!"
"Eliminate the malevolent spirits!"
"Protect our home!"
The soldiers marched deeper into the school grounds. No matter what malevolent spirit they encountered, they would not flinch. They had dreams in their hearts and the confidence to eliminate all evil.
Half a month later, at the National Supreme Operations Department:
"Boss, this is the number of soldiers who have died fighting malevolent spirits across the country in the past two weeks, along with the number of spirits eliminated." A middle-aged man handed over a document.
Since the emergence of malevolent spirits, the country had reacted swiftly, immediately assembling teams to combat them.
The boss looked at the casualties listed in the document, his expression grave. In just half a month, the city with the highest casualties had lost hundreds of soldiers, and thousands of ordinary citizens had also perished.
He could accept such losses if they were unprepared, but now, soldiers were dispatched immediately whenever a malevolent spirit appeared. Even so, the casualties were still staggering.
Number of malevolent spirits eliminated: 26. An average of almost two per day.
The boss's expression grew even more serious. When the spirits first appeared, most were mere Specters, but now, most were Nightmares. He feared the spirits appearing in the future would be even more terrifying.
"Huh?"
"What's going on with H City? They haven't lost a single soldier in the past two weeks. And what's with these civilian casualties? Eighteen citizens dead, forty-two malevolent spirits eliminated."
The boss slammed the document on the table. "Is H City faking their reports? How dare they! Do they think we're fools?"
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. The boss was furious.
"Boss, are you angry about H City's data?" he asked.
"What do you think? Other cities are paying a heavy price fighting these spirits, and H City hasn't lost a single soldier? Only civilian casualties? They must be faking it!"
"Boss, if that's why you're angry, I can testify that H City's data is accurate. I was shocked when they reported it too, and I sternly warned them against falsifying reports. But after investigating, I found it was all true."
"Since the Nightmare Spirit incident, not a single soldier has died in H City. Every malevolent spirit has been eliminated on the same day it appeared. The civilian casualties occurred because the combat units couldn't react in time."
The boss listened in astonishment. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," the man confirmed.
"How is that possible? Has H City discovered a faster way to eliminate these spirits?" the boss asked. He had been working tirelessly to find better methods, but to no avail. They could only rely on Maoshan and Taoist texts for methods of dealing with ghosts and spirits.
While somewhat effective, these methods weren't decisive. They couldn't guarantee a one-hit kill, which meant their soldiers were constantly in grave danger.
The man shook his head. "No, H City is still using the same old methods. It's very strange. Logically, this shouldn't be possible, but since the Nightmare Spirit incident, they haven't had any casualties."
Losing a few soldiers would be understandable, but this was baffling. They had handled so many incidents without a single soldier dying. What was the reason?
"Alright, regardless of the circumstances, we need to publicize this. Ever since the malevolent spirits appeared, the citizens have been living in fear, believing we're no match for them, that humanity is doomed."
"But now we have this unit. We must publicize their success." The boss paused, formulating a plan. Publicity. They needed widespread publicity. This would be a much-needed boost for the citizens' morale, reassuring them and giving them hope for the future.
"Yes, I understand," the man replied. The boss was right. Even without understanding the reason, it didn't matter. They needed to figure out what was happening, but for the citizens, they needed strong soldiers and the belief that the country could protect them. That was enough.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone