NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: Comet 1
The demon hunter woman's death sentence for the bizarre cavern changed from "immediate execution" to "delayed execution."
This turn of events allowed me a small sigh of relief.
Since the destruction of the cavern had been postponed until tomorrow, I could go explore it again today.
However, how much I could explore in such a little bit of time was uncertain. The most crucial issue was that I did not understand the pattern of the cavern's appearance and disappearance.
Why the cavern appeared when Changan was alone the night before last, and when both Changan and I were present, and then disappeared after Agent Kong arrived—the answer must lie within these events.
I continued to monitor the conversation between Agent Kong and the demon hunter woman, pondering the terms they had mentioned before.
The "Fallen Demon Hunter" they spoke of was undoubtedly the serial killer. As for whether it specifically referred to Mazao was yet to be known; the term "demon hunter" clearly indicated someone who hunts things related to demons. The definition of "demon" likely extended beyond just strange things like the cavern, including the Fallen Demon Hunter.
As for the term "fallen," it might suggest that the prey of some demon hunters changed from "demons" to "people," a theory that echoed the recent criminal behavior of the serial killer.
The demon hunter woman spoke with a sense of mission to exterminate strange beings and also mentioned that Luo Mountain should deepen its cooperation with the public security departments. I believed that "Luo Mountain" might be a supernatural organization with official recognition or perhaps even an anonymous official organization different from the public security departments.
Indeed, there was an organization that specifically dealt with supernatural events!
I couldn't help but feel a thrill that I could not easily express to others, as if witnessing a fantastic and wild fantasy slowly becoming reality.
Afterward, the demon hunter woman seemed to have run out of things to discuss with Agent Kong. The agent quickly ended the call and then turned to return to the residential complex, arriving at the door of that house.
He took out his keys, unlocked the door, and entered the house to inspect it.
His primary focus was the ritual array on the floor. He did not step haphazardly into the Array but walked around its perimeter, observing the state of the Array from different angles. He also took out his phone and took several pictures of the Array.
To avoid being suddenly seen by him, the "Firefly" I was controlling stuck itself to his back.
"It doesn't make sense," he muttered to himself. "Why can this incomplete Array be activated? There's clearly no sufficient conditions nearby to compensate for the Array's defects..."
He checked several more times, then finally gave up, casually pulling the black plush carpet at the side back over and then leaving the house.
-
While continuing to monitor Agent Kong, I was not idle in my own position.
I maintained my surveillance while moving to a nearby computer city to purchase equipment needed for exploring the cavern later.
After Agent Kong left, I didn't rush back to that house but instead released some additional "Fireflies" both inside and outside the complex to check for any suspicious figures.
Even Agent Kong and the demon hunter woman were unaware of why the Fallen Demon Hunter had set up the ritual array in that house. Thus, I had to consider the possibility that "the appearance of the cavern coincided with the expectations of the Fallen Demon Hunter," implying it could be a deliberate act by the Fallen Demon Hunter.
Could the Fallen Demon Hunter have been closely monitoring the movements in the fifteenth-floor room? Although it was highly unlikely that he had been doing so for eight months, it was entirely possible that he had maintained intense surveillance during the periods when someone was living in the room.
I did not want to be spied on by such an unknown danger while I was exploring the cavern.
Perhaps I should include the landlord on the list of suspects. A person in such a position could know when someone moved in and could reasonably pay attention to the changes in the room.
I was currently monitoring four different areas simultaneously: Mazao, Changan, Agent Kong's locations, and the inside and outside of the complex where the fifteenth-floor room was located. In other words, all these scenarios were unfolding in my mind at once, with the last one being particularly significant. It felt like trying to solve multiple unrelated complex problems at high intensity. Even though I concentrated most of my attention on the last one, my focus was rapidly depleting.
I took breaks now and then to gaze at the distant scenery to relax my mind before continuing the checks. However, even after searching till evening, checking every place I could, I still found no one who matched the "suspicious figure" criteria in or around the complex.
Were they truly not there, or had I failed to find them? I could not afford to spend too much time on this matter; I still needed to explore the cavern.
I likely wouldn't be able to return home tonight and needed to inform Mazao. Unfortunately, we did not have a landline at home, and Mazao did not have a mobile phone—at least I hadn't found one on her the night before. It seemed I would need to take a moment to go back home and let her know.
Besides, there were some questions I had to ask her in person.
I was also getting hungry; going home would give me a chance to eat.
...Come to think of it, I felt like I was forgetting something.
-
I soon arrived back at the door of my own home.
Through the "Fireflies" in the room, I had already seen Mazao before I even opened the door. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room, hugging her knees and curling into a small bundle. The rolled sleeves and pant legs piled layer upon layer, and her loose and oversized clothes made her appear even more delicate.
She hadn't turned on the lights or the TV. She just sat there in silence, gazing out of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the scenery, reminding one of a small household appliance in standby power-saving mode.
At this moment, the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window was in the transition between dark blue and dusky yellow of the evening, casting a faint sense of sorrow on her small silhouette.
I inserted the key into the lock, and the slight noise instantly made her spring into alertness as if an invisible switch had been pressed, her head turning swiftly toward the entrance.
When I opened the door, she had already leaped off the sofa swiftly, then stumbled and fell.
"...What are you doing?" I said, dumbfounded.
"..." She propped herself up with the help of the coffee table next to her, stiffening her face as if to mask her embarrassment.
Then, she slowly walked up to me and circled around, scrutinizing me from top to bottom. She came closer for a more detailed inspection, seemingly trying to discern some signs from the gaps in the fabric of my clothes. She also occasionally sniffed, trying to detect certain scents.
I didn't understand her intentions and raised both my arms in cooperation with her inspection, asking again, "What are you doing?"
She looked up at me and then retreated two steps.
"...You came back really late," she remarked as if probing something, with a hint of dissatisfaction.
I had told her before leaving that I was just stepping out for a bit, but I ended up spending most of the day outside, which was indeed my fault. That said, I couldn't tell her the truth, so I vaguely excused myself, "Just had something to do with a friend."
"You didn't run into something out there, did you?" she asked with a furrowed brow.
"Run into something—as in?" I played dumb.
She began listing possibilities: "For instance, have you encountered someone who should be dead suddenly appearing before you, or a road appearing in places where there should be no roads, or have mysterious limbs and organs sprouted on your body that humans shouldn't have..."
Is that what she was talking about? Did the various disasters she might attract include phenomena that sounded like unnameable mutations? I kept my cool while internally mocking the notion and replied, "No."
"Are you sure?" she asked, not reassured.
"Absolutely sure," I lied through my teeth, even though the "cave" fit perfectly with the second scenario she described.
"That's good then," she seemed to believe that I had no reason or the nerve to lie about this and showed a relieved expression.
Immediately after, she hesitated and looked towards the door behind me, "But maybe I should leave first, if I stay here..."
"No!" I blurted out reflexively.
"Ah?" She jumped, startled.
"How could I possibly let a girl who can't protect herself wander around outside on her own?" I quickly lowered my volume, trying to appear reliable, "Don't worry, I won't get into any accidents, and I will cover for you as much as possible during this time."
"Uh, thank, thank you?" She looked utterly perplexed.
I felt that my reaction had indeed been too extreme, but I couldn't help it; I sincerely didn't want to let her go. It wasn't just the secrets about her I hadn't unraveled yet, the fact that it was the first time in many years I had encountered a supernatural event, perhaps thanks to her "Broom Star Physique," made me wish I could buy a baby carrier from an online shopping app and attach her to myself like an infant, staying close 24/7.
I admit that nursing such thoughts for a girl a few years younger in puberty is pretty distasteful, and even if I were given the chance, I probably wouldn't really do it. I only said that to express my feelings.
However, given Mazao's ability to attract calamities, there was something I had to ask.
Even though it might raise her suspicions about what I had said earlier, I had to confirm something as soon as possible out of responsibility.
I placed my backpack next to the shoe cabinet, turned on the living room lights, and then looked at her.
"Mazao, I want to ask you a question, is that okay?"
"Go ahead and ask," Mazao cautiously responded, "Whether I answer or not will depend on your question."
"The people around you are affected by your special constitution and become susceptible to encountering the supernatural, you mentioned that before, right?"
"Yes."
"Is this limited only to people around you?" I asked, "Or does it spread further, affecting friends of friends, leading them to also encounter strange and dangerous incidents?"