Chapter 269. Teacher Fan, Your Shifu Is Here

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Zhuang Zhen, who was out conducting investigations, quickly returned, showing the special task force the surveillance footage taken when the garden owner’s wife and son disappeared. He also pulled up the surveillance video of Duan Xiaoyun’s husband and son disappearing three years ago and compared them in the same frame.

“The way they walk is strange.” Song Rui analyzed, “There’s a stiffness in their knees that prevents them from bending freely, and their hand and foot movements are very uncoordinated, like a malfunctioning machine.”

“It reminds me of a zombie.” Xiao Li, the otaku, used a much more accurate description.

“Their minds are confused, they are in a state of losing their souls.” Fan Jialuo gave the correct answer.

The police officers gathered in the shed gasped in unison.

“Look at Duan Xiaoyun’s statement.” Meng Zhong tapped the table, “Duan Xiaoyun’s husband and son disappeared at the end of March three years ago. Now look at the owner’s statement. His money tree revived in early April. Do you think there’s a necessary connection between these two?”

“Director Meng, do you suspect that Duan Xiaoyun’s husband was already dead after he went missing, buried under that tree, and his body is what kept it alive?” Liu Tao sucked in a breath through his teeth, his heart pounding at this guess.

“Forensic doctor Zhou, can you determine the time of death of Duan Xiaoyun’s husband?” Meng Zhong asked instead of answering.

Forensic doctor, Zhou, shook his head, “No. Judging from the degree of decomposition of the body, he should have died within 24 hours. But how could someone who has only been dead for 24 hours get into the tree trunk? Was he swallowed? Also, the clothes on the body are the same pajamas he wore when he disappeared three years ago, and there is an eye mask around his neck. This is not normal.”

Forensic doctor Zhou rubbed his temples and stated his judgment, “Given that this case is inherently illogical, I am more inclined to believe that Duan Xiaoyun’s husband has been dead for three years, but his body has remained fresh.”

His idea was utterly absurd, but the members of the task force all nodded in agreement. They couldn’t help it, having experienced too many terrifying and bizarre events, they had gradually realized that the most unbelievable speculations were often closest to the truth.

Meng Zhong nodded and said, “Let me explain the situation to you. The case is like this. Three years ago, Duan Xiaoyun’s husband came to this orchard in a daze, and somehow, he died here, using his body to nourish that demonic tree. Then, just today, the orchard owner’s wife and son also disappeared. Did they suffer the same fate as Duan Xiaoyun’s husband, also going to some orchard and becoming fertilizer for some demonic tree? How many demonic trees like this are there, and where are they? Under which tree is Duan Xiaoyun’s son? Are there any other victims in the world?”

Song Rui suggested, “You can check the missing persons records from previous years to see if there are any similar cases.”

Meng Zhong groaned, clutching his throbbing head, “Lao Ge, do you know how many people go missing in China every year? Not eight hundred, not eighty thousand, it’s eight million! How the hell are we supposed to track that down?”

“Among these eight million people, there may be thousands or even tens of thousands who were used as fertilizer by that demonic tree. Thinking about this, don’t you have a strong motivation to investigate?” Song Rui asked rhetorically.

Meng Zhong thought for a moment, then his head throbbed even more, and his groans turned into screams, “I’m not more motivated, I’m more desperate! This world is too terrible!” Despite saying that, he still called Chief Yan, gave a brief report, and asked the military to investigate the missing persons.

The military has greater power, they should be able to investigate eight million, right?

Hearing Chief Yan groan involuntarily due to a headache, Meng Zhong felt a strange sense of comfort after hanging up the phone.

Song Rui continued his analysis, “This demonic plant is intelligent, so we can treat it as a murderer and analyze its behavior patterns. First of all, we can confirm that it is a serial killer.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“From a psychological perspective, serial killers operate in six stages—— The first is the initial stage, where the serial killer begins to lose their grip on reality and becomes consumed by the urge to kill. The second is the control stage, where the serial killer begins to seek out victims. The third is the courtship stage, where the serial killer lures victims. The fourth is the capture stage, where the victim is ensnared. The fifth is the murder stage, where the killer experiences heightened emotion and commits the act in a frenzy, and the sixth is the depression stage, the dormant period preceding the next crime.”

Song Rui wrote the six stages on the blackboard and further explained, “Our serial killer is a plant. It kills people for the fertilizer it needs to grow, not for emotional cravings or sexual satisfaction, so I removed the first and sixth stages. It has no rationality, killing is natural for it, so there is no so-called latent depression period. It will continue to kill until it withers away.”

“So its modus operandi is like this—— first, it seeks out prey=>second, it lures the prey=> then it captures the prey=> and finally, it kills the prey. I believe that in the beginning, it wasn’t as powerful as it is now, and probably couldn’t move around as freely as it does now. So how did it find its prey?”

Everyone was pondering this question, and Fan Jialuo had already provided the answer, “It uses its magical fruits to lure certain people into becoming its executioners, such as Zhang Wencheng. It has no way to take the initiative. Zhang Wencheng, in order to obtain more fruits, will naturally seek it out. So, that is how that mountain made of piled-up bones was built, piece by piece. The fruit it bears seems to have the power to preserve youth and beauty, just look at Su Fengxi, Jian Ya, and others, and you’ll understand. It can also extend lifespan. Director Meng, do you remember that Elder Wan? Thinking back now, I realize his longevity was probably thanks to that fruit, otherwise, he wouldn’t have protected the Zhang family.”

Meng Zhong nodded, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

“Its fruit can stimulate human potential and create spiritual beings, those two thousand-plus test subjects are the best proof.” Fan Jialuo closed his eyes and sighed, “Faced with so many temptations, anyone would be willing to become its puppet, finding fertilizer for it. It grows and strengthens slowly by relying on the corpses brought by these puppets, until it can move freely underground. Zhang Wencheng is a monster who has lived for one or two hundred years, so he must have been feeding that demonic plant for quite some time.”

“How could so many people have been killed over such a long period of time without anyone noticing? That’s impossible, isn’t it?” Liao Fang asked in a trembling voice. She couldn’t believe that the world could be so terrifying.

“No one will notice.” Song Rui shook his head and said, “What have we experienced in the last one or two hundred years? We have experienced the fall of a dynasty, the invasion of foreign powers, war, famine, and turmoil. In such an era of widespread suffering, no matter how many people die, no one will notice.”

Fan Jialuo then chimed in, “Therefore, it was born in an era where the heavens, the earth, and the people were in perfect alignment, allowing it to grow at an exceptionally rapid pace.”

Song Rui continued, “Once fully grown, it can move freely and choose its prey independently. It has developed a unique method of killing that is unique to plants.”

The members of the task force took turns pulling out tissues from the center of the table, frequently wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads. They felt as if they weren’t in a case analysis meeting, but listening to a horror story, and what was even more despairing was that this story was actually playing out in real life.

“What are its methods of killing?” Meng Zhong asked, barely suppressing his heart pounding.

“Pitcher plants. You all know about them, right? They’re among the most lethal predators in the botanical world.”

Song Rui explained in a low voice, “The pitcher plant secretes a honeydew with an anesthetic effect in its pitcher. Insects are drawn in by the sweet scent of the honeydew, crawl into the pitcher, and are then anesthetized, corroded, and digested. That sentient plant used the same method. It doesn’t have a pitcher, but it has a more potent honeydew, its fruit. It disguises its fruit as fruit to make people lose their minds and willingly go to its location to become its fertilizer. It’s a serial killer with no incubation period and extremely skillful methods.”

Song Rui looked around at everyone, his tone grave, “So it will keep repeating the last stage of the crime, which is when emotions run high and people go on a killing spree.”

A deathly silence descended upon the workers’ shed, everyone was stunned by this terrifying hypothesis.

“But it ran away as soon as it saw us arrive. It shouldn’t be so brazen, right?” Meng Zhong tried to break free from this quietly growing sense of despair.

“Are you sure it ran away, or just found it too troublesome? I don’t sense any fear in it.” Fan Jialuo opened his dark eyes, delivering a chilling blow to everyone.

Meng Zhong clutched his head, slumped over the table, and groaned as if his head was splitting open. The others looked at each other, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Just then, Meng Zhong’s phone started ringing rapidly, with calls coming in one after another to report news, and without exception, all of them were bad news.

Team members who went to other orchards to investigate told him that almost every orchard owner secretly hid one or even two of these so-called ‘money trees’, and all of them packaged the strange fruits as imported fruits and sold them all over the country. If these orchard owners hadn’t picked some fruits from the ‘money trees’ during the day and mixed them with local fruits to dispel the fruit farmers’ suspicions, the task force would not have been able to trace them.

As soon as the task force arrived, these ‘money trees‘ withered and broke, revealing corpses.

What’s even more infuriating is that those orchard owners wouldn’t let go of the police, demanding compensation for their losses. For money, they’ve abandoned all conscience.

After listening to these hands-free calls, Song Rui tapped the table with the tip of his pen and analyzed, “It seems that the variant of this demonic plant has spread widely. Its hunting method is somewhat similar to that of a virus, it is contagious, and the transmission medium is those fruits. Anyone who has eaten its fruits may one day disappear into the deserted streets.”

Everyone present, except for Fan Jialuo, had eaten fruit, and they all showed expressions of fear and nausea.

Fan Jialuo grasped Song Rui’s hand, his voice low and soft, yet his tone was firm, “I won’t let you disappear.”

“Then you’d better keep a close eye on me.” Song Rui intertwined his fingers with his, laughing lightly.

Meng Zhong immediately said, “Teacher Fan, Could you give me shelter for the time being?”

“Me too!” Liu Tao immediately raised his hand, followed by Liao Fang, Hu Wenwen, Sun Zhengqi, Xiao Li, and others. Even the hardliner Zhuang Zhen spoke up, looking slightly bashful, chimed in, “Can I join as well?”

Song Rui’s light smile turned into a cold laugh.

Fan Jialuo spread his hands and said, “Everyone can take a wisp of my will from me. If you disappear, I can find you before you turn into fertilizer by following this wisp of will.”

Meng Zhong quickly placed his hand in Teacher Fan’s palm. Although he couldn’t feel the specific shape of the thought, he suddenly felt an extraordinary sense of peace. The others followed suit, their fear-filled eyes clearly softening.

They take away wisps of air, but this air, flowing into their nostrils and lungs, transforms into a sense of security and peace of mind.

This relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long before it was shattered by a phone call. Chief Yan told Meng Zhong that Zhang Yang, Director Lin, and Deputy Bureau Chief Zhang had all gone missing.

“……Also vanishing at the same time were 253 individuals out of the two-thousand-plus experimental subjects. Without exception, these people are Espers. They used their supernatural abilities to control the prison guards, took the prison keys, and successfully escaped. I’ll send you their photos, you can ask the various police stations to help with the search.”

“Yes, Chief, I understand.” Meng Zhong hung up the phone, feeling like his head was about to explode.

“Were all those who escaped Espers?” Song Rui pondered, “Do you think they might all have turned into fertilizer?”

Meng Zhong was stunned for a moment.

Fan Jialuo interjected, “Fertilizer also comes in different grades. If I were that plant, I would definitely prefer fertilizer made by spiritual things. The corpse of an ordinary person can nourish a demon tree, while the corpse of a spiritual being should be able to nourish a demon forest.”

Meng Zhong covered his eyes, unable to imagine how many sentient plants those people could cultivate. The world was becoming the most terrifying thing he could ever imagine. First, there was Su Fengxi, who bewitched hundreds of thousands with her singing; then Ma You, a ruthless killer; next, Zhang Yang, who ate human hearts; then Zhang Wencheng, who used corpses to nurture sentient plant; then there are the masterminds who stole national treasures, severed the line of heritage, and harbored delusions of godhood; and finally, there is this sentient plant capable of devouring an entire city………

7

Meng Zhong dared not think any further, for the more he thought about it, the more desperate he felt. If it weren’t for Teacher Fan, he truly didn’t know how humanity would have survived these catastrophes.

“How do we investigate this case? Where exactly is that tree? Everyone says we should dig three feet into the ground to find it, but the problem is, even if we dig three feet into the ground, we probably still won’t find it, right? It can hide inside any kind of plant. Are we supposed to cut down all the trees in the world?” Meng Zhong murmured absentmindedly.

“I should know where it is.” Fan Jialuo placed his hand on his lower abdomen.

Song Rui immediately pulled his wrist away and warned him sternly, “Don’t even think about it!”

They were already telepathically connected. The moment Fan Jialuo had a thought, Song Rui guessed what he would do. He wanted to remove the spatial confinement, release the vines parasitizing his abdomen, let them absorb vital energy to grow stronger, and then use the connection between them and the root to find the hiding place of the demonic plant.

“Once you find it, your body will turn into fertilizer. You can’t even save yourself, so how can you save others?” Song Rui asked in a low voice.

Fan Jialuo gently patted his stiff back without saying a word. At that moment, a police officer rushed in and said anxiously, “Director Meng, while you were analyzing the case, Ms. Duan Xiaoyun was eavesdropping through the back window. I discovered her, and then she stole a bag of mutated apples and ran away. Should we go after her?”

“Go after her!” Meng Zhong immediately waved his hand. He didn’t know what Duan Xiaoyun was planning, but he was sure it wasn’t anything good.

The officer immediately grabbed several colleagues and gave chase.

Just then, Chief Yan called Fan Jialuo and said, “Teacher Fan, your Shifu has arrived. He says he can solve the problem of that demonic plant, but the price is that we rebuild all the Taoist Temples of the Tianshui Sect in the secular world. Do you think this is reliable? Are you confident that you can solve this case? If you can, I will refuse your Shifu.”

Even though he had long since abandoned weak emotions such as fear, panic, and timidity, Fan Jialuo was still unable to help but fall into a dazed state because of that person’s arrival.

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