Angela's head started to sway, her neck, torso, and limbs following in rhythm until her whole body convulsed like she was in a trance. The bells and tambourines jingled wildly as she chanted in an eerie, almost comical tone, "Soul~~~ come~~~ back~~~" Her hands rose, trembling, as she began her dance—a chaotic, awkward exorcist's ritual.
"Go~~ to~~ the~~ river~~ of~~ eternity~~"
"What~~ lies~~ in~~ the~~ four~~ directions~~"
"Leave~~ your~~ earthly~~ pleasures~~ behind~~"
Luo Shu recognized these words from the Summoning of the Soul in Chu Ci. The scene was both terrifying and absurd: a morgue, cold lights, a beautiful woman dressed as a shaman, dancing crazily in front of a corpse.
He couldn't help but wonder what kind of bizarre game world she'd experienced to obtain such a skill…
Embarrassing, clumsy, but undeniably effective.
As Angela completed the ritual, the gray smoke from the incense began to coalesce, forming the vague outline of a woman's face.
Angela, drained from the skill, had lost a third of her health and nearly half of her Sanity Level, leaving her sweating and pale. Her Sanity Level had dropped to 56%, and her vision distorted, images around her blurring as she hallucinated blood seeping from the corpse.
Fighting through the illusions, she squeezed her eyes shut, reminding herself that it was just a side effect of her rapidly diminishing Sanity Level.
The smoky figure had delicate eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, a ghostly but recognizable face—Yvonne He.
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes. Due to being summoned abruptly, Yvonne's soul appeared dazed, her gaze empty and distant, a stark contrast to the graceful woman in her photos.
Angela, struggling to stay focused, addressed her. "Yvonne He, listen carefully. You are dead. I'm a detective hired by your father to solve your case. I used a method to summon your soul, but you can only answer in seven words. Do you understand?"
Yvonne's soul seemed disoriented, frowning slightly.
Angela clenched her jaw. It was her first time using this skill, and it seemed the soul was not entirely coherent. If they delayed, the soul might dissipate.
Luo Shu saw her hesitation. "Ask her directly! Let's take what we can get."
Angela nodded and asked, "What is a clue about your killer?"
It was an awkward phrasing but within the rules, and broad enough to let Yvonne's soul choose what information to provide.
Yvonne's expression shifted, her smoky eyes filling with unease and fear.
In a chilling voice from the beyond, she spoke:
"School… creature… many… me…"
With that, the incense sticks snuffed out, a thin wisp of green smoke rising as the spirit dispersed.
Angela collapsed, breathing heavily. "Finally… a clue! School…?"
Frank, who had been anxiously waiting, looked ecstatic, as though he'd just been freed from a burden. "School! There was a creature at the school that killed her! We can go to the police, get them to investigate the local schools!"
Angela, still exhausted but pleased, agreed. "Yes! Now that we have this clue… with Hunter He's permit, we can get police cooperation to investigate the schools, check people, surveillance, any unusual incidents!"
Frank asked hesitantly, "Won't this take a long time? We only have 23 hours…"
Angela struggled to her feet, ignoring her hallucinations. "It's our best option. With AI facial recognition in 2029, I'm sure they'll find something quickly!"
Frank was impatient. "Then let's hurry!"
"Let's go!" Angela agreed.
The two rushed toward the exit but paused when they noticed Luo Shu hadn't followed. Angela called back, "Come on! What are you doing, daydreaming?"
Luo Shu felt something was off. From the moment he first saw Yvonne's photo, this feeling had been like a splinter in his mind. Seeing her soul had only intensified the unease, but it was too vague to explain.
He could only try to find some logical discrepancy. "The words 'school' and 'creature' are clear enough, but what did she mean by 'many me…'? Many of what? Many people like her? Many people she feared? Many what?"
Angela rolled her eyes, frustrated by his fixation on seemingly minor details. "Who cares what she meant to say? She didn't finish, and we can't guess the rest. We've got two solid clues—let's focus on those!"
Frank, who was starting to feel wary of Luo Shu, also sided with Angela. "She's right. We only have time to follow the lead we have. Are you coming or not? If not, we're going ahead. Call if you find anything."
Luo Shu glanced back at the corpse, silent.
"These muscle lines… They'd require extensive training to develop… and balanced training, at that."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he made a connection.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。