Flowers of the Departed Souls - Chapter 34

The annual assembly of the Divine Bird Cult was about to be held.

Guangming had been diligently monitoring news and developments related to the assembly these past few days, constantly on edge. On the day of the assembly, Guangming saw more people who appeared to be important figures, presumably the VIPs of the Divine Bird Cult. However, they all wore masks, concealing their true faces. Guangming noticed that their differing statuses were also related to their masks: the bird-headed masks of higher-status individuals had beast-face patterns carved on their foreheads; the more complex the carving, the higher the status. The Grand Master was reportedly wearing a mask with twelve complete beast-face patterns.

He had now completely lost contact with the outside world. He didn’t know what preparations had been made on their end. It looked like in another two hours, the swearing-in ceremony would begin. Everyone was making final arrangements for the prelude and setup, striving to satisfy the Grand Master as much as possible. However, strangely, the masked figures with tattooed foreheads who had appeared during the day were nowhere to be seen now.

At this moment, Cai Yilian’s face flashed across his vision. Her expression was still indifferent, like stone carved by wind. As she passed by him, she discreetly slipped a note into his hand. Guangming avoided the others and opened the note. The few words on it startled him: Assembly location might change, a feint.

Guangming felt sweat breaking out on his forehead. No wonder he hadn’t seen any masked figures with complex patterns for a while, and even Shen Liu’s shadow wasn’t seen tonight. Only people like him, who held no real status in the cult, remained here. God, I should have realized long ago that the people of the Divine Bird Cult wouldn’t be so careless as to let everyone know they were a cult involved in murder. If the truly important figures were all here, then, given their modus operandi, they should be extremely cautious.

The more he thought about it, the more urgent the situation felt. If his colleagues arrived, would they fall into the trap set for them? But was the information provided by Cai Yilian trustworthy? He was still a bit doubtful. If it wasn’t trustworthy, he would also fall into a trap. Cai Yilian seemed to understand him very well, as if she knew he was a police officer. But why would she help him? If she was truly a good person, then why would she join this cult? Guangming was extremely agitated. Regardless, he had to find out where this assembly was truly being held.

He deliberately walked next to a man and muttered to himself, “It’s strange. Why aren’t our leaders here yet? Isn’t it almost time?”

The man glanced at him. “I’m wondering the same thing. What time is it already? Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Tch, Guangming almost deflated. It turned out these people were no different from him, all kept in the dark. Or perhaps, the leaders of the Divine Bird Cult were too cunning and sly, keeping their mouths shut and their rules strict. At this moment, he couldn’t afford to worry about anything else. He had to find Cai Yilian. Now, besides Cai Yilian, no one else would likely know the true location of the assembly.

At this moment, Cai Yilian walked out with a person wearing a mask with six beast-face patterns, hurrying along. They must be going to the assembly. Guangming was truly nervous. In a flash of inspiration, he picked up a red candle nearby and ran towards Cai Yilian. “Hello, this is the candle you wanted. I found it for you.”

Cai Yilian glanced at him, took the candle from his hand, drew two characters on his palm with her fingertip, and then hurried away. What made Guangming sweat was that the strokes on his palm clearly spelled: Luoyang.

Could it be in Luoyang Village? Guangming felt every cell in his body tighten. He had to leave this fortress immediately and notify the bureau. It would be too late otherwise. Fortunately, those who didn’t know about the change in plans were still busy with their respective tasks, less vigilant than usual. No one paid attention to him. He secretly slipped out of the Divine Bird Fortress, the place he had stayed for three full days. Those three days felt as long as an entire century to him.

As soon as he exited the gate, he started running like mad. For him, every second counted now. As he ran, he realized that this long, narrow alley was the Chestnut Alley that had haunted his dreams. This was the second time he had entered this alley in reality. The first time, twenty-five years ago, he couldn’t distinguish whether it was illusory or not, so he didn’t count it. The last time, when he went shopping, he also passed through here, but he didn’t dare to look closely.

Yes, Chestnut Alley. All of this made him feel as if he were dreaming. He had been dreaming for such a long time, yet he was still running in this alley. And this dream was so long, so long, that it felt longer than his life, which confused him greatly.

After running for an unknown duration, he finally emerged. He saw the locust tree. The locust tree in the darkness looked like a shadowy, indescribably eerie and cold specter. He paused for a moment, not daring to linger, and continued to run. He reached the main road. At this moment, he only wanted to flag down a car immediately passing on the main road.

A car actually appeared. Guangming didn’t think twice and stood in the middle of the road, waving his arms. The car screeched to a halt abruptly in front of him.

Guangming pulled open the car door and got in. “Lend me your phone for a moment. I’m—” Before he could say “police,” he abruptly stopped. The driver was Shen Liu.

He immediately pulled out his gun and pointed it at Shen Liu’s head. “Be honest with me. Give me your phone.”

Shen Liu’s expression, however, was exceptionally calm. “If I truly considered you an enemy, you would have been dead by my hand long ago.”

Guangming was stunned for a moment. He thought, That’s true. If he were really tracking me and chasing after me, he wouldn’t have come alone. And Guangming had found that day’s events quite strange. Shen Liu very likely had been behind him and overheard his call. Even if he hadn’t heard the call, it would be strange if he hadn’t suspected him. Could it be that he was on the same side as him?

Shen Liu slowly said, “Actually, I’ve known you were an undercover agent for a long time. And your suspicious movements during the procurement that day were all under my observation. If I wanted to report you, I would have handed you over to them long ago. Your fate might have been the same as those who died, and it’s very likely that at the assembly, you would have become a living example to deter others. Now, can you put your gun away? I feel pressured driving.”

Guangming put away his gun. “Are you a police officer too?”

“No, I am not like you. But our goals are the same: to destroy the Divine Bird Cult—” As he spoke the last few words, Shen Liu’s expression held a deep-seated hatred. At that moment, Guangming actually believed him.

However, he wasn’t in the mood to listen now. “Just give me your phone first. We can talk about your business later.”

He took the phone and called the Chief of Police. “The operation location has changed. Go to Luoyang Village immediately. Send more people, quickly.” Then he tried to call Kelou, but couldn’t connect. The thought of Kelou and Chi Ziming both being in Luoyang Village made his heart ache. That place was too terrifying. No wonder guests died mysteriously. It turned out this cult was its true base.

Shen Liu said, “I can’t believe it. Your information comes pretty fast. Do you have an inside source?”

Guangming chuckled. “No comment. You know it too, don’t you?”

“I have a mission, so I can openly go to Luoyang Village. Right now, I’m heading there.”

“Even if you weren’t heading there, I’d make you go there. We need to hurry. Oh, by the way, you haven’t told me your background. Who exactly are you?”

“Do you remember one of the women from the tattoo murder cases?”

“Ma Huihui?”

Shen Liu nodded. “I’m her brother.”

Guangming was speechless for a moment. So Shen Liu had infiltrated this organization to avenge his sister, and he had even made a name for himself within the Divine Bird Cult. Then, he must have been waiting for this day.

Shen Liu pulled open a package beside him. Guangming exclaimed, “Hand grenades!” Yes, a whole row of hand grenades. Shen Liu nodded. “I’m going to blow those bastards to kingdom come.”

“Don’t be too impulsive. We have our people over there too.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

As he spoke, Shen Liu pressed the accelerator, speeding towards Luoyang Village. When they arrived at Luoyang Village, the entire village was shrouded in darkness. Guangming didn’t know how prepared his side was, and he felt uneasy. There was no cell signal here; only walkie-talkies would work.

Shen Liu looked at the village sign carved from decaying wood. “This place is really old, and it truly feels like the Underworld.”

Guangming hadn’t thought of a word to describe the village, but after Shen Liu said that, he felt there was no better description for Luoyang Village than “Underworld,” especially at night, completely dark and deep. And it was early spring, yet none of the trees had sprouted a single bud; they all looked completely withered. The soil was incredibly hard. It was hard to find anything alive. This place was said to be in the south, but it felt more like the harsh northern winter where not a blade of grass grew.

“Where do you think they’ll hold the ceremony?”

“Come with me.” Now, the place Guangming most wanted to go was the inn. Ever since he heard Kelou had been in Luoyang Village all this time, he had a bad feeling. If Kelou hadn’t had an accident, he should still be at the inn. He had been here for so long; he should have some information.

Shen Liu followed Guangming, winding through the paths, muttering, “This ghostly village, not a soul in sight. Have they all been wiped out by the Divine Bird Cult?”

Guangming also felt this eerie silence. It was the same as the Luoyang Village he had seen before, yet today it felt so different, as if strange spirits could launch an attack on them from the darkness at any moment, then drag them into boundless darkness, and then everything would return to silence. This feeling was like the sea. Yes, the boundless, suffocating deep sea.

Musing wildly as he walked, he saw the inn in the distance, but the inn was completely dark. The lights in the courtyard weren’t on, except for the “Luoyang Inn” sign, which glowed. Not a single room had its lights on; it was all black, an unsettling blackness. Guangming rushed into the inn, running and shouting, “Kelou! Chi Ziming! Luo Xiaofeng—!”

He ran through all three floors, knocking on all the room doors, but no one came out. The entire inn was terrifyingly silent, like a ruined city forgotten for years. Guangming felt an unspeakable unease in his heart. Moreover, he realized that they hadn’t heard a single dog bark on their way here. This silence was too strange.

Where were the people from the inn? Where were the people from the village? Where were the people from the Divine Bird Cult? And where were their own people? Had they just vanished into thin air in this dark and silent village?

Just as Guangming and Shen Liu stood bewildered in front of the inn, not knowing where to go, someone stumbled towards them, seemingly injured, running and shouting, “Boss—!”

Xiao Zhao! Wasn’t that Xiao Zhao? Had something happened to them? Guangming rushed over to help him, but Xiao Zhao gasped, “Our people, they’re surrounded by the villagers!”

The villagers? Why not masked figures? “Quick, take us there!”

Guangming and Shen Liu each cocked their guns. These were the guns given to them by the cult. They were useful today, Guangming thought.

So, they followed Xiao Zhao, running. “Have you seen Kelou?” Xiao Zhao shook his head. “We had just arrived here when we were surrounded by the villagers. We didn’t even have time to contact Kelou. We don’t know where Kelou is now.”

“Oh, how could this be? Are all the villagers here crazy?”

At the scene, it was pure chaos. Police officers and villagers were fighting each other. The number of villagers was clearly greater than the police officers, and the police didn’t dare to shoot randomly. They only heard endless fighting and shouting. Guangming and Shen Liu exchanged glances. They each aimed a shot at a villager’s thigh.

They didn’t have time to keep fighting them. After knocking them all down, they forced one of them to reveal the Divine Bird Cult’s meeting location, but they absolutely refused to speak, or perhaps they simply didn’t know.

At this moment, Shen Liu seemed to remember something. He pulled a map from his pocket. “Oh, I almost forgot, I have a map. It was given by the cult. Only Divine Bird Cult members who attend get one. I’ll take you there.”

So, a group of people followed Shen Liu. After crossing a mountain, Shen Liu stopped, pointed at a cliff on the map. “Go in here, then walk another hundred meters, and you’ll be there.”

Guangming looked at the place and felt a little familiar. He stopped, but Shen Liu was leading the police officers far ahead. Guangming had a bad feeling, sensing that their steps were a bit shaky, becoming extremely strange.

He suddenly gasped in shock. Illusion Cliff.