Infinite Terror: Infinite Reversal

Chapter 71 Illusion and Reality

Just then, the sound of midnight echoed in my heart.

"I was just attacked by Kayako." The voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

As Mu Xiang went against the flow of people going up the mountain, he silently thought to himself, "Your Buddhist wheel is working, isn't it?"

Zero smiled faintly at this moment: "I don't need it for now. With the talisman, it was shattered by me before it could even touch me."

Another indifferent voice rang out; it was Chu Xuan: "Tell me what happened... It was Kayako who attacked you, not Saeki Toshio?"

Zero replied, "That's right... It appeared behind me, triggered the amulet to burn, and gave me the opportunity to attack."

So this isn't a real attack yet... is it because it's only the second day?

It turns out that Zero was leaving the hotel to find sniping positions in the surrounding area, which was still under construction. The main reason why they trusted him to act alone was that Zero had redeemed a magical legendary item... which was the Buddha Wheel of the little monk from the Indian team in the original work.

The description of this Buddhist wheel in the original work is somewhat contradictory, sometimes saying it's grade B, sometimes saying it's grade C. However, when Mu Xiang looked it up himself, he found that there really were two versions... After seeing that it could be charged, heal, and defend against spirit attacks, Mu Xiang suggested that Lingdian buy a grade C Buddhist wheel.

As a sniper wielding a glass cannon, having a C-level self-defense item would undoubtedly make things much safer. As long as the Zhongzhou team doesn't make a mistake, Zero Hour is probably the safest in this horror movie. After all, a C-level self-defense item is a last resort, not a standard necessity… In most cases, the entire team is responsible for protecting the sniper.

Zero was attacked by Kayako in a building under construction. The building was a good sniping spot, and the rooftop would make escape easy. However, the building was very dark during the day, and as expected, Zero was attacked. He defeated her with his amulet and spirit bullets, and then nothing more happened.

"You keep watching the situation," Mu Xiang said to Zero Point. "Chu Xuan and I will go back to the hotel in a while, and then we can come back."

Opening the car door, Chu Xuan looked at the midday sun: "Without Saeki Toshio... it doesn't really mean anything."

Mu Xiang nodded silently.

When the two returned to the hotel suite, Lingdian had already returned, and Zhao Yingkong was also sitting in the room reading a book.

Noticing Mu Xiang's return, Zhao Yingkong turned on the computer beside her: "I've found what you asked me to find."

"Was the deceased named Kitada Hiroshi?" Mu Xiang showed the Buddhist scriptures to everyone, then handed them to Chu Xuan to explain, before walking over to Zhao Yingkong.

“That’s right…” Zhao Yingkong circled the date on the file with the cursor, “Just a week ago.”

Mu Xiang pushed up his glasses and then smiled: "That makes things easier... Chu Xuan, you can go back to that haunted house now."

"Not bad, the efficiency is higher than I expected." Chu Xuan glanced over here, then handed the Buddhist scriptures to Zheng Zha and briefly explained the placement requirements of the scriptures.

Should we let seasoned practitioners surround Buddhist scriptures?

Mu Xiang thanked Zhao Yingkong and was about to leave with Chu Xuan when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back to Zhao Yingkong and said, "Actually, we don't need to wait for us to come back... Just find Zhan Lan. She can use her mind chain to help us communicate, which will be faster."

Zhao Yingkong reached out and turned off the screen, then went back to reading.

"With the quality of our team, you'll definitely benefit from joining." Mu Xiang wasn't annoyed, and left with the words, "You should consider yourself a team member as soon as possible."

After delivering the Buddhist scriptures and confirming the timeline, Chu Xuan's plan became much easier to implement.

The three quickly drove back to the Ju-on House. Chu Xuan parked the car outside the alley. Mu Xiang checked to make sure no one was watching, and then the three of them went straight into the house.

Upon entering the room, the chilling aura surrounding him intensified considerably.

Chu Xuan gestured for them to split up, and Mu Xiang hesitated for a moment before going upstairs by himself. This guy had plenty of trump cards, and he and Arno both carried several one-time-use malice protection charms, so they should be fine.

Even if he really wanted to commit suicide, Mu Xiang should have been able to save him in time.

"Don't activate those backup plans, or I'll be blown to bits," Mu Xiang joked.

Upon reaching the second floor, Mu Xiang couldn't help but frown.

The layout of the second floor is not only different from that in the movie, but it is also far different from what I saw when I first arrived.

"Chu Xuan, the layout on the second floor has changed. How's the situation on your end?" Mu Xiang asked in his mind.

Chu Xuan's indifferent voice came through: "No relevant clues have been found yet..."

“Okay, I think I’ve been targeted. You search me first,” Mu Xiang replied. This was one of the benefits of the Mind Chain; there was no need to worry about being interfered with by the curse.

Could she be in Kayako's study...?

As Mu Xiang thought this, he sighed. The problem now didn't seem to be his train of thought, but rather that he couldn't find the study… This felt like a different house altogether. But the chilling atmosphere he sensed told him he hadn't come to the wrong place…

"Am I getting close to the truth?" Mu Xiang pushed up his glasses. "Is that why you're trying to mislead me like this?"

In this room, Mu Xiang didn't find anything of value. It seemed that the Kitada family's belongings hadn't been moved out yet; Mu Xiang only found some items from the Kitada family that appeared in movies on the second floor.

There was still no response from Chu Xuan, and Mu Xiang didn't say anything either, reaching for a notebook on the table.

The touch was icy cold – this was certainly not the feel of a laptop, so Mu Xiang immediately unleashed the Kryptonian energy within him.

An invisible force field was released from Qi Sha Jie and surrounded Mu Xiang.

At that moment, the notebook melted into a white mass.

Mu Xiang was about to shake it off because that thing was disgusting... when he realized that the notebook had left no mark on his hand, fell straight to the ground and disappeared.

"You're here?" Mu Xiang sneered, then turned around and was met with a little boy wearing only his underwear.

Mu Xiang silently looked at the white body, black eyes, and the left hand that hadn't fully healed. "So weak?" Mu Xiang frowned. "It's not even fully recovered yet... Or is it that you're not actually a meme?"

Those black eyes were silent and filled with resentment, perhaps because Mu Xiang had broken its paw...

"The American version of Toshio grew up to become Ultraman," Mu Xiang pushed up his glasses. "But you've missed your chance."

Then, Mu Xiang kicked out and, amidst Saeki Toshio's screams, kicked it in two.

Two white body parts flew backward and landed on the stairs on the second floor.

"Chu Xuan, I ran into Toshio Saeki. Be careful when you go upstairs," Mu Xiang thought to himself, then strode out. The moment he stepped out of the room, the atmosphere on the second floor changed again.

First of all, the feeling of coldness is more pronounced... In addition, the layout of the second floor has changed once again.

Mu Xiang turned around and was met with a woman who was deathly pale.

It seemed to be just an insignificant shadow, and Mu Xiang felt no sense of crisis, so he smashed it apart with a single punch.

When Kayako's body dissipated, the room behind her changed... it was no longer the same room as before.

Mu Xiang silently informed Chu Xuan before rushing into the room.

Scattered on the floor were paintings, and the walls and cabinets were covered with children's doodles. Without exception, they all depicted black cats.

Is this considered a key item?

Mu Xiang hesitated for a moment, then activated his energy field and picked up a painting. Unsurprisingly, the painting melted directly in his hand.

"So this is also an illusion?" Mu Xiang pondered. "The so-called Ju-on's ability to control time and space... is actually presenting illusions from different periods. Before, it was an illusion from the Kitada period, and now it's an illusion from the Saeki period?"

Just then, Zhan Lan's slightly panicked voice came from the mind chain: "Mu Xiang, we've been attacked!"

"Hmm?" Mu Xiang was startled. "What's the situation?"

“Kayako has been standing on the balcony watching us.” Zhan Lan calmed down a bit.

Mu Xiang suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, "Didn't they come in?"

"No," Zheng Zha's voice rang out, clearly a little nervous. "Lingdian and Zhang Jie told me not to fire yet."

Mu Xiang took a deep breath: "That means the Buddhist scriptures are still effective... but I suspect that it's consuming the scriptures' energy by standing there. So my suggestion is that you take action and get rid of it directly."

“But…” Zheng Zha hesitated for a moment, “Isn’t this a diversionary tactic?”

“No,” Mu Xiang said calmly. “If it had the ability to kill people under the protection of Buddhist scriptures, it would have taken care of the newcomers long ago. This should be a means of depleting Buddhist scriptures from the outside. Now is the time for you to make your move.”

Before Zheng Zha could say anything more, Mu Xiang snapped, "Ugh, I give up! What are you afraid of? Kayako is most afraid of you, go chase her away!"

“Okay, okay…” Zheng Zha chuckled wryly. “I’ll tell you if there’s anything going on… Uh, I need to hurry, I feel like that girl is going to rush out.”

"Holy crap! She called me an idiot!"

Mu Xiang touched all the paintings, but found nothing again. Listening to Zheng Zha's complaints, Mu Xiang thought to himself, "Serves him right!"

Gunshots rang out downstairs, and Mu Xiang knew that Chu Xuan was also in trouble.

But he believed in Chu Xuan's abilities.

So why was Kayako able to attack from different places simultaneously?

Mu Xiang pushed open the door and went out, intending to go to Kayako's study.

[It's not just about being anxious... or perhaps Chu Xuan and I created the conditions for it?]

Upon reaching the second-floor platform, Mu Xiang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This time, it was an icy cold, far stronger than the previous three combined!

His eyes went blank for a moment, and with a push of his left foot, he dodged to the edge of the stairs, avoiding the threat.

Looking up, a venomous face appeared on the ceiling—it was Kayako's image. Her jet-black hair cascaded down like a black waterfall from the ceiling, landing right where Mu Xiang had just been.

It feels a bit like something from the two-dimensional world suddenly jumped into the three-dimensional world; it's a bit strange.

But looking at the pierced floor, Mu Xiang still clicked his tongue.

"They're invincible!" Zheng Zha exclaimed from the other end of the mind chain. "They've already taken down three... Damn it, how did so many come at once? They're climbing from the hotel's exterior wall onto the balcony!"

Has the actual attack already begun?

"Zheng Zha, don't worry... With the current intensity of their attack, they won't be able to get into the room." Mu Xiang encouraged Zheng Zha in his heart. "Before the intensity increases further, lure the cursed spirits outwards and don't let them attack the Buddhist scripture's barrier!"

"Just go with your gut feeling, don't hesitate!"

After saying this, Mu Xiang leaped up, stepped onto the wall, hung upside down, and kicked Kayako hard in the face.

A scream rang in his ears, and then Mu Xiang was plunged into darkness.

Here are two chapters for today. I'll be back this afternoon for a second round of updates. Thank you all for your support.

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(End of this chapter)