Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Lin Juan's focus was so far off that Lu Mingxuan stopped sobbing and whispered, "Uncle, it wasn't really that much money, was it?"

But that wasn't the point, was it?

"Then tell me, how much did you spend on these five-colored ropes?"

Lu Mingxuan recalled, "About 160 yuan each. I bought ten..."

"You call that 'not much money'?" Lin Juan unconsciously raised his voice. "160 yuan each? Why didn't they just rob you instead?!"

"And that's just scamming you alone. Do you know how many people were scammed? Do you know the total amount involved?"

It was the first time Lu Mingxuan had seen Lin Juan so agitated, and he stammered, too afraid to speak.

Unable to get an answer, Lin Juan turned to Su Xingchen. "You should know the total amount of money the scammer is suspected of defrauding, right?"

"I..." Under Lin Juan’s piercing gaze, Su Xingchen gradually lowered his head. "I don't know."

He truly hadn't paid attention to that question.

"I'll go ask Director Liu right away!"

Director Liu was the go-to person for everything.

As soon as the call connected, Su Xingchen handed the phone directly to Lin Juan. "Mr. Lin, you can ask Director Liu anything you want to know."

Don't put the pressure on someone who's just here for combat.

Director Liu was in a meeting about the five-colored rope incident when his phone vibrated. Glancing at the screen, he saw Su Xingchen’s name.

Su Xingchen rarely called him proactively, so worried that something urgent had happened, he signaled to pause the meeting and answered the call.

But the voice on the other end wasn’t Su Xingchen’s.

Lin Juan’s voice, tinged with obvious anger, came through the phone. "Director Liu, have you calculated the amount of money involved in the scam related to the five-colored ropes?"

The question caught Director Liu off guard.

Their focus had been entirely on the supernatural aspects behind the five-colored rope incident; they hadn't considered the issue of the scam amount at all.

Hearing no response and recalling Su Xingchen’s attitude, Lin Juan understood—Director Liu probably didn't know either.

Director Liu composed himself. "Mr. Lin is right. We overlooked that. We'll urgently follow up and return the victims’ money as soon as possible."

"That's good." Lin Juan had no further questions and hung up.

Back in the meeting room, others who had overheard Director Liu’s side of the conversation grew curious. "Aren't you only handling supernatural cases? Why is someone asking you for money?"

Director Liu rubbed his face. "It's related to the same incident."

He then explained what Lin Juan had said.

Someone in the meeting nodded. "That's a valid point. The public's safety needs protection, and so does their property."

"Contact the local police departments and compile statistics on the amount involved."

The results, when they came in, were staggering.

"There's this much?" Director Liu stared at the report in disbelief.

"Is the mastermind behind this human or supernatural?" If human, scamming money made sense. But if supernatural, what would it need so much money for?

Could it be trying to live in human society?

The thought sent a shiver down Director Liu’s spine, and he raised the threat level of the incident in his mind.

If a supernatural entity had truly developed human-like intelligence, it would be terrible news for humanity, no matter how you looked at it.

Emergency meetings were held one after another, but the mastermind behind the five-colored ropes remained a mystery.

On the fourth day, Zhuang Yufeng took on the first batch of patients affected by the five-colored ropes.

He was at the research base when he received the call.

Coincidentally, one of the first patients had a connection to Lin Juan.

Strictly speaking, it was a connection to the Lu family.

The wife of Lu Yanzhou’s second brother.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Mingxuan quietly hid behind his grandfather.

Second Brother Lu was furious. "I heard this strange illness is caused by the five-colored ropes. Of all things, why did you have to give those? Did you deliberately mean to harm your aunt?"

The accusation was harsh.

Lu Mingxuan initially felt guilty. After all, he was the one who had given out the five-colored ropes. Even though he hadn’t known and his intentions were good, the ropes were indeed problematic. He accepted his second uncle’s blame, but he refused to accept the accusation that he had intentionally harmed anyone.

"Second Uncle, as soon as I found out the five-colored ropes were dangerous, I came to ask for them back. I even asked Dr. Zhuang to check you, and you were fine. Why Auntie ended up like this, I have no idea."

"I gave the rope to you, not to Auntie. What if she got the strange illness from a five-colored rope someone else gave her? You can’t just pin the blame on me without knowing the facts."

Second Brother Lu was breathing heavily, turning to his elder brother. "Big Brother, look at the fine son you’ve raised."

Eldest Brother Lu murmured, "Mingxuan isn’t wrong, though."

This nearly made Second Brother Lu collapse in frustration.

"Enough, no arguing in the hospital," Old Mr. Lu interjected. "Let’s first see how serious her condition is."

Second Brother Lu’s wife’s maiden name was Qiu, full name Qiu Lishu. She came from a humble background, having been a poverty-stricken student sponsored by the Lu family. She had been married into the Lu family for over a decade and had one son and two daughters. The youngest son was under four and had never been to Lu Manor.

Old Mr. Lu did not acknowledge Qiu Lishu, though she had tried to get her three children into Lu Manor, even suggesting that the youngest son be raised under Old Mr. Lu’s care. Old Mr. Lu had refused.

He gave the three children the same red envelopes as Lu Mingxuan every year but remained distant toward them.

If not for the memory of his late wife, he wouldn’t even acknowledge his second son.

In the first few years after the incident, he hadn’t seen his second son at all. It was only after Second Brother Lu risked his life to save Old Mr. Lu during a business trip accident that their relationship thawed, and they began seeing each other during holidays.

Qiu Lishu was in a private room.

Considering the strange illness was linked to the supernatural, Old Mr. Lu had specifically asked Lin Juan if he could come along. Lin Juan didn’t refuse.

He also wanted to find out what kind of creature was behind this money-scamming scheme.

Zhuang Yufeng was doing rounds and had just stepped out of a ward when he bumped into Lin Juan and the others.

Second Brother Lu hurried over, looking worried: "Dr. Zhuang, is Xiuxiu alright?"

"She's okay for now." He said "for now" because, at this stage, no one knew what would happen next or how the illness would progress.

"Can I go in and see her?" When she was first brought in, they didn’t allow visitors.

"Yes."

Lin Juan stayed behind. Instead, he asked Zhuang Yufeng: "Is this contamination the same as those 'seeds' from last time?"

"They’re similar, but not exactly the same."

Zhuang Yufeng clicked his pen shut and explained to Lin Juan: "The similarity is that the contamination levels in the infected fluctuate at different times of the day. The difference is that these infected showed no signs of infection in the early stages. I’ve asked them, and every single one started showing symptoms on the seventh day after coming into contact with the five-colored rope."

"For the first six days, they had good dreams every night, their sleep quality greatly improved, and they woke up feeling refreshed. These people felt it was thanks to the five-colored rope and became more and more reluctant to take it off."

"When we contacted people who had bought or were wearing the five-colored rope, those who had worn it for more than three days were reluctant to take it off."

They had to bring along psychic ability users on their missions, relying on them to plant mental suggestions in those people’s minds to bring back the five-colored ropes.

Even so, some broke free from the mental suggestions and grabbed the ropes back at the last moment.

Most of this batch of infected were like that.

Even after they retrieved the ropes, they still got sick.

Lin Juan: "So, does that mean our group, who only had contact for one day, is also potentially at risk?"

Zhuang Yufeng nodded seriously.

Lin Juan: "Haven’t you found out what’s behind this? How about I take a few ropes back and see if that thing comes after me?"

If it doesn’t come, nothing lost. If it does, perfect—we’ll catch it right away.

Lin Juan was worried that one rope might not be enough, so he planned to grab a few at once.

Zhuang Yufeng: "It’s not totally in the dark. We compared the contamination levels of the five-colored ropes and the 'seeds,' and found that they share a similar fluctuation pattern. It’s highly likely they come from the same supernatural entity."

Lin Juan: "The one from Guming Mountain?"

Zhuang Yufeng: "Yes. We sent people to investigate Guming Mountain. Near the foot of the mountain, the contamination levels are twice as high as elsewhere. The further in you go, the higher the levels. There’s definitely something inside."

For such a place, if they were to enter, they’d need to be fully prepared—otherwise, even a bunch of ability users wouldn’t cut it.

Lin Juan: "This five-colored rope incident is either the supernatural entity acting on its own or someone cashing in behind the scenes. Let’s resolve this first and get back the money Lu Mingxuan was scammed out of."

Lin Juan was determined to catch the mastermind. After talking with Zhuang Yufeng for a while, Zhuang Yufeng continued his rounds, and Lin Juan went to Qiu Lishu’s ward.

The ward was quiet.

Old Mr. Lu sat to the side without speaking. Lu Mingxuan was peeling fruit. Eldest Brother Lu stood by the window. Second Brother Lu sat by the bed, gazing lovingly at his wife on the sickbed.

Lu Yanzhou had a meeting at his company and couldn’t make it.

A knock at the door broke the silence. Lin Juan pushed the door open and entered, everyone looking his way at once.

"I was talking with Dr. Zhuang to get the lowdown. What’s going on with you all...?"

"Uncle!" Lu Mingxuan seemed to have found a savior. He put down the half-peeled apple, hurried over, and lowered his voice: "I feel like Second Uncle is acting kinda off too."

"How so?"

"Second Uncle and Second Aunt—the moment he entered the ward and saw her, his eyes were only on her. They were all lovey-dovey, ignoring everyone else. Grandpa’s face darkened earlier, and he let out a loud 'hmph!', but Second Uncle acted like he didn’t hear."

"It’s not that couples can’t be affectionate, but, Uncle, you know, it’s just very odd. Their interaction gives off a weird vibe."

Lu Mingxuan didn’t know how to describe it in words. Due to his grandfather’s insistence, he hadn’t had many chances to meet Qiu Lishu. He used to wonder why Grandpa was so adamant about not letting Qiu Lishu live in Lu Manor. But if Second Uncle and her were like this every moment, he could understand Grandpa’s decision.

The thought of two people, like actors wearing masks, living nearby made Lu Mingxuan’s skin crawl.

He couldn’t sit still after just a short while, let alone live together year-round.

Lin Juan observed carefully. Second Brother Lu first introduced his identity to Qiu Lishu. After they exchanged greetings, they returned to their own little world.

No wonder Lu Mingxuan used "odd" to describe them.

Old Mr. Lu couldn’t stay any longer. He banged his cane down heavily, stood up, and left. Lu Mingxuan hurried after him and supported him: "Grandpa?"

"Since we’re not welcome, why stick around?"

Lin Juan went back and told Lu Yanzhou about this, emphasizing that even after removing the five-colored rope, there was still a risk it could still affect them.

He also informed Old Mr. Lu and Eldest Brother Lu’s third brother, instructing them to call him immediately if they noticed anything wrong.

For safety, Lin Juan didn’t bring the five-colored rope back to Lu Manor. Instead, he planned to find a remote spot to conduct experiments.

When he brought it up at the dinner table, he was met with unanimous opposition.

Lu Mingxuan even grabbed Lin Juan’s arm and wouldn’t let go: "Uncle, if you’re moving out, take me with you. I’m scared to be by myself."

Lin Juan said quietly: "You won’t be alone."

There were so many people at Lu Manor.

"If problems really occur on the seventh night, and we wore the ropes around the same time, any issues would happen on the same day. You moving out isn’t advisable," Lu Yanzhou said bluntly.

Reminded, Lin Juan realized this: "But we can’t stay at Lu Manor. If a fight breaks out, I can really wreck things. What if this place becomes uninhabitable?"

The key was that everything in Lu Manor—the buildings, furniture, decorations—was extremely valuable. If it were destroyed, it would kill Lin Juan.

"How about we all get out of here for a night?" Lu Mingxuan’s eyes lit up. "Let’s make it a camping trip."

"We’ll find a place with few people and have a barbecue at night!"

Barbecue—Lin Juan hadn’t had it in a while. He was tempted: "I’m a pro at the grill. You’ll have to try my skills then."

"Great, great."

In just a few sentences, what was a serious matter turned into a party, and everyone’s mood perked up considerably.

After choosing a location, Lin Juan sent it to Zhuang Yufeng, asking him to deliver the five-colored ropes they had handed over there.

Zhuang Yufeng replied with three words: "No problem."

With everything arranged, they only waited for the seventh night to arrive.

Over the next few days, Zhuang Yufeng admitted several more people infected with the five-colored rope, confirming their theory: the contamination caused by the five-colored rope doesn’t vanish even after the rope is removed.

For safety, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office arranged for those who had handled the five-colored rope to be quarantined.

Fortunately, not many people knew about that shop. The five-colored rope had only gained limited popularity and was caught by Lin Juan early on, so it never spread widely. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

On the seventh night after wearing the five-colored rope, Lin Juan joined the Lu family at the selected site.

"It’s been ages since I last went camping with the family," Lu Mingxuan recalled. The last time was in elementary school with his parents. Back then, Grandpa was tied up with work and couldn't make it, his younger uncle was overseas for studies, and his third uncle was attending a seminar overseas—only his immediate family was there.

It was nothing like how lively it is now.

"Nervous?" Lin Juan teased, seeing how excited he looked.

"Honestly, with you around, Uncle, I'm not scared at all," Lu Mingxuan grinned and dashed off to pitch the tent.

They had chosen a spot in the suburbs of Beijing, a very remote place where almost no one would come.

This was also to avoid drawing attention.

At the same time, the Paranormal Special Affairs Office sent undercover superpower holders to a location not far from them, ready to provide support at any time.

Although they felt that with Lin Juan around, backup probably wouldn’t be needed.

The food was prepared in advance—various meats and vegetables. Lin Juan expertly cut the meat and threaded them onto bamboo skewers.

After seasoning and rubbing it into the meat, he placed it on the grill.

Soon, the smell filled the air.

Lu Mingxuan instantly felt the charred meat in his hand didn’t seem as tasty. He placed it in his father's bowl and knelt next to Lin Juan. "It smells amazing, Uncle! Can I have a skewer?"

Just then, Lin Juan finished grilling a few skewers and handed them out evenly among the Lu family. "Try these."

Lu Mingxuan took the skewer and took a bite right away.

Fragrant.

The scent hit him hard.

After the fragrance came the tenderness of the meat. He didn't know how Lin Juan did it, but the meat was perfectly seasoned but still juicy and tender—neither dry nor tough, with an excellent texture.

Lu Mingxuan wolfed it down and gave a thumbs-up. "Uncle, you’ve seriously got skills!"

Even the best barbecue restaurants he'd been to were no match for Lin Juan’s.

Seeing their enjoyment, Lin Juan was also pleased. Perhaps all cooks enjoy feeding others and getting compliments. As he skewered more meat, he said, "When I was little, I lived in the mountains. There weren't many good things to eat. Occasionally catching a rabbit felt like a feast. With limited ingredients, I had to get creative with seasonings."

"Though it's not entirely true that mountain ingredients are limited—there are plenty of edible things, but some are hard to get."

Lu Mingxuan remembered that Lin Juan had a difficult childhood and suffered a lot growing up. He thumped his chest. "Uncle, from now on, whatever you want to eat, just name it. The chefs at Lu Manor are quite skilled."

"Oh, and my uncle is great at searing steaks," Lu Mingxuan blinked. "Uncle, when we get back, have him make steak for you. It's delicious."

At the same time, he decided then and there to buy more foods you can’t find in the mountains and let Lin Juan have a proper taste.

Then he turned to Lu Yanzhou. "Uncle, what goes around comes around—you'd be willing to let Uncle try your cooking, right?"

It would be even better if he could get a portion too.

Thinking of his uncle's steak, Lu Mingxuan's mouth watered. He'd only had it once during his second year of high school and never again.

"You talk the most," Lu Yanzhou said mildly but didn't refuse.

Lin Juan curiously leaned over. "You know how to cook?"

Lin Juan hadn't seen Lu Yanzhou cook since he woke up.

"A little," Lu Yanzhou fed a piece of his grilled meat to Lin Juan. "When I was overseas for school, I couldn't get used to the local food, so I learned a bit. I can make simple home-cooked meals. I'll cook for you another time."

Lin Juan chewed with cheeks full. "Alright, looking forward to Chef Lu’s cooking."

As night fell, Old Mr. Lu was the first to call it a night and went into the tent to sleep. The three Lu brothers chatted outside. Second Brother Lu was at the hospital keeping Qiu Lishu company and didn't come.

It had been a long time since the three brothers spent time like this—sitting under the moonlight, on the grass, as if back in their carefree childhood.

As they chatted, they inevitably got to talking about work.

Third Brother Lu Yanmo was a researcher, focusing on biotechnology. He was a top researcher at an international institute.

"Lately, many colleagues have tweaked their research focus. A couple of days ago, someone fished up a species of fish never documented before from the sea. Xiao Juan, would you like to see it? After the confidentiality period ends, I'll take you to have a look. Our institute has quite a few weird and wonderful specimens."

"Third Uncle, why didn't you invite me!" Lu Mingxuan exclaimed, lunging over and clinging to his uncle's neck. "I want to go too!"

"You’re not a kid anymore," Lu Yanmo patted his nephew. "I have to go to Shenhai in a couple of days. The fish was discovered there, so the research will probably center there."

"Ah?" Lu Mingxuan slid off Lu Yanmo and sat beside him. "How long will you be gone, Third Uncle?"

"Short term, one or two months. Long term, it's hard to say."

2 a.m.

At the place where the five-colored rope was kept, black mist dispersed like smoke, drifting into the noses of those sleeping in the tents.

In the darkness, Lin Juan sensed the eerie presence and suddenly opened his eyes.

"Lu Yanzhou, it's here."

No response.

Lin Juan’s heart lurched. He turned to look at the man lying beside him.

Lu Yanzhou's eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed as if trapped in an inescapable nightmare.

"Lu Yanzhou?" Lin Juan patted him. "Wake up."

Still no response.

Had he been affected?

Lin Juan sat up, turned on the light, and surveyed the surroundings.

The tent was silent. He got up and walked to where the five-colored rope was placed.

The five-colored rope lay quietly on the table. Unlike during the day, the radiant, colorful rope had turned dull and gray. Pale gray mist drifted from its surface, eventually dissipating into the air.

Lin Juan picked up the five-colored rope.

It felt different to the touch.

The five-colored rope had turned cold and rough, like a gnarled root covered in bumps. Looking closer, what he held in his hand was no longer a five-colored rope—it was clearly a vine looped end to end.

Lin Juan was way too familiar with this thing.

What he had previously lured out of infected individuals using the "water tower" was an enlarged version of this very object.

Lin Juan pressed on the vine and, as expected, felt a raised bump. He applied a bit of force with his fingers, crushing the protruding part.

The vine withered.

He left the remaining vines untouched for the moment and first contacted the superpower holders positioned nearby. Soon after, the superpower holders arrived, escorting a green, humanoid figure.

"Mr. Lin, we're here."

Lin Juan stepped out of the tent.

At first glance, he saw the green blob being held in front by the superpower holders.

The figure was covered in plant parts, making it look seriously weird.

"Mr. Lin, we found this person lurking in the woods behind us when we arrived," said one of the superpower holders, pushing the vine-covered figure forward.

Lin Juan took a few steps closer. Only when he was near did he see clearly that the green humanoid was a person entirely covered in green vines.

His face was hidden behind the vines, and even his hair resembled fine tendrils, as if countless vines were growing directly from his body.

Noticing the vine-covered person flinching back, Lin Juan said firmly, "You know what this is."

"Did you sell the five-colored rope?"

Though he was asking, Lin Juan already had the answer in his mind.

"Well," Lin Juan grabbed a handful of the vines on the person, tightening his grip. "How dare you scam consumers, cheat people out of their money, and have bad intentions..."

With each accusation, he tore off another vine from the person's body.

Lin Juan pulled off several vines, feeling somewhat satisfied. "Talk! You still dare to do this?!"

"No, no, I’d never dare again!" the vine-covered person sobbed.

The superpower holders looked at each other, unsure whether they should intervene.

Mainly because Lin Juan’s approach was so brutal—it was painful just to watch.

Would the person die from the pain?

No, probably not. Mr. Lin surely wouldn’t be that reckless.

Having full faith in Lin Juan, they didn’t know how he had determined that the vine-covered person was the ringleader, nor why he had suddenly exploded in anger. But they did know that when it came to dealing with the supernatural, Lin Juan had never been wrong.

Lin Juan released the vine-covered person, and a few green vines fell rustling from his hand. The person thrashed on the ground in pain, crying and rolling around.

Amid sobs, they pleaded, "I was wrong, I’ll never do it again."

Finally, the vine-covered person stopped crying. Lin Juan, already tired and more and more annoyed by the noise, pointed to one of the superpower holders. "You, come here. Ask them what’s really going on."

As the vine-covered person was brought before the superpower holder, they suddenly made a sudden grab for Lin Juan’s feet, trying to cling to his leg.

Lin Juan jerked his leg back, startled. "What are you doing?!"

The vine-covered person stammered anxiously, "Uh, sir, could you... pull off a few more vines from me?"

Lin Juan: ?

What, hooked on the pain?

Author’s note: There will be a bonus chapter later with nutrient solutions, also two-in-one [owl emoji]