Path of the Dead Prequel: Wings of Silver

This three-story independent unit on Dianzhu Street is the home of the financier Chambers. It is as secluded and quiet as the other silent residents in the surrounding buildings. The gray masonry looked gleaming under the thin sunlight. It was obviously a recently applied colorful mixed-layer paint. This kind of paint was particularly popular at the end of the century and remained popular until the tenth year after the millennium. Finally, it was easily stained by stains. The inconvenience of dust cleaning gradually faded out of sight. The mullioned windows face the lawn and violin-shaped swimming pool below. The passage of time has not damaged the solemnity and elegance of the old house. In addition, the family is good at adding fresh things to decorate, making it a whole place. The jewel of the neighborhood.

Lao Dai finished smoking with Paco, then shrugged and pushed the door open. Only Soul Scythe stood under the court, but he still didn't come in. I felt suspicious, so I turned around and came to his side, raising my head and watching with him. After just glancing blindly for a while, the short man put his hands behind his back and walked straight to the back of the house. I had no choice but to follow him quickly and ask him what he was looking for.

"You don't have to go upstairs to see how the owner is doing. Standing in the courtyard, you can feel that it's not simple. It's like black clouds are covering the sky."

"So what do you mean, everyone who enters the house will be infected? So you are worried about being in danger, so you are reluctant to go in? Hearing this, I trembled all over. I planned to drag Krys out and asked,"Since you have seen the doorway, why don't you just say it?""

"There's no need to be busy, I didn't say that. He twisted my wrist, lit a cigarette for himself, frowned and said,"Of course I will go in soon, but I just feel that this evil spirit is very unusual, so I just want to walk around.""

The lawn was cut off in front of the corner of the mansion, and extending out was a backyard with some pines and cypresses. After seeing people, a few squirrels quickly climbed to the treetops and disappeared in an instant. Eubisio moved away from the base of the wall I took out the trash can and moved away the wooden box where the tools were placed. I saw that although the wall panels were old, they were tightly fitted and there was no damage to the appearance. I waved my hand and said there was no clue at all.

I turned back to the front of the house. Although it still has the original layout and a sacred and inviolable posture, it seems that the sun is getting darker due to the expression of the guy next to him. Soul Scythe couldn't help but find it funny, saying that if Miss Lu Kugu was around If you read it, you might be able to find some clues, but I am just a stupid young man, just joining in the fun.

(In the following chapters, Chambers is referred to as Lao Qian, Mrs. Chambers is referred to as Mrs. Qian, and my son Jeremy is referred to as Mrs. Qian. (called Ajie) came into the house and saw Mrs. Qian busy in the kitchen again. Perhaps because we hadn’t eaten breakfast, she was shocked by her craftsmanship. After entering the door, she couldn’t help but want to grab a piece and try it. She always felt prepared. There is less. Of course, there is another possibility, that is, Lao Qian’s house has not had guests for a long time, and suddenly many people came to make the atmosphere lively, which inevitably boosted her spirits a little. In fact, I really want to ask her How to deal with so much in the future, but he is afraid that opening his mouth will spoil other people's fun. Ajie said that his mother used to love parties at home, and she liked crowded and lively events. Today is the day with the most people in the past three months. She should be busy, that way she will be happy. After that, he started to take us upstairs. Because the detective heard that Lao Qian hated the noise, he asked Fan Pang and others to stop on the ground floor first, and invited Eubisio and I to pass first. He glanced all over the place, and then continued to change people up, trying to remain absolutely quiet.

Facing the stairs was a poor abstract painting, which was painted black and messy. It was the work of the patient half a year ago. Opposite it was the old man. Qian's study room. It is said that he originally slept in the bedroom on the third floor, but a few weeks ago he came down to read a book to relieve his boredom, so he asked his son to make a bed for him in the room. From then on, he lived there and refused to leave. It is now eight o'clock in the morning Half, he might not be awake yet.

I followed Lao Dai's instructions and took a digital camera to take pictures along the way, and soon came to the door. I thought that the room would be dark like an ordinary horror movie, so I prepared to use the flash. As a result, the door panel moved slightly, and the room was completely dark. But it is very bright. The owner's small bed is placed under the south-facing window sill. The blinds are drawn high, and the sunlight shines in, illuminating every corner of the cabin. On this bed, there is a human figure curled up with a withered face. His skin was pale and gray, with almost no muscles visible. The excess loose skin that had been caused by obesity drooped like a blanket, as if there was a skeleton stuffed in an inflatable doll. Although it was not as scary as the description of the money, there was still some Shocking. This man was terminally ill and very weak.

However, he was not still asleep as Xiaojie had guessed. He had woken up long ago. When he heard someone whispering on the corridor, he couldn't help but open his eyes and stare at us. He seemed extremely impatient. Seeing the angry look on his face, Soul Scythe knew that he was about to speak out, so he nodded slightly in greeting, hurriedly closed the door, and pushed everyone back to the living room below. Then, the remaining people went up in batches, and after roughly looking at everything , started this sumptuous breakfast, and consulted the mother and son about Lao Qian’s living habits and specific symptoms.

"Lao Qian originally weighed 380 pounds. In less than four months, he only weighed 85 pounds. Both us and our relatives were very worried. I took him to the hospital many times and even stayed in the hospital for observation, but no abnormality was found after diagnosis. As time goes by, he gets tired of it and never wants to go out again. As time goes by, people become weaker and weaker. This is generally how it goes."Qian Tai looked at the condensed milk can in a daze with a sullen expression, and told us not to be restrained and take whatever we want.

"So what are the specific abnormal behaviors of Lao Qian?"Fan Pang opened his laptop, prepared to type notes, and asked

"In fact, after the onset of the disease, he was no different from his usual routine. He still slept and ate, and his daily excretion was normal. If there was any difference, it was that he often had strange dreams."Xiaojie was good at making comparisons and described it vividly to Krys, saying:"He always dreams that his mouth smells fishy, ​​and then he gets up in the middle of the night to brush his teeth. As he brushes his teeth, they all bleed out."

"Wait, is this his dream, or is he actually sleepwalking and getting up to go to the bathroom?"The short man stretched out his hand to interrupt and asked.

"It's both. When dreaming, the person will come down and go to brush his teeth with dull eyes. In fact, he is not holding the toothbrush, but is just swinging his hand. All the teeth are in good condition, and not a single one has fallen out. The boy was stunned, scratched his head, and said:"As for the fishy smell, that's for sure. After lying in bed for so long, not exercising and having no appetite, the smell in your mouth will definitely not be good.""

"If you just use these to make a preliminary judgment, it seems that you have been affected by a Cherokee magic called the Tooth Curse. The detective pondered for a moment and said to himself:"The two are very similar. The cone spell is also called the bone-crushing spell. According to legend, people who are caught by the spell often have nightmares and see their own skin and flesh fester and expose their bones. The principle is the same." But I remember you just mentioned that he is an atheist"

"Yes, Lao Qian is very firm on this point. He has always dismissed ghosts and ghosts. He neither goes to church nor pays attention to supernatural channels. Just now I heard him curse again upstairs. Please forgive me. He actually doesn’t want to be watched. We invite people who watch God to come to our door. This conflicts with his beliefs. He is blaming me, not targeting me. you. Mrs. Qian glanced towards the second floor and said

"This has nothing to do with Cherokee magic. Don't think too much about it. I'm just doing elimination. I was originally a senior police inspector and this is my past certificate."The detective shrugged and smiled, saying it was okay. He opened his bag, took out his business card and introduced himself to the two of them. Then he put his hand on Hun Si's shoulder and said,"This is the expert who specializes in this. He comes from Tunisia. Exorcists are much better than our local crazy priests. To be honest, I was disdainful of things involving gods and ghosts at first, but after seeing his strength, I realized it was unfathomable. Whatever you two are thinking about now, he will know it just by taking a glance at it."

"Why are you so sure it has nothing to do with Cherokee hexes?"Krys blinked his eyes and asked curiously.

"Because the premise is that you have to believe deeply, you must be a fanatic, the kind of person who will not change his will even if he is tortured, and obviously, Lao Qian is not the one. This basis does not exist, so the conclusion is natural."Lao Dai smiled contemptuously and grabbed another snack.

"You go to a nearby newsstand in the evening to pick up the beef tenderloin you ordered from the butcher the day before."Ubisio pointed at Mrs. Qian, then lit up a cigarette, puffed away for a while, glanced at Xiaojie a few more times, and said,"And you need to tell a lie in the afternoon, and then you will be with someone. Girls whose names begin with the letter C go out to watch a movie."

The mother and son looked at each other. They didn't know how the sinister man in front of them could do it. They were very shocked and a little embarrassed. They said that this was the trivial matter that was muttering in their stomachs now. Soul Scythe told them not to worry about it. It was just ordinary mind reading and needed It takes a lot of energy to get the information by concentrating and listening carefully. Usually he doesn't like to do this to ordinary people, but this time he will not do it again.

"how? Is it compared to those of our local faction?Aren't they even remotely strong? I looked down on this old boy at first, but as my colleagues deepened my contact with him, I admired him greatly."The detective was overjoyed and grinned.

Next, they listed a lot of possible factors based on the information collected in front of them. At first, Soul Scythe stayed outside and did not enter the house because he doubted whether It is caused by some kind of sperm animals, such as raccoons, civets, snakes, rabbits, etc., nesting under the house. There is a precedent for this phenomenon. There was a pet clinic in North Africa, and the store staff locked the store because of the incident. The door ran away overnight, resulting in more than ten cats in the house without water and food. In order to survive, these usually gentle animals ate up the remaining supplies and began to kill each other. When they were discovered fifty days later, there was only one living cat left in the house. The floor was full of bones and broken hair and skin, and the scene was horrific. Since then, this house has been renovated and reopened as other shops, but you will get sick as long as you live in it.

Then there is the suspicion that someone has been poisoned, that may It could be a box, a cloth bag, or simply a piece of jewelry, but it was very small and unobtrusive. If enemies placed such things, their purpose was to make the residents seriously ill. However, Mrs. Qian said that they were always kind to others. Lao Qian also pays his salary on time in the company, and the workers are all polite. There should be no people who hold grudges. This question is not important. Eubisio said that by throwing Pilu Pills, if there are any, they can be solved immediately. Found it.

After that, he took out a handful of dark green beads and gave them to me, Krys and Fan Fan respectively, asking us to go everywhere and don't miss any room or corner. Vairocana will explode immediately if he encounters the magic spell. It opened and turned into a streak of yellow smoke, clearly visible to the naked eye. We started walking around with the beads in our arms and searched the entire house, but found nothing.

Then the detective began to ask whether the property was inherent or moved. ? Mrs. Qian said that the big house was bought when they were engaged and had lived there for thirty years. Seeing that this factor was eliminated, Lao Dai fell into deep thought.

"Have you purchased any furniture in the past six months? Or what souvenirs to buy home?"Hun Sickle raised his head and emphasized:"It's not new things, but old appliances, antiques worthy of appreciation, famous paintings, pianos, cabinets, etc."

"There should be. I'll check the records in my notebook."After hearing this, Mrs. Qian hurriedly went to the third floor, while Xiaojie sat there scratching his head and scratching his head, asking if the additional computer equipment counted? He had asked a friend to repair the broken motherboard last year, but he didn't have the same model at that time. , so they removed it and installed it on other machines. Even though the detective said that was impossible, it was still marked with a cross.

While the woman was busy working, the two asked if any pets had died at home recently. Or maybe the swimming pool was not covered and the wild cats and dogs around it drowned. The boys shook their heads and said no. This family has three dogs and one cat, and they have had them for more than five years on average. When Mrs. Qian opened the book and took it downstairs, she gave it to the two Everyone looked at them one by one, and then went to look at some tables, chairs, tea sets, and old wine. There was nothing wrong with them.I had no choice but to return to the hall and sit together on the sofa to sort out records.

Lao Dai and Eubisio know how to ask questions very well and take all aspects into consideration, including whether there have been recent changes in the nearby residents; who of the relatives and friends have passed away; whether there are any strange things happening at home; whether pets bark at night, etc. It was lunch time before we knew it. During this period, the old man on the second floor refused to cooperate or talk to anyone. We felt a little embarrassed and had to leave. Before going out, Hun Si asked Old Man Qian about his daily schedule and said he would come on site at midnight to observe the movement, but he would not comment on the rest.

"We consolidated our opinions for a while and then went back to our rooms to sleep. As soon as he arrived at the hotel, Hun Si called everyone into his room and said,"We may have to work all night tonight. No naps are allowed during this period, so we must stay energetic.""

He asked us to sit on the floor in a circle and put all the information we collected on the table for a focused discussion. Krys asked curiously, shouldn't the haunted house be the kind where blood oozes from the walls, the wind blows by the ears, and there are constant sounds from behind. Is the sound of chains dragging the floor? Or is it connected to hell? People are possessed by demons, their limbs are dancing wildly and feces is spitting out of their mouths. The furniture is moved around and the mirrors explode. It feels like Halloween every night and the Mexican Day of the Dead during the day. Is it a grand occasion? Anyway, in all the big movies and TV series she has seen, they all acted like this

"This is artistic exaggeration and enhanced visual effects. Exorcism or haunted houses in reality are as bland as boiled water, making people drowsy. You just stare at the motionless picture for a while and fall asleep. The detective stared at her pretty girl and couldn't help but laugh, and said:"You are very talented and can always come up with various adjectives to liven up the atmosphere. It is a good idea for you to follow me on this journey.""

But she said that this is a low-level pastime to kill boredom, and it can be done without thinking. You might as well imitate the female actors in a play and pretend to hum, so that everyone will not be too nervous throughout the afternoon, so that they all get into trouble..

Lao Dai feels that problems in an old house are concentrated on one person, and other family members are not affected. It is obviously targeted. Apart from the possibility of being cursed, other factors are also strange, including What can be discovered is also invisible. In fact, looking for the root cause is similar to criminal investigation. The case is in front of you, but it will not be a straight line. Everyone is suspected, and all changes in the surroundings will be sudden causes. Therefore, they asked in the morning He had to be very careful, for fear of missing important information if he was careless.

And Eubisio said that just standing in front of the house, you can feel the evil spirit, which shows that the old man is not suffering from a stubborn illness or a strange disease, but a serious illness. Something was on it. However, the characteristics are so obvious, but no clues can be found in the house, which is very strange. We might as well imagine it as a crime scene. A murder occurred somewhere. The victim fell to the ground bloody and died, and there was a sound coming from the room. The particularly noisy noise proved that the thugs were still inside. As a result, when the policemen rushed in, they found nothing, and the criminal was still wandering around to play with them.I just can't see it being that weird.

I recalled Sister Di who had become the Earth Mother at the Yin Eclipse Dojo. She also lost her nature at that time. Could it be that someone was behind this? Before Soul Scythe could talk to the detective, the Mexican waved his hand and said it was impossible. Paco has been working with Lao Dai for several years. Although he has helped him, he has also accumulated rich experience in previous adventures.

About a year ago, their Tomorrow Shining Detective Cooperative received a call for help from a family living in a Brooklyn flea market. The owner of the house was similar to Lao Qian. He was originally a football coach, but he suddenly became paralyzed in bed and became increasingly weak. It took them several months to finally determine from various inferences that it was a strange spell called the Blood Worm Curse. It was actually some kind of particularly powerful psychological suggestion. He kept making harassing phone calls to make people suspicious, and eventually the body had various reactions.