Sheriff Huang Yuanbo carefully examined the silvery metal plate with his gloved hands, flipping it over repeatedly but hesitating to press any buttons. After a long while, he placed it into an evidence bag and continued with other procedures. Gu Liang suppressed his curiosity and focused on observing the sheriff’s actions, occasionally assisting as instructed, while increasingly recalling what he had learned at the police academy, cross-referencing it with what he was witnessing.
“It seems troublesome…” the sheriff suddenly sighed, though his tone was relaxed.
Puzzled, Gu Liang plucked up his courage and asked, “Chief Huang, will this become an unsolved case? That’s why you think it’s troublesome?”
But why did he sound so relaxed? After all, if it became a cold case, there would be no need to expend energy investigating it anymore.
Sheriff Huang smiled and stood in front of the charred corpse. “Dying from lightning strikes on a night without thunder or lightning is not a unique case; similar incidents have occurred many times in the past, some involving supernatural phenomena, others linked to events involving organizations like the Spiritual Cultivation Society.”
“Just last year, Detective Charlotte from Scotland Yard mentioned a similar case during an exchange. The victim was also struck by lightning on a thunderless night, and also held a silvery metal plate. The only difference was the victim’s unusual body, suspected to be a follower of a demonic deity, and remained undiscovered for years after death. Therefore, there is reason to believe this is another case involving a cult and supernatural events. It won’t be handled by our Criminal Investigation Department; instead, the Special Operations Division, directly under the Chief Inspector’s Council, will take charge.”
Gu Liang listened in stunned silence, bewildered as if the supernatural novels he had read the previous night had come to life. What supernatural phenomena? What extraordinary events?
What exactly was Chief Huang talking about?
“Have you read ‘The World’s Strange Records’?” Huang Yuanbo asked casually while fiddling with his gloves.
“I, I have!” Gu Liang instinctively replied.
Huang smiled. “Good, the events recorded in it are all real.”
“Ahh…” Gu Liang’s mouth hung open, unable to close.
“The Personnel Department has approved your application for permanent employment. You’ll be assigned to a department next Monday, so I arranged for you to borrow this internal police document in advance, to prevent you from panicking when encountering supernatural incidents during operations.” Huang Yuanbo chuckled, “Didn’t you find some of the content completely unheard of before? These are all classified documents!”
Dad, Mom, I… I don’t want to do this anymore… Shocked, Gu Liang felt his heart pounding and considered quitting. How did an ordinary guy like him end up in a supernatural world?
Huang glanced at him. “Whenever we encounter such cases, we directly submit them to the Chief Inspector’s Council, who dispatches the Special Operations Division to handle them. We only need to deal with matters involving regular people, so there’s no need to be afraid. Even if you quit the police force, do you think you’ll definitely avoid supernatural phenomena in life? At least now you understand the situation and can seek professional help. What’s there to fear?”
His relaxed tone gradually eased Gu Liang’s nerves, and he managed a forced smile. “Chief Huang is right.”
At this time, other colleagues from the Criminal Investigation Department arrived. Some protected the crime scene, while others returned to New Scotland Yard to submit reports to the Chief Inspector’s Council, waiting for the Special Operations Division to take over. Gu Liang was swamped with chores before he could find out which department would eventually take him, and ended up with an additional night shift.
Late into the night, one by one the lights in the busy New Scotland Yard extinguished, leaving only the dim, old electric lamp swaying in the Criminal Investigation Department’s evidence room. Gu Liang stuffed his hands into his pockets, pacing back and forth, unable to shake off the lingering fear.
Because the charred corpse and its related items were still here!
After the Special Operations Division had inspected the items, they deemed it an unimportant case. With a major case currently occupying their attention, they couldn’t spare personnel and would take over in a few days. Thus, Sheriff Huang specifically assigned Gu Liang to guard the evidence room overnight.
After walking around tiredly, Gu Liang sat back down. On the table in front of him were several evidence bags containing an exquisite pocket watch, gold bars, and other miscellaneous items, including the silvery metal plate.
His courage and curiosity rising, Gu Liang, who had always enjoyed supernatural and horror stories, couldn’t help wondering as he sat there: “What exactly is this silvery metal plate clutched by the dead watch merchant? A cult’s emblem?”
He looked around cautiously, bit his lip, and decided to put on a pair of white gloves. Carefully opening the evidence bag, he took out the metal plate and examined it under the light.
It had an otherworldly aesthetic, not transparent, with strange patterns and only a single button…
Suddenly, Gu Liang’s hand slipped, and the silvery metal plate fell. He hurriedly tried to catch it but accidentally pressed the button. His heart sank, fearing something terrible would happen.
No strange lights flashed, no black mist emerged, and Gu Liang exhaled in relief. He dared not be reckless again and prepared to return the metal plate to the evidence bag.
Just then, the surface of the metal plate suddenly seemed to come alive, writhing and peeling off a silvery layer. This layer coalesced into a pearl the size of a thumb, deep within and lighter on the outside, resembling a deep, penetrating eye.
Gu Liang abruptly stood up, knocking over his chair and retreating in panic, wanting to escape this eerie transformation without considering whether he had caused a catastrophe, only wishing to flee this terrifying scene.
After the deep, silvery eye formed, all the strange changes ceased, and Gu Liang hadn’t yet managed to escape the evidence room.
He halted his steps, as if something there was calling him. Swallowing hard with difficulty, he decided that since nothing strange had happened, he should tidy up the table to avoid getting fired so soon after being hired.
The evidence hadn’t been lost; instead, an additional item had appeared. Gu Liang, wearing white gloves, picked it up and discovered it was engraved with rows of tiny words:
“The Eye of Wishes, the divine artifact of the God of Storms and Calamities, capable of fulfilling all your desires, provided you make the corresponding offerings.”
Gu Liang was momentarily stunned. A sudden sense of incongruity struck him. Having read so many supernatural novels, this was the first time he had encountered an artifact that explicitly labeled itself as a divine item. Although straightforward, it lost the mysterious terror of the unknown, seeming rather tacky.
“Offerings made, wishes fulfilled. Definitely the cult’s style,” Gu Liang muttered, shaking his head. “If I wished to enhance my shooting ability, how would it fulfill it?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a deep, thunder-like voice echoed in his ear: “Offerings accumulated, wishes fulfilled.”
Silvery-white electric sparks overflowed, and Gu Liang’s body instantly became paralyzed. His brain suddenly felt piercing pain, his vision subtly changed, and his motor nerves seemed somehow enhanced.
Everything quickly passed, as if nothing had happened. Gu Liang, frightened, put down the “Eye of Wishes” and stared blankly at his hands, sensing they had become noticeably more dexterous.
“Did it really fulfill my wish?” he wondered in confusion.
The entire night was filled with restless thoughts. By dawn, Gu Liang returned the now-peeled silvery metal plate and, taking the Eye of Wishes with him, handed over the evidence to his colleagues and hurriedly rushed to the shooting range to test his shooting ability.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ten consecutive shots, each hitting the bullseye. Gu Liang stood frozen, unable to believe his eyes.
His shooting ability had always barely scraped by with a passing grade!
The Eye of Wishes could truly fulfill wishes!
Could the God of Storms and Calamities really possess such divine power? Why had he never heard of it before?
Suddenly, a man appeared beside him, wearing a black coat in the style of Scotland Yard, his face gaunt, his eyes black with a hint of red, and his presence barely noticeable.
“Good,” the man nodded. “That’s a supernatural level of shooting ability.”
He glanced at Gu Liang’s badge and said indifferently, “Gu Liang, right? Report to the Special Operations Division next Monday.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left, leaving no room for refusal.
The Special Operations Division? Gu Liang was startled. He wanted to refuse, but the man had already vanished.
Could it be that the Special Operations Division is really short on manpower lately, even recruiting someone like me?
He resolved to resign on Monday. After all, with the Eye of Wishes, couldn’t he do something else?
But, wouldn’t that lead him to the same fate as the watch merchant, struck by lightning?
…
On Monday, after several inquiries for directions, Gu Liang finally found the Special Operations Division located inside an old-style Western-style house and saw the man in the black coat.
Before he could speak, the man said, “You’ve been assigned to the First Action Team. Follow them to investigate the recent major case.”
“I, I want to…” Gu Liang hurriedly spoke up, but before he could finish, the man interrupted, “This case involves a newly emerged cult, possibly related to the lost three hundred years of history in the Far East.”
Eh? Curiosity sparked in Gu Liang’s mind: “Related to the lost three hundred years of history?”
“Three hundred years ago, there were Buddhist and Daoist organizations in the Far East. Back then, a short man with a mustache, originally a painter, came into contact with the highest secret of the Buddhist organization—the Buddha Palm. Tempted by the devil, he practiced the palm technique in reverse, ultimately becoming the demon of the end of the world and destroying the civilization of the Far East. Now, an organization that worships him has appeared, which could help us understand what truly happened three hundred years ago.” The man in the black coat succinctly explained, leading Gu Liang into a dimly lit room where a flag was hanging. The flag had a red background with two black characters resembling the letter ‘S’ intertwined in reverse, evoking an eerie and unsettling feeling.
“This is the symbol of the Anti-Buddhist sect!”
Upon seeing the symbol and hearing the man’s explanation, a deep, thunder-like voice suddenly echoed in Gu Liang’s ears: “Investigate the Anti-Buddhist sect, gain offerings!”
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