The unusual situation at the construction site began three days ago.
Three days ago, a truck tire was inexplicably damaged. Initially, it was thought to be vandalism, but examination revealed strange tearing marks, as if ripped by a fierce beast.
Even more bizarre, the surveillance footage showed no beast, but rather an invisible monster, tearing and clawing at the vehicle!
Ke Yuan recalled the surveillance video he had watched.
The distance was far, and the clarity was poor. A normal person would have seen nothing, but they were professionals!
Such an invisible, malevolent entity might have clung to the truck, biting with its teeth, tearing with its sharp claws.
This was Ke Yuan's own imagination.
Humans cannot see these malevolent entities; they are completely invisible!
Legend has it that some masters can perceive their forms, but only as faint, gray-black silhouettes. As for their true appearance?
An artist, based on descriptions, had drawn a rough depiction.
It wasn't like a beast at all; it was far more terrifying, with hollow eyes, mouths full of sharp teeth, and skin covered in pustules, and so on!
And this was merely what was drawn and guessed.
The true appearance of a malevolent entity might be even more horrifying.
Perhaps invisibility was a form of protection for humans. What if one could see these terrifying entities the moment they opened their eyes?
Ke Yuan shuddered at the thought and couldn't continue.
"These incorporeal malevolent entities are indeed troublesome, difficult to find and even harder to eradicate," sighed Wei Nian, who was experienced and had handled over ten actual malevolent entity incidents. "If they had physical forms, we could just shoot them. If that didn't work, we could bring in a rocket launcher."
"However, most malevolent entities lack physical form, making many of our methods useless!"
He grumbled, his gaze sweeping the surroundings sharply without pause.
Soon, he found the truck that had been 'bitten' and noticed unusual marks on some surrounding vehicles and building materials.
So many marks...
Wei Nian's expression grew grave. "It's very active. The more active a malevolent entity is, the easier it is for it to relocate, and the greater its threat."
"We must eradicate it as soon as possible."
"Xiao Yuan, proceed with Plan One."
They didn't approach, remaining dozens of meters away from the truck.
Ke Yuan took out a gray-black powder and began sprinkling it around.
This was a special powder; he didn't understand its origin, but he knew very well that if humans couldn't see or find these entities, they needed some external means.
This gray-black powder had an effect on them.
It was very faint, with zero destructive power.
But when a malevolent entity touched this powder, it would cause a 'malevolent reaction,' emitting wisps of green smoke.
Ke Yuan sprinkled it in several circles and threw some marble-sized spheres that exploded in the distance, scattering the powder everywhere.
He stared intently, his head swiveling, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
Was the malevolent entity present or not?
He dared not blink, his eyes growing sore from staring. It was his "Brother Wei" who reminded him, "Don't be too tense. Finding the malevolent entity is just the first step. Remember to always maintain your composure."
"Ah... Yes..."
"I... I found it! It's over there!"
Ke Yuan's eyes widened.
This was his first time encountering a malevolent entity during an incident, but he had undergone training and was certain that this was the malevolent reaction!
Not far away, next to a pile of building materials, green smoke abruptly rose, wisps of it, drifting towards them.
It... it was coming closer!
Ke Yuan imagined the booming footsteps of a colossal beast, the dripping sound of viscous saliva, the sensation of breath brushing past his cheek, the scene before him warping, his heart feeling as if it would leap out of his chest.
Boom! Thump, thump! Boom, boom, boom!
Ke Yuan bit the tip of his tongue and raised the string of beads he wore on his wrist.
These were prayer beads for exorcism.
Peach wood prayer beads!
It wasn't the peach wood itself that repelled malevolent entities. The Investigation Bureau had tried many items – peach wood, dog's blood, garlic, paintings of Zhong Kui, and so on – but none had the slightest effect on them.
They had once despaired!
Fortunately, after a period of experimentation and research, the experts at the Investigation Bureau finally discovered something: consecrated items!
Items consecrated by genuine Taoist priests or Buddhist monks were not inherently magical, nor did they possess immediate, miraculous effects.
Just like the prayer beads wrapped around their wrists, they remained ordinary, yet they could repel, and even slay, malevolent entities.
Ke Yuan extended his hand forward, aiming at the source of the green smoke.
His eyes never blinked.
Affected by the malevolent entity, the peach wood prayer beads faintly glowed.
It was working!
"Malevolent entity, die!"
Thump!
His heart seemed to stop. The scene before his eyes turned black and white. In Ke Yuan's vision, the string of peach wood prayer beads, which had been emitting a faint white light, suddenly...
Broke apart.
As if subjected to immense pulling force, the string snapped, and the peach wood beads scattered across the ground, the furthest ones flying five or six meters before bouncing a few times upon impact.
Each bounce felt like a blow to Ke Yuan's heart.
The entire world suddenly turned gray.
It broke, how could it have broken? Ke Yuan turned his head, dazed, to look at his senior, Brother Wei, his gaze filled with helplessness and a hint of vacancy.
Wei Nian was equally bewildered.
The prayer beads they wore were issued by the Investigation Bureau. He had used them several times. They might not always be able to eradicate a malevolent entity, but he had never seen them break before.
What was this situation?
"This malevolent entity is too strong. We must resort to the backup plan."
"Hold it back."
The trail of green smoke was rapidly approaching, yet both men were mere mortals. They couldn't see it, and resisting the malevolent entity with their own strength was an impossible fantasy.
That thing was beyond human confrontation!
One slide tackle, and they'd be gone.
But Ke Yuan, having received professional training, reacted instinctively even in his panic. He threw several gray-black balls, which exploded in mid-air without hitting anything.
Gray-black powder drifted everywhere.
It hit the malevolent entity!
The damage might have been zero, but the insult must have been considerable!
Ke Yuan thought he heard a sharp roar, his expression hazy. He bit his tongue hard and lunged to the side.
There was no wind.
No sound.
To ordinary observers, he looked like a madman hopping around, but Ke Yuan glimpsed a large area of green smoke rising from where he had just been standing, and the ground had faintly blackened in a spreading circle.
Thankfully, he dodged!
But how many more times could he dodge?
"Hang on, the trump card has been retrieved!"
Not far away, Wei Nian had taken out a small sandalwood box containing another string of prayer beads.
This string of prayer beads, however, had been blessed with twenty years of scripture chanting by Master Ming Deng!
Twenty full years!
Twenty years of power in this single string of prayer beads!
To prevent the beads' efficacy from dissipating, they had been sealed in this sandalwood box.
Wei Nian held the wooden box with reverence, pulled at the seal sticker, and yanked it open.
The lid slowly lifted.
At that moment, he saw light.
Golden light bloomed from within the wooden box. This was not an illusion!
This was the light of hope.
Wei Nian put on the prayer beads, his will strong. At this moment, he seemed to transform into light himself and charged towards the location where the green smoke was rising.
"Disappear now—!"
Thump, thump, thump~!
In a world invisible to the naked eye, a four-legged monster raised its tumor-like head and let out a fierce roar.
Sharp shrieks rippled outwards in waves. Its eight pairs of eyes darted back and forth, twisting the dim world around them.
The two investigators, who had just begun to relax, felt their hearts seize, their pupils constricting.
The prayer beads, which had radiated the light of hope, suddenly, as if pulled by multiple hands, snapped apart.