See the Law of Deception

Chapter 26 Out of Control (7)

"Year of the Ox?"

Watching the old man's departing figure after he finished speaking, Wei Ling was somewhat puzzled.

This answer was different from what she expected, leaving her somewhat puzzled.

On the contrary, Lu Jinzhao, after hearing this answer, showed a moment of doubt, but immediately became serious.

Year of the Ox
A vague thought flashed through her mind, an idea that wasn't quite complete, but just the possibility made Lu Jinzhao's heart skip a beat.

"I hope it's not what I think."

She shook her head, not daring to think about it any further. Right now, it was all just ambiguous evidence; she still lacked a decisive clue that could determine the truth.
"Let's go check out the altar first."

Lu Jinzhao didn't hesitate for long. Her style was never to let herself get caught up in suspicion and wait for danger to strike. Even though the thought that flashed through her mind made her a little nervous, she still decided to continue to the altar.

If that's the case, there should be more clues at the altar.

It was nearly four o'clock in the afternoon, and perhaps because the sacrificial ceremony was approaching, more and more villagers were gathering around the altar.

That being said, if you count carefully, there are actually only about twenty people.

Besides Lu Jinzhao and Wei Ling, they also saw two other passengers.

"It seems that some people are not cowards after all."

However, even though it was a Class C instance, Lu Jinzhao thought there would be even more passengers coming to the altar.
"But that makes sense; it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm."

Those who are willing to come even though they know that something bad is likely to happen at the altar are ultimately a minority.

Lu Jinzhao felt a little disappointed, but she didn't pay attention to these emotions and immediately composed herself and walked towards the altar.

The two people who had arrived were standing outside the altar, negotiating with the gatekeeper, but the gatekeeper kept shaking his head. It seemed that outsiders were no longer allowed to enter or leave the altar at this time.
After listening to the conversation for a while, Lu Jinzhao confirmed that it was indeed true.

The man negotiating seemed to be getting a little annoyed by the other party's stubbornness. His left hand, which had been in his pocket, started to move, but his companion noticed the movement and immediately patted him on the shoulder, stopping him from doing so.

"Uncle, we just want to take a look. You can come in with us. We promise we won't damage anything, okay?"

As he spoke, the man took out his ticket and pushed it toward the gatekeeper.

Yes, it's a life-saving fee. People on the platform really like passengers' life-saving fees; it usually makes things much easier to talk about them.

Sure enough, the guard's expression shifted upon seeing this. After taking the tickets, he said sternly, "I'll only take you in for a quick look and then you'll be right back out. You're not allowed to touch anything!"

"Okay, thank you, Uncle."

This money for buying one's life is really useful.

"Shall we go too?" Wei Ling asked Lu Jinzhao for some reason, but Lu Jinzhao just shook his head.

"Let them go and take a look first."

Wei Ling recalled the scene of Lu Jinzhao calmly stepping into the ancestral hall. Now, facing the altar, she seemed much more cautious. Although she didn't know why, she simply said "oh" and chose to obey for the time being.

Soon, the two came out, but their expressions were not good.

As if considering something, the two did not react on the spot. Instead, they gave Lu Jinzhao and Wei Ling a look and walked away. Zhang Junjie, who was more rational, said with a solemn expression, "Things are getting worse."

"What's wrong?" Wei Ling asked.

Inside the station, unless it involves clues about their own chances of survival, passengers will usually share information with each other.

"Something's not right about the statues inside."

He didn't call the statue a "Buddha statue" like the villagers did, and the other passengers naturally didn't think it could be a Buddha statue either.

Zhang Junjie didn't keep them in suspense; he lowered his voice and explained what he thought was wrong.

"At the feet of that statue, there are two new, palm-sized dolls."

"A man and a woman stood on its left and right sides."

As soon as he said that, Lu Jinzhao and Wei Ling's expressions changed.

Others might not know, but they knew all too well that the missing passengers were a man and a woman. But that alone wasn't enough to make Zhang Junjie's expression so grave.

What he cares about most is
"There was a bloody smell on those two dolls; you could smell it if you got a little closer, but the people who set up the altar seemed not to smell it at all."

"The key is"

At this point, Zhang Junjie paused, as if recalling that scene still made him feel uncomfortable.

"As I got closer, I saw a completely different scene from before."

"Those two puppets were like two containers. They had no feet, and their lower bodies had been cut off, like two severed mineral water bottles. A lot of blood kept leaking from the gaps, falling to the feet of the statues and being absorbed."

"Like two IV tubes supplying blood to the statue, or perhaps two...sacrificial offerings?"

"The blood seemed to flow endlessly, but it was immediately absorbed. As the smell of blood grew stronger, I felt as if the statue had come to life!"

As he spoke, his tone still carried a lingering sense of unease.

“I wanted to leave right then and there, but in the blink of an eye, everything became normal again. When I looked again, there was no blood at all. The two dolls were just normal wooden carvings, and their legs were perfectly fine.”

"It's as if what I just saw was all an illusion."

At this point, Zhang Junjie's tone became more urgent: "But as you all know, there are no hallucinations without a reason on the platform."

"Perhaps what I'm seeing is the truth!"

Wei Ling and Lu Jinzhao did not deny his statement; in fact, they vaguely felt that perhaps it was true.

The seemingly intact puppets are merely a superficial image; the two puppets likely represent the two missing passengers.

Now, they have been reduced to sacrificial offerings, their lives slipping away.

After Wei Ling mentioned Ye Jingyun's disappearance, Zhang Junjie's tone became even more certain.

"Just as I thought! This damned priest was a living person sacrificed!"

"So the question now is, where are they? They can't really be those two puppets, can they?" Wei Ling asked.

Lu Jinzhao shook his head: "The puppet should just be a symbol. As for the two people now, I guess they are still in the altar, but it's definitely not in a place we can see from inside."

“I have a suggestion,” the person next to Zhang Junjie suddenly said.

"Everyone should know that a sacrifice can't only result in two deaths. Rather than waiting to die, let's go deep into the altar and take a look!"

Upon hearing this, the corners of their mouths twitched slightly.

A reckless fool, a reckless fool who doesn't value his life.

Is this some kind of "living towards death" movement?

"What's the use?" Wei Ling asked, puzzled.

The man, however, argued vehemently, "There must be even more important clues inside the altar!"

"Then how dangerous is it?" Lu Jinzhao asked.

"Isn't it dangerous to stay outside?" He was puzzled, feeling that Lu Jinzhao really didn't understand. There would be danger both inside and outside, so why not take advantage of the fact that the most dangerous moment hadn't arrived yet and try to get as many clues as possible?
Lu Jinzhao understood his thoughts; she had done the same in [Summoning Ghosts], but this instance was different from Summoning Ghosts.

She slowly began to speak: "Do you still remember the taboos that Aro mentioned?"

"Killing is forbidden, for the smell of blood will attract it."

"Then tell me, where is the strongest smell of blood right now?"

Where will it be?

Lu Jinzhao's series of questions made the other person's face stiffen: "If you want to go, fine, go by yourself, I'm not going to accompany you."

She can still distinguish between acting recklessly within the bounds of propriety and actually courting death.

I'll start updating to 4k tomorrow!

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(End of this chapter)