Rebuffed so explicitly by Li Yunlong, Agent David had no choice but to swallow his frustration, though his face darkened even further. To offer a grain of reassurance, Li Yunlong felt obliged to explain a bit more. «Allow me to outline the specific steps of the ritual.»
Agents David and Gillian immediately focused their attention. Dealing with ghosts wasn't exactly a novel concept in movies or novels, but entertainment was one thing; crossing paths with a real spirit in the flesh was entirely another. Even as elite FBI agents who had handled their fair share of bizarre, unusual cases, this was their first encounter with something genuinely paranormal. With a professional like Li Yunlong guiding them, they intended to listen with utmost seriousness-a single lapse in attention could easily cost them their lives. Neither of them was foolish enough to misjudge the gravity of the situation.
«In a moment, Agent David, you will take a seat in the chair,» Li Yunlong instructed. «I will place the mirror on the table. The instant I say 'ready,' you must firmly press the shell of the mirror down using all ten fingertips. After that, I will allow a silence of roughly thirty seconds for you to adjust your breathing and concentrate your mind. Then, I will begin chanting the incantation to cast the spell. You need not concern yourself with any of that-simply keep your mind focused and stay prepared. Throughout the process, you will be acting as the medium; you do not need to do anything extra.»
He turned his gaze toward the female agent. «Agent Gillian, your responsibility is to handle any unforeseen accidents. The ritual itself takes very little time-a few minutes if it goes smoothly, and no more than fifteen minutes at most. Under normal circumstances, Agent David will remain seated and motionless during the casting, looking as though he has fallen asleep. However, we must account for unexpected variables. Everyone's constitution is different. Just as some people sleep peacefully in bed while others get up and sleepwalk, if an anomaly occurs, Agent Gillian, you must ensure our safety while simultaneously keeping Agent David secure. Can you manage that?»
«No problem,» Agent Gillian replied. «We've undergone specialized close-quarters combat training. I scored an A.»
«Good. That covers the basics. Do either of you have any questions?»
Agent David raised his hand to signal he had one. «Mr. Brook Lee, you mentioned earlier that the killer left a curse trap. Acting as the medium, will I be cursed?»
«You don't need to worry about that,» Li Yunlong replied. «I am the one casting the spell. If the killer wants to curse you, he'll have to get through me first. As long as I hold the line against his curse up front, it won't touch you.»
«And what if you can't hold the line?» David asked.
«I'm no fool. Why would I stubborn my way through if I can't hold it?» Li Yunlong scoffed mildly. «Should that happen, I will forcibly sever the spell. Deprived of a target, the killer's curse will naturally become useless. The only consequence would be my spell failing-our physical safety will remain intact.»
Agent David raised his hand once more, indicating yet another question. «Mr. Brook Lee, what exactly will I encounter while you're performing the evocation? How am I supposed to react?»
Li Yunlong stared deeply at Agent David, his gaze so intense it made the agent squirm. «Asking that question is not a good sign for you.»
David looked perplexed. «Isn't gathering as much information as possible before an operation a vital rule for avoiding failure?»
Li Yunlong spread his hands helplessly. «As ordinary people, you know virtually nothing about the dangers of the occult. In these circumstances, very few things can protect you, and a steadfast faith is one of them. As qualified FBI agents, you've been trained to habitually question everything. But when applied to paranormal events, that habit strips away your mental fortitude. Without faith, and without specialized spiritual training, your mind becomes like a castle made of sand-it might look solid on the surface, but in truth, it is fragile enough to be destroyed with ease.»
Agent David swallowed hard, clearly sensing trouble. «So now that I've asked… what's going to happen?»
«It isn't about whether you spoke the question aloud,» Li Yunlong said. «It's about the fact that doubt has taken root in your mind. If you had no such doubts, even as an ordinary person, your chances of coming through unharmed would be fifty-fifty. But now that doubt has surfaced, your exposure to danger has increased by twenty percent, whether you voiced it or not.»
A fine sheen of sweat broke out on David's forehead. «Just having a little doubt makes it that dangerous?!»
Li Yunlong sighed. «It seems you still haven't grasped what you're dealing with. According to the files you gave me, the killer is a ruthless serial murderer who snuffs out innocent lives without a shred of mercy. Based on my knowledge, I have a reasonable hypothesis about his identity: he is likely a practitioner who has fallen into the demonic path.»
«We know he's insane, evil, and dangerous!» David interjected.
«You don't understand the true extent of his peril,» Li Yunlong corrected him. «Do you know why the victims' remains ended up in such a hideous state? It's because their souls and life forces were forcibly extracted by the killer, a process that inflicts unimaginable agony upon the victim. He most likely did this to harness their souls and life forces to amplify his own power. It's even very probable that he intentionally prolonged their suffering, solely to cultivate the cursed demonic energy birthed from that agony.»
Li Yunlong paused, his tone growing darker. «If my hypothesis holds true, then while the killer enjoys this power, he must also bear a portion of that curse's weight. A curse forged from the agonizing death of a victim's soul and vitality cannot be cleansed entirely. The reason he waits for a set period between murders is almost certainly because he uses some method to suppress those curses. But killing one person is easy; as the body count rises, the curses grow exponentially stronger. He has been killing for three years. If he has already descended into absolute madness, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised!»
Sweat was now actively rolling down Agent David's face. «Meaning… we're very likely facing a lunatic who commands supernatural power!»
Li Yunlong nodded. «Precisely!»
«But what does that have to do with my mind? Why does my risk increase?» David pressed.
«When I perform the evocation, you will occupy the position of the medium,» Li Yunlong explained. «While the spell is active, you will be in a state akin to a conscious dream, contacting the victim's spirit, soul, and mental faculties from the perspective of a third party. You will experience fragments of the deceased's memories-including, but not limited to, the final moments of their life. This process transcends all human language; it operates strictly on the spiritual plane, dealing a massive psychological shock to your psyche.»
He looked straight into David's eyes. «To emerge unscathed from that shock, you must rely entirely on your own mental strength. The killer may well have set a trap, taking advantage of that spiritual bridge to intervene mid-process. You don't need to worry about the curse itself-I can handle that. The real danger is that while contacting the victim's spirit, you might also have to face the killer's warped, malevolent mind! Even if I completely block his curse, and even if you know full well that it's like watching a movie-that you are sitting safely in the theater, not inside the film-his sheer madness and evil can still taint you. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you! It's a zero-sum game, David. Whoever possesses the stronger will takes all.»
Agent David hesitated for a long time. «What happens if I win?»
«Not only will you remain unharmed, but your spirit will undergo a profound transformation,» Li Yunlong said. «Your mind will become immensely resilient, equivalent to years of dedicated cultivation by a standard practitioner.»
… And if I lose?
«You go mad.»
Grouting his teeth viciously, Agent David ignored the worried look Agent Gillian shot him. «Then there's nothing to sweat about. When my girlfriend broke up with me, she swore I was already crazy. How much crazier could I get?! Gillian, get ready. Mr. Brook Lee, perform the ritual! I'm ready!»
Seeing that Agent David had made up his mind, Li Yunlong wasted no more time. Pulling tools from his pocket, he drew a talisman on the spot and slapped it onto the glass surface of the mirror, placing it face down on the table. He then drew a second talisman and affixed it to David's forehead. Signaling David to press his ten fingertips firmly against the mirror's casing, Li Yunlong gave Agent Gillian a stern nod, prompting her to stay alert.
With both agents prepared, Li Yunlong's expression turned solemn and austere. Bringing his fingertips together, he began chanting an eerie, archaic incantation. Gillian tried to listen, but the words were utterly indecipherable to her ears. The effect, however, was immediately palpable. The strange syllables overlapped in layers, weaving together through some mechanism beyond her comprehension. Even though Li Yunlong had placed a protective spell on her beforehand, Gillian felt a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea. It was as though a wild, burning beast had been caged inside her body, thrashing wildly and desperate to break free.
Fortunately, the sensation remained within her limit of self-control. Gritting her teeth against the overwhelming discomfort, Gillian noticed that while David remained seated with his fingers pinned tightly to the mirror's rim, his body was trembling violently in an unnatural rhythm. Bulging veins snaked across his exposed skin, particularly on his face, where a dense network of black-blue lines looked horrifyingly sinister. Though his eyes were squeezed shut, she could see his eyeballs darting rapidly underneath his eyelids.
Despite her prior mental preparation, Gillian felt her scalp go numb as a chill surged straight up her spine. Was everything on the occult side this bizarre, this treacherous?
Even as a mere bystander on the fringes of the evocation, Gillian could feel her mental state fracturing. Her focus shattered, her consciousness scattering into a chaotic blur. At times, it felt as though vast chunks of her memory were being ripped away, leaving her with no recollection of the time passing-until Li Yunlong suddenly thundered, «Halt! Spirits of the deep, awake at once!»
Like someone startled awake from a nightmare, Gillian snapped back to her senses with a jolt. The oppressive horror vanished instantly, leaving them once more in the quiet, mundane reality of the physical world.