34 approaching the end4

Agent Kong first showed a puzzled look, then scrutinized my expression.

"How come you're interested in this matter?"

Because probing for information related to Mazao might cause suspicion, I had prepared an excuse in advance, "I am interested in all kinds of bizarre incidents, and this matter may also be related to the Fallen Demon Hunter event."

"Hmm, is that so..." Agent Kong thought for a moment, then replied, "Actually, this isn't classified intelligence either. The reason Zhu Shi didn't tell you is probably because from the perspective of Luo Mountain personnel, this matter isn't quite honorable."

"You mean... Luo Mountain did something evil?" I asked tentatively.

"I don't know if that's the case; I'm not one of the higher-ups, nor do I have access to all the information. Let's first answer your earlier question though, about who that girl is..." he said, "As far as I know, she is the only known soul loss awaken patient in the world."

"...Soul loss?" I repeated this unfamiliar term.

Literally, it should mean "a disease of losing one's soul."

Forgive my limited knowledge, but I have never heard of this disease, unless it refers to a vegetative state.

"You might not have heard of it; this mysterious disease is considered just an inexplicable vegetative state symptom in the mainstream society, but in our world, it's known as 'soul loss.'" Agent Kong spoke in a somber tone, "It began spreading worldwide four years ago; it has already affected many people. The source of transmission is unknown, the method of transmission is unknown, treatment methods are unknown... Luo Mountain doesn't know how many experts they've deployed and spent four years just to understand two things:

"First, it is a disease spread by some unknown bizarre phenomenon; second, the body of the affected is still functioning normally, but their souls have all disappeared."

"Soul disappearance..." I suddenly had some thoughts.

I had previously asked Mazao whether it was a physical or soul transference; Mazao's attitude was very vague. However, it was apparent that she couldn't confirm whether the body she was using now was her original body. Assuming she really was a transmigrator from the Doomsday, then it's highly likely that she was a soul transgressor.

Coincidently, the body Mazao was using now, in this era, was originally an empty shell, simply kept there specifically for a soul transmigrator to enter. Some transmigration novels I've read before even elaborated that the original owner's soul scattered due to drowning or fever, and then the transmigrator protagonist just happened to take over that body.

But fiction aside, I still have to pay attention to the actual issues.

For instance, where did the original soul in that empty shell body go, and whether it has any connection with Mazao's soul transference?

The first thing that came to mind—could it be that the original soul transmigrated to the Doomsday Era, somehow lost all its memories, wrongly believed it was a Doomsday resident, and likewise somehow transmigrated back to the current era?

No, this hypothesis has a serious flaw, which is Mazao should also have a body to contain her soul in the Doomsday Era, yet how could there be a body in a different era that greatly resembles the current Mazao?

Combining the high similarity of Mazao's original body with her current one, another hypothesis seems more plausible—that she is Mazao from another world, and the Doomsday event is a disaster that happened in the future of another world.

That is what is known as the parallel world theory.

But... the parallel world theory is still only a hypothesis in the scientific community. Using it as a basis for reasoning, wouldn't it be too far-fetched?

To be honest, with my mind now filled with "transmigration" and "Doomsday"—core keywords that I've previously only seen in novels and comics, it's difficult to avoid being fanciful.

"I generally understand now." I decided to bring my focus back to reality, "In other words, this girl is the only known awaken case. By researching her body, there's a possibility of saving many soul loss patients, right?"

"That's correct." Agent Kong nodded slightly and continued, "However, right after she awakened, she immediately disappeared from the hospital. Not just a simple runaway, but vanished into thin air as if swallowed by air."

"Space Transfer?" I immediately recalled what Mazao had once mentioned, her "blessing power."

"Luo Mountain also thinks so. But the problem is, this girl named Mazao, before contracting soul loss, was just an ordinary girl; and while in a vegetative state, she couldn't possibly have had any exposure to supernatural powers." Agent Kong slowly said, "Yet such a person, upon awakening, suddenly had the means to perform Space Transfer. What's even more baffling is her actions; she is no pushover.

"When she appeared again, she had already infiltrated the local public security department, and even stole firearms and ammunition... All of which the original her should never and could never have done."

The original owner of the body was also named Mazao, which seemed to increase the credibility of the parallel world hypothesis. However, this could also be evidence that Mazao was lying and that the Doomsday and transmigration never existed from the start.

When Agent Kong discussed further, I, from an outsider's perspective, thought of a possibility, "Are you suggesting that she didn't actually awaken from soul loss… but rather that an empty body was taken over by an unknown evil spirit?"

That seemed to make sense.

Why Luo Mountain treated Mazao as a criminal in tracking her was because they weren't tracking a "unique awakening case," but an evil ghost occupying a young girl's body.

Even I myself didn't have evidence strong enough to rule out this possibility.

But compared to a "Doomsday Transcender," the possibility of a "possessed evil spirit" was inevitably disappointing. Moreover, if Luo Mountain had a righteous stance, why would Zhu Shi and Agent Kong feel that Luo Mountain's actions were indecent?

"I also had those doubts, but the higher-ups don't think so," Agent Kong shook his head. "They genuinely initiated a nationwide search under the premise 'that is an awakened soul loss patient,' even going to the lengths of acting first and reporting later, first framing the target as a serial killer and then asking the public security system to confirm the suspicion, but the other side has never agreed… If it were just a minor possessing evil spirit, the higher-ups would never opt for such measures."

"Could it be that they aren't sure either?" It was I, the outsider, who purposely interpreted it from a relatively benign perspective, "The girl could be either an awakened patient or could be possessed by an evil spirit, and they're preparing for the worst scenario.

"For instance: since the girl had previously infiltrated the public security department to steal firearms and ammunition, they cannot use the cover of searching for a kidnapped or missing girl; coincidentally, our city indeed has an unidentified serial killer recently, so they naturally utilized this pretense."

"With the methods of high-level demon hunters, detect whether there is an intrusion of evil spirits within the hospital room is a piece of cake; they are certain. Although it's hard to understand how the girl obtained the power and why her personality changed drastically, they don't regard her as a different person," he said. "Also, considering that the person has an unknown space transfer ability, the higher-ups have decided to extend the search area nationwide.

"More search methods are, of course, needless to say, and they won't disregard the previous aggressive allegations. It's such a huge fuss and using such ruthless methods… Zhuang Cheng, do you understand what this means?"

Nationwide search? Ruthless methods?

I felt relieved that Mazao wasn't just simply possessed by an evil spirit, yet was shaken by the content of Agent Kong's narration, then fell into contemplation.

Considering the potential value Mazao might have in Luo Mountain's eyes, a nationwide search seemed justified, and infiltrating the public security department to steal firearms and ammunition was undeniably Mazao's fault. From the perspective of secular law, it wasn't an exaggeration to call it a major crime. But Luo Mountain did not belong to the public security system, and their actions didn't seem like those an impartial, official organization should exhibit, apart from the scale of the operation which was at an official level, everything from start to end had an air of not following proper channels.

It was truly bewildering!

I felt my blood flow quickening, and slowly expressed my thoughts on what Agent Kong said, "As long as they can seize the girl, the opponent's basic rights don't matter… Is that so?"

Wait, isn't that just referring to myself?

Agent Kong nodded.

"All I know about the girl are these details. I probably shouldn't have told you so much, but you seem to have a habit of digging into strange tales. Instead of letting you inquire randomly elsewhere, better I clarify it," he said, "Of course, I hope you don't misunderstand Luo Mountain. Luo Mountain has more than one peak, and the actions now are just from one particularly radical peak."

That last statement also felt like it was criticizing me… I deflected with another topic, "Are you from that peak?"

The term "peak" left a bad impression on me.

"I'm just a minor figure at the grassroots level, how dare I claim to be from any peak. Just helplessly being kicked around like a soccer ball," he said self-deprecatingly, then added, "By the way, Zhu Shi has nothing to do with the peak involved in this matter."

"Thanks for the reminder." As I said that, I glanced forward, "Speaking of which… where are we moving to now?"

"Didn't I mention before, I need to handle my main job as an 'agent.'" He stood in front of me, "Ghost story investigation—this is what you are most familiar with too. If you're interested, you can join me to check it out. Maybe in some respects, this professional might not compare to you."

We had now arrived near the abandoned construction site close to Saltwater University.

Ahead was a desolate, chilly open space, with an unfinished, bald building standing in it. I couldn't tell what its original purpose was or why it was abandoned. From a distance, it looked like a crude grey tombstone abruptly standing in the city, seeming like even the wind would turn colder as it passed this place.

This was where I had first encountered Mazao.