Bab 76: Chapter 76: Rescue the Insider
The name Wei Qing called out was like a thunderclap, exploding in Dai Shiya's heart. She never thought that it would be him - Professor Qin, her college mentor, a highly respected professor of archaeology who had disappeared after she graduated. Complex emotions surged in Dai Shiya's heart, surprise, confusion, and a hint of indescribable uneasiness.
"It's him..." Dai Shiya muttered to herself, her mind full of thoughts, but was brought back to reality by Wei Qing's anxious voice. "We must find him as soon as possible!" Wei Qing's tone was firm and unquestionable. Dai Shiya nodded heavily, suppressing the waves in her heart.
Professor Qin's residence is located in a secluded courtyard on the outskirts of the city. The blue bricks and black tiles are antique and out of tune with the surrounding modern buildings. This is very consistent with Dai Shiya's memory of Professor Qin's elegant temperament.
After a bumpy ride, the car finally stopped at the gate of the courtyard. The two got out of the car and pushed open the half-closed wooden door. A faint scent of sandalwood hit them. In the courtyard, an old man was sitting at a stone table, holding an ancient book in his hand, reading it intently. Hearing the noise, the old man raised his head, and his cloudy eyes were filled with fear when he saw Dai Shiya and Wei Qing.
"How...how did you find me?" the old man asked in a trembling voice, and the book in his hand fell to the ground.
Dai Shiya recognized him at a glance. Although the years had left traces on his face, his eyes, full of wisdom, were still the same as in her memory. "Professor Qin, long time no see." Dai Shiya tried to make her tone sound calmer, hoping to ease the old man's nervousness.
However, Professor Qin's reaction was beyond her expectations. He did not show the joy of seeing an old friend, but was more terrified, his eyes were erratic, and he kept looking around, as if he was afraid that something would suddenly appear.
"I... I don't know what you are talking about! You have the wrong person!" Professor Qin denied in panic and tried to get up and leave, but was stopped by Wei Qing.
"Professor Qin, we have no ill intentions." Wei Qing said gently, trying to comfort him, "We just want to ask you some questions."
"I don't know anything! Please leave!" Professor Qin's tone was almost pleading, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. His horrified look gave Dai Shiya a sense of foreboding.
"Professor Qin, we know that you have done some research on those symbols, and you also know some secrets about 'traveling through books.'" Dai Shiya went straight to the point and stated the purpose of this trip directly.
Hearing the words "through a book", Professor Qin's body trembled violently, and his face turned pale instantly. He widened his eyes in horror, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes. Professor Qin's reaction undoubtedly confirmed their guess that he did know something.
"Professor Qin, please believe us. We have no ill intentions. We just want to know the truth." Dai Shiya emphasized again, her tone more sincere.
Professor Qin slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with fear and despair. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and he couldn't make any sound. He pointed his trembling hand into the house, his eyes filled with pleading... "I..."
"I..." Professor Qin pointed his trembling finger towards the house, and a hoarse voice came out of his throat, but he could not utter a complete word. His terrified eyes seemed to be telling something silently. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing followed his gaze. The house was dark and they could not see anything clearly. However, a cold breath permeated from it, which made people shudder.
"Professor Qin, what do you want to say? What's in the room?" Dai Shiya asked softly, trying to guide him to say what was in his mind.
Professor Qin took a deep breath, as if he had mustered up all his courage, and finally uttered a few words incoherently: "They... they have been monitoring me... threatening me..."
"Who are they?" Wei Qing asked.
Professor Qin shook his head, his eyes full of fear, "I don't know... I don't know who they are... but they are very powerful... I dare not say... If I say... my family... will..." He choked and could no longer speak, tears streaming down his face.
Dai Shiya understood his concerns. She held Professor Qin's hand and said firmly, "Professor Qin, don't worry. As long as you tell us the truth, we will protect you and your family. We are capable of ensuring your safety."
Professor Qin seemed not to hear her words. He was still immersed in fear and kept repeating: "I can't say... I can't say..." His body trembled even more violently, as if he would collapse at any time.
Just as Dai Shiya was about to persuade him further, suddenly, a gust of wind blew past the window, and the branches in the yard shook violently, making a harsh friction sound. Then, with a loud "bang", the glass of a window in the house shattered inexplicably, and the scattered glass fragments reflected a frightening cold light in the dim light.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing were both startled by this sudden change. They looked around vigilantly but did not find any suspicious figures.
"Ah!" Professor Qin let out a terrified scream, pointed at the wall inside the room, and trembled all over.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing followed his gaze and saw a line of shocking blood words appear on the originally white wall: "Those who meddle in other people's business will die!"
The bloody words were bright red, as if they were written with blood, and they gave off a strong, nauseating smell. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly, and a chilly atmosphere filled the air, making people feel creepy.
Professor Qin slumped on the ground, his eyes empty, as if he had lost all hope, and kept muttering to himself: "It's over... Everything is over..."
Wei Qing quickly stepped forward to support him and comforted him softly, "Professor Qin, don't be afraid, we will definitely protect you."
Dai Shiya stared at the bloody words on the wall, and a chill ran from her feet to her head. This was no ordinary prank, but a naked threat, a warning from an unknown force. She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm, turned to Wei Qing and said, "Let's first..." Before she finished her words, there was another strange noise in the room... "Let's settle Professor Qin first." Dai Shiya said calmly, her eyes swept across the scattered glass fragments in the room, her brows furrowed.
Wei Qing understood what he meant and helped Professor Qin, who was limp, to rest in the next room. She whispered to comfort the frightened old man while vigilantly observing the surrounding environment, not letting any movement escape her eyes.
Dai Shiya walked to the window and carefully examined the broken glass, trying to find some clues. The window was shattered from the outside, but there were no suspicious traces left at the scene, as if the force appeared out of thin air and disappeared out of thin air.
"How is it?" After Wei Qing settled Professor Qin, she walked over to Dai Shiya and asked.
"The other party is very cautious and did not leave any clues." Dai Shiya shook her head and said solemnly, "It seems that we have to be fully prepared."
They returned to the house and began to arrange some defensive measures. Dai Shiya took out a few talismans from her bag and pasted them in various corners of the room. These talismans were brought from her family and were said to be able to ward off evil spirits. Wei Qing used some tools she brought with her to set up some simple alarm devices around the room.
After doing all this, they returned to Professor Qin again, hoping to get more information about "them" from him. However, Professor Qin was so frightened that he was unconscious and could only repeat "I can't say, I can't say..." and could not provide any valuable clues at all.
As night fell, the whole room fell into a dead silence, with only the whistling wind and the slapping of branches outside the window, adding a bit of horror to the atmosphere. Dai Shiya and Wei Qing took turns guarding Professor Qin, not daring to relax at all.
Suddenly, the lights in the room began to flicker, and a cold atmosphere spread again. The bloody words on the wall seemed to come alive, emitting a strange light.
"Here it comes!" Dai Shiya whispered, clenching the talisman in her hand.
Wei Qing was also on full alert, staring closely at every corner of the room, not daring to miss any clues.
The mysterious power became stronger and stronger. The temperature in the room dropped sharply, the furniture began to shake for no reason, and the cracks on the wall became larger and larger, as if they would collapse at any time. The spells and alarm devices lost their effect, as if they were suppressed by an invisible force.
At this moment, Dai Shiya suddenly discovered that the attacks of this mysterious force seemed to have a certain pattern, and each appearance was accompanied by flashing lights and temperature changes.
"Wei Qing, turn on the lights!" Dai Shiya shouted.
Wei Qing immediately understood, quickly ran to the switch, and began to control the lights on and off regularly.
As the lights changed, the attack rhythm of the mysterious force was disrupted, and the strange vision in the room gradually disappeared. Dai Shiya took the opportunity to observe the surrounding environment, trying to find the source of this power.
"It seems that we have found a breakthrough." Dai Shiya smiled and took out a black stone from her bag. "But..." She paused and turned to look at Wei Qing, "We need more things..."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone