Chapter 111: Staking Out
Marcus carefully examined Ronan Chen.
The spectral eyes he obtained from Jasmine allowed him to notice something wrong.
Ever since Ronan Chen had been startled and leaned back, he seemed to be shrouded in a layer of darkness, exuding an aura of death.
This subtle change was something even Jasmine herself couldn't detect; the same eyes depended on who was using them.
"Have some coffee first!"
"Thank you, I'm not thirsty, sir, Li Ronan..."
Ronan Chen had no appetite for drinking and was about to discuss Dodo's situation when Marcus interrupted him.
Marcus took out a blessed paper, lit it, and tossed it into Ronan Chen's cup.
Then, he picked up the coffee pot and filled it with water, the ashes floating in the cup like coffee grounds.
This was the kind of blessed water that Kane had used on a possessed victim in the previous world.
"No, I think you're very thirsty!"
Marcus gestured towards the cup.
Ronan Chen paused, seemingly understanding something. His expression tightened, and he downed the liquid in one gulp.
"Ugh!"
Ronan Chen, who had just finished drinking, gagged, spitting the liquid back into the cup.
A caterpillar, about the length of a finger joint and the thickness of a straw, wriggled in the cup. The caterpillar was covered in black and white stripes, with zebra-like markings all over its body.
It was the caterpillar controlled by the Mother Buddha Deity.
This Mother Buddha Deity was more like a combination of evil spirits and dark magic, possessing both the supernatural nature of demons and the ability to control insects and cast curses.
In the movie, the cult family was raising these caterpillars in large numbers, and believers were raising venomous toads. Even when Li Ronan and the other two signed the contract, they drank toad water.
These were all methods of dark ritual magic.
Marcus took out a pair of tweezers, picked up the caterpillar, and placed it on the table.
He then poured out the contaminated water from Ronan Chen's cup, poured fresh coffee, rinsed the caterpillar in it, and then took out a metal container to lock the caterpillar away.
"Sir, what... what is this?"
Ronan Chen felt his stomach churning when he saw the worm he had coughed up, feeling both nauseated and shocked.
"This is the demon's method. It's watching Dodo all the time, and anyone who interferes with Dodo will be eliminated by it."
"I'll go find your daughter tomorrow. What you need to do is find this place. This is the location that can save Dodo's life. If you don't find it, then it's her fate."
Marcus handed Ronan Chen the information about 'Master Yuan's Temple' and 'Master Yuan and his disciples'. He needed to plan his route in advance; he didn't have much time to waste running around aimlessly.
"Also, you can just call me Marcus. From now on, I'll call you Ronan. This evil spirit has a special ability to detect people's full names, so remember not to use real names casually."
Ronan Chen nodded to show that he understood. Now, Marcus was his only hope.
"Alright, Ronan, you go back and investigate first. I'll prepare here and go find Dodo tomorrow."
Marcus waved his hand, indicating that Ronan Chen should leave.
"Marcus, maybe I shouldn't go back. I brought my laptop, so I can just search here. There's no need to make another trip."
Marcus thought for a moment and agreed. He was just looking for someone to help out, so he wouldn't have to take care of the child later if they actually found Dodo.
He could only imagine the headache if the child started crying.
By evening, Ronan Chen had already found two locations through online research and planned to drive there that night to verify them.
Before leaving, Marcus gave him a blessed paper. There were no people nearby affected by the Mother Buddha Deity, and the parasites in Ronan Chen's body had been cleared out. He didn't believe that the Mother Buddha was that powerful.
Then, Marcus searched for the "Paranormal Investigators" video channel on YouTube.
This was an account created by Li Ronan's 'team', containing videos that Li Ronan and her crew had filmed, including one filmed in Li Ronan's old house.
He also added Li Ronan's phone number, provided by Ronan Chen, to his phone contacts.
Using the built-in contact synchronization function of mainstream social media apps, Li Ronan's account was found.
This video not only showed footage of her old house but also included the filming location. Li Ronan in the video looked quite young.
By combining his memory of the old building from the movie with the comparison of the two accounts, Marcus easily pinpointed the location of Li Ronan's old house.
The entire process took less than ten minutes.
Ronan Chen had already set off, and Marcus didn't intend to delay any longer.
He rushed to the vicinity of Li Ronan's old house that night, found a motel from which he could directly observe the old house.
The next morning, people in the neighborhood had already started going to work, and foot traffic quickly decreased.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Marcus sat by the window with a cup of instant coffee, seemingly admiring the view.
Across the street from him, downstairs from Li Ronan's old house,
a young man in a business suit and tie stopped on a moped, then took out his phone and circled around taking pictures of the old house.
He then squatted at the bottom of the stairs, on his phone, seemingly waiting for someone.
Marcus's phone rang; it was Ronan Chen calling.
"Marcus, I found Master Yuan's address. I'm on my way back now."
"Did you see him? What does Master Yuan look like?"
Ronan Chen gave a rough description of Master Yuan's appearance, which roughly matched what he saw in the movie. Marcus was relieved.
"Then come to this location now."
Marcus sent the street address where his motel was.
He continued to wait in the same spot.
He knew that the camera wrapped in blessed seals was in the attic of the old house in front of him, but if he moved the camera now, it might alert the deity and force Li Ronan to leave.
About half an hour later,
a woman wearing a brown jacket, a hood, and a face mask, who was completely covered up, walked out from the corner of the street.
She was holding the hand of a little girl who was about three feet tall.
The little girl was wearing a long pink cotton dress, a white cardigan, and carrying a pink rabbit backpack.
The woman seemed to be walking in a hurry, and the little girl's steps were unsteady as she was being pulled along, her little legs moving quickly.
"Mommy, didn't you say it's Dodo's birthday today, and we're going to the water park?" The little girl seemed confused; this didn't seem like the way to the park.
She could sense her mother was about to do something.
"Mommy has business to do. I'll be done here soon, and then I'll take you to the water park, okay?"
The woman forced a smile and explained softly to her daughter.
"Mommy, are you scared of the Bad Man again? You promised Dodo you wouldn't be scared of the Bad Man anymore!"
The little girl didn't answer, but instead looked up, her big, dark eyes wide, and asked her mother earnestly.
She could sense her mother's emotions.
"No, no, it's just business. Look, that man is waiting for Mommy."
The woman seemed a little flustered, glanced around, and spotted the young man in a suit squatting at the stairwell entrance.
She quickly pointed and walked over, exchanging a few words with him before the two entered the old house together.
Marcus observed everything.
He could see the layer of gray, deathly aura surrounding the woman.
At least at first glance, he could tell she was different from ordinary people.
"You're not getting away!"
Marcus put down his coffee, grabbed his jacket, and turned to leave.
(End of Chapter)
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