Chapter 110: The Unveiling
Chapter 110: The Unveiling
Sun Dagold, with a troubled expression, recounted, "Yesterday, during the ceremony at the ancestral hall, that thing suddenly appeared. The people inside the hall became like possessed, bowing down to it as if in a trance. No matter how we tried to stop them, they wouldn't listen, and more and more people fell under its influence."
"I immediately realized something was wrong and went out to evacuate the town's residents. But it was already too late; out of the thousand or so people in the town, around three to four hundred have been affected."
"I turned back, intending to rush in and destroy that thing, but it cost us another dozen brothers. With no other choice, we had to retreat."
Although only about twenty security team members remained with him, it wouldn't be difficult to gather a hundred or so evacuated townsfolk. The problem was that the flying head was incredibly tricky to deal with; getting close to it could easily drive people insane, causing them to bow down to it. Some even turned red with fervor.
The affected townsfolk were all relatives, making it impossible for the security team to take action against them. With no other option, they could only retreat in disarray.
After the arrival of the commission council members, someone suggested using fire trucks to disperse the crowd, but Sun Dagold vehemently disagreed. In such cold weather, using cold water could easily injure or harm the residents, especially the elderly and children in the ancestral hall.
Some members of the commission council, unconvinced, attempted to intervene without harming anyone, but to no avail. Surprisingly, one of their own even knelt down and bowed to the flying heads like the affected townsfolk. This shocked everyone, and without a way to counter the flying heads, no one dared to rush in recklessly.
A lead commissioner from the commission council approached Chen Chuan and inquired, "Chen Entrustee, I heard that once the flying head is eliminated, everyone will regain their senses. Is that true?"
Sun Dagold also looked on expectantly.
Chen Chuan replied, "That's correct, but if we get too close, the nearby townsfolk will surely attack us. Even if we approach from the outskirts, we can't avoid confrontation with them."
Disappointment flashed across the commissioner's face. If this were the case, they could only rely on Chen Chuan at the last moment or during critical times. The task of breaking through the crowd would still fall on them.
At that moment, everyone heard a sound resembling a bird's cry or a child's wail.
Chen Chuan looked up and saw a black dot in the distance, flying like a bird. But he could clearly see that it wasn't a bird; it was unmistakably a human head! The ears of the head flapped like wings, and its facial expression was ambiguous, somewhere between a smile and a smirk. It circled above a building before descending back down.
Sun Dagold's expression turned grim. "Chen Entrustee, that's the ancestral hall over there. That thing comes out to fly around every hour."
Chen Chuan's face showed a contemplative expression.
One of the commissioners grew impatient and said, "Captain Sun, we sympathize with the plight of Sunjia Town, but we've been tasked with solving this problem. It's difficult for us to achieve our goal without harming anyone.
"But you should know that if we fail, the Government Hall might deploy the Patrol Squad next time. They are armed and known for their brutality, unlike us, who prefer a more reasonable approach."
Sun Dagold hesitated, knowing that the commissioner's words held truth. The Patrol Bureau would only follow orders from above, and in their pursuit of a solution, they might not show mercy to the irrational townsfolk.
Chen Chuan spoke up, "It's not necessary for us to go in there." Everyone turned to look at him.
He continued, "The reason that flying head keeps coming out is that it's looking for sacrificial offerings. The townsfolk are merely influenced by it and have lost their senses. Without someone to guide them, they don't know how to set up an altar. So, if we set up a simple sacrificial site outside and offer sacrifices, it will come to us on its own."
Sun Dagold's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Chen Entrustee, will it work?"
Chen Chuan nodded at him and then addressed the other commissioners, "However, when the flying head is attacked, the irrational townsfolk might try to stop us. That's where I'll need your help."
Upon hearing this, the commissioners responded in unison, "Chen Entrustee, leave it to us!"
Chen Chuan was well aware that when the flying head appeared, the townsfolk wouldn't move randomly, and they couldn't run as fast as it could fly. By the time they reached the hall, he might have already dealt with the situation.
However, this would make the other commissioners feel useless, potentially leading to a decline in their evaluation. By suggesting this solution, Chen Chuan ensured that his evaluation would remain positive, regardless of whether it worked or not.
He wasn't merely giving face to these commissioners; they had a substantial number of people with martial power. Twenty security team members couldn't stop them if they decided to charge in. Even without weapons, the commissioners could still pose a threat to the unarmed townsfolk. But they chose to respect the townsfolk's well-being and refrained from taking drastic action. Chen Chuan appreciated their consideration and was willing to lend a hand.
He turned to Sun Dagold and said, "Captain Sun, I need you to do a few things and gather some items."
Sun Dagold quickly responded, "Chen Entrustee, just tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you!"
Chen Chuan instructed, "First, disperse the unrelated onlookers around the area. When the flying head appears later, they might be severely influenced by it."
One of the commissioners spoke up, "We brought restraint ropes this time, which might be helpful."
Sun Dagold exclaimed, "That's great!" He pulled a town security team member aside and instructed him to assist with crowd control. Then, turning to Chen Chuan, he asked, "Chen Entrustee, what else do you need?"
Chen Chuan listed the items he required, and Sun Dagold immediately directed the town residents and team members to gather the necessary items. Within half an hour, they had collected everything Chen Chuan requested.
As instructed, the villagers followed Chen Chuan's instructions and dismantled the stone bricks to create a temporary altar, even bringing a sheep and knocking it unconscious to place on top.
However, along with the offering, someone needed to step forward and bow to complete the ritual.
Chen Chuan chose two security team members who were hesitant and trembling. He reassured them, "Don't worry. Even if you lose control, we'll handle the flying skull, and you'll recover quickly."
Sun Dagang noticed their hesitation and kicked one of them, followed by several lashes with his belt. "What are you staring at? Are you trying to embarrass us? Go on, get up there!"
The two team members, forced by Sun Dagang's scolding, reluctantly approached the altar and knelt down. Chen Chuan, following his instructions, personally stepped forward and slashed the sheep's throat with a longsword. A gush of blood sprayed out, quickly pooling in the basin below, filling the air with a strong, pungent smell.
Sun Dagang shouted at the two stunned team members, "What are you staring at? Bow! Bow!"
The two men, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly bowed repeatedly towards the altar.
The surrounding villagers also quickly dispersed, all of them tense and solemn, waiting for something to happen. However, after a while, there was no sign of any activity.
Just as everyone began to doubt the effectiveness of the ritual, Chen Chuan suddenly noticed a sign of transformation on his second self. He raised his head and said, "Over there."
Everyone looked up and was startled to see that, at some point, one of the flying skulls had already reached above their heads.
Chen Chuan took a closer look and realized that this flying skull was different from the one he had seen earlier. It seemed there were two of them.
This situation was beyond his expectations; he hadn't anticipated there being two.
Without further thought, he reached into his pocket, took out some stones, and threw them towards the flying skull. One of the stones hit the skull, startling it, causing it to emit an unpleasant screech and fly away.
Sun Dagang was puzzled. "Chen Chuan, what...?"
Chen Chuan explained, "There are two flying skulls. We can only deal with one at a time. Send a few people to drive this one away, but don't get too close to avoid being affected."
A member of the Commission Council immediately volunteered, "Chen Chuan, leave it to us." He led a group of people, equipped with prepared tools, to drive the flying skull away.
Before long, a horrible screech was heard, and a black dot emerged from the village, heading towards them.
Chen Chuan instructed, "Step back, everyone, step back."
The villagers quickly retreated, leaving only Chen Chuan standing in front.
The flying skull flew directly to the altar, circling a couple of times above it. Everyone could see that on this skull, the skin on its face seemed to be tightly attached to the bone, yet it was also covered in wrinkles. At that moment, the skull revealed an expression of pleasure and thirst, and it couldn't wait to plunge into the pool of blood.
At this point, except for the two team members still bowing, some of the security team members who were standing close by suddenly began to convulse. They were quickly restrained by the Commission Council members. Meanwhile, further away, those who were watching from behind the rope barrier also started to vomit, and soon, only a few could still stand.
Chen Chuan glanced at his second self, who now exhibited obvious signs of transformation. Taking a deep breath, he plunged the Snow Lady Sword into the ground, holding onto the hilt as he walked forward, slowly pulling the blade out.
His initial steps were slow, but the flying skull, still unaware, continued to gnaw on the sheep, making chewing sounds. However, as Chen Chuan drew closer, the skull seemed to sense something and looked up warily.
Chen Chuan kept a close eye on its movements. Although he wasn't yet within the ideal range for a strike, he couldn't afford to wait any longer. In an instant, he covered the distance of seven or eight meters, and a flash of light passed by!
The flying skull, despite its attempt to dodge, was struck, and a small piece of flesh and half an ear flew off. However, this didn't seem to affect its flight, and the remaining part continued to rise. The spectators behind Chen Chuan grew anxious as the skull seemed about to escape the range of the sword.
Chen Chuan remained calm and collected. Suddenly, he drew the Halberd Gun from his waist and fired seven shots at the skull, creating bloody holes on its surface.
The flying skull wobbled a few times before falling straight down, hitting the ground with a loud thud. At that moment, the transformation on Chen Chuan's second self intensified, as if some powerful force was affecting it.
Unperturbed, Chen Chuan holstered his gun and approached the skull calmly. With a stomp of his foot, the skull was crushed under his boot. He turned around, his expression calm, and addressed the stunned onlookers, "Captain Sun."
Sun Dagang, as if waking from a dream, rushed forward, his eyes filled with excitement and tension.
Chen Chuan spoke in a steady tone, "Captain Sun, please set up another altar to attract the other flying skull. Now that we've seen it, let's get rid of it too."
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(End of Chapter)
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