A passing traveler through the heavens

Chapter 157 Dead Silence

The town appears to be quite large, but strangely, there are very few pedestrians on the streets, making it seem exceptionally deserted and dilapidated.

The few residents seemed listless and lethargic, as if they had lost their purpose in life.

Ji Lin and his two companions stepped into the restaurant and casually found a seat.

When the restaurant owner saw customers arrive, his face immediately lit up with a warm smile, and he quickly went forward to greet them.

Ji Lin had no intention of eating at the restaurant. After all, he was currently in the territory of a high-level evil spirit, and he felt very uncomfortable. He came to the restaurant to find out some information about the town.

Inside the restaurant, Ji Lin started chatting with the owner. Since there were very few outsiders in the town, the owner answered Ji Lin and his companions' questions enthusiastically.

Ji Lin and his companions, on the other hand, skillfully followed their boss's lead, occasionally interjecting with questions about the town.

And so, the two sides went back and forth, chatting happily. Gradually, the boss opened up and told Ji Lin and the other two a little-known story that had happened in this small town.

A chilling legend has been circulating in the town for a long time.

Legend has it that long, long ago, this town welcomed an exceptionally talented ventriloquist named Mary Shaw, whose superb skills often captivated audiences, eliciting cheers and applause.

However, fate played a cruel joke on this talented woman. Mary Shaw suddenly went mad, as if controlled by some evil force.

Just then, something terrible happened.

A little boy in town has suddenly disappeared! People searched everywhere, but to no avail.

All of this pointed to Mary Shaw. Once, when Mary Shaw was performing ventriloquism with puppets, this little boy pointed out in front of everyone that he saw Mary Shaw's mouth moving and loudly accused her of being a fraud.

But who could have imagined that not long after, the little boy would mysteriously disappear without a trace, and Mary Shaw would be accused of kidnapping and murdering the little boy.

This incident instantly ignited the anger of the town's residents, who launched a furious search operation and eventually captured Mary Shaw.

Enraged, the townspeople mercilessly cut off her tongue and then brutally executed her.

They thought the nightmare was over, but little did they know that from the moment Mary Shaw died, the whole town seemed to be cursed.

The puppets that once belonged to Mary Shaw began to appear frequently in every corner of the town.

Wherever these puppets appear, tragedy is sure to follow. What's even more chilling is that every victim, like Mary Shaw back then, has their tongue cut out and dies a gruesome death.

Faced with such a terrifying sight, the terrified townspeople decided to take measures to break free from the curse.

So they worked together to bury Mary Shaw and her many puppets in a secluded place, hoping that this would quell the curse.

However, things didn't go as planned. Despite everyone's efforts, the curse still lingered over the town, and death and fear remained ever-present.

In the town, a strange and eerie nursery rhyme began to circulate quietly at some unknown time.

"Be careful, be careful of Mary Shaw's gaze; she has no children, only puppets by her side. If you happen to encounter her in your dreams, remember, never scream..."

After hearing this chilling story, Ji Lin leisurely smoked a cigarette and leaned lazily against the old wooden chair.

At this point, he already had a general understanding of this so-called evil spirit. After all, the story the boss told was the plot of the horror movie "Dead Silence"!

Ji Lin casually asked a few questions about Mary Shaw, then turned and left with Xinghai and Huan'er.

They found a rather basic motel and decided to stay there for the time being.

As Ji Lin stepped into the hotel lobby to check in, he happened to run into a man who was also rushing over. Ji Lin inadvertently glanced at the name the man had filled in on the front desk register—Jimmy.

However, in that brief moment of eye contact, Ji Lin keenly sensed something unusual—a mark of evil spirits was faintly appearing on Jimmy's body!

Ji Lin calmly led Xinghai and Huan'er into the room assigned to them.

The hotel room was filled with an old and decaying smell. Ji Lin sat quietly on the stained sofa, his brows furrowed, lost in deep thought.

Based on the original plot, the origin of this evil spirit seems to be hidden in Jimmy's father's new wife.

Thinking of this, Ji Lin immediately gave the order to the Shadow Legion: "Go and find out where Jimmy's father lives."

After receiving their orders, the Shadow Legion quickly departed. Not long after, they returned to Ji Lin's side and reported to him in detail what they had found.

Ji Lin followed the Shadow Legion directly to Jimmy's father's residence.

When they arrived at their destination, a magnificent manor came into view, and Ji Lin immediately concealed himself and quietly sneaked into the manor.

While invisible, Ji Lin strolled through the manor, keenly sensing the dense black aura surrounding him. This eerie atmosphere made him even more certain that the source of the evil spirit must be hidden here.

Not long after they continued walking, Ji Lin's gaze was drawn to a scene in the manor's living room.

A young and beautiful woman was gently feeding an old man in a wheelchair. However, with Ji Lin's extraordinary perception, he instantly realized that the old man had already lost all signs of life.

Ji Lin immediately decided to stop hiding. He gently waved his arm and deactivated his invisibility.

At the same time, the mysterious Starry Sea Fan in his hand suddenly flashed with light, and several thin but strong threads shot out like lightning, tightly binding the woman.

The woman was clearly not prepared for this turn of events. Her eyes widened in astonishment, her body trembled violently, and a powerful surge of energy erupted from her.

With a crisp "bang," the silk threads snapped!

Seeing this, Ji Lin did not panic. Instead, he muttered to himself and recited verses from the Nine Songs.

As his chanting began, several dazzling bolts of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, striking the woman directly.

The woman screamed after being struck by lightning, and her body began to tremble violently.

A moment later, she finally collapsed to the ground, motionless. Ji Lin quickly stepped forward to check on her and found that the woman in front of him had lost all signs of life.

Upon closer inspection, it was even more chilling; the woman had been transformed into a living puppet.

"Damn, they ran really fast." Ji Lin cursed under his breath before burning the old man's and woman's bodies.