The entire Thirteen Lines Street was now taken over by the carnival, bustling with crowds of all kinds: men, women, young, old, handsome, beautiful, cosplaying in ancient costumes... pretty much everyone imaginable.
Two shops even got into an argument.
Watching the two sides about to break into a brawl, Mo Chuan and Tao Tu sat in a teahouse across the street, treating it as entertainment while waiting for the opportune moment to start their mission.
"Buddy, two cups of tea and two bowls of meat noodle soup," Mo Chuan waved at the teahouse attendant.
"I'm not eating," Tao Tu shook her head.
"I'll have two bowls," Mo Chuan immediately told the clearly taken-aback attendant.
A short while later, with two bowls of meat noodle soup consumed, Mo Chuan licked his lips, still wanting more, and said while sipping his tea, "Any news from He Danrui?"
It was only two days prior that Mo Chuan finally understood why Zhang Hen Shui had called over He Dan Rui, a girl from the second year of high school.
Firstly, He Dan Rui awakened her superpower in her first year of high school, slightly later than Mo Chuan; secondly, for Zhang Hen Shui, her superpower was simply the perfect choice for this operation—〔Bird Control〕.
He Dan Rui could communicate with birds and command them to scout, harass, or relay information for her, similar to how Mo Chuan commanded the crows. However, Mo Chuan could only achieve shared vision and use them for combat scavenging (not really), and crows were rarely seen in the city. Thus, He Dan Rui was indeed the best choice for observing the entire scene.
"No..." Tao Tu shook her head, looking at the message on her phone. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
Suddenly, Tao Tu's phone chimed. She glanced at it and then nodded at Mo Chuan, signaling him that he could begin his action.
...
"As expected... there's no one here..." Bai Mian Shu Sheng, after changing into his NPC costume, sat outside with Old Huang for a long time, drinking tea. Not a single customer appeared. Even those who passed by seemed to ignore the haunted house as if it weren't there.
The shop owner and Ah Wen beside him said nothing, merely setting up their sign and continuing to attract guests in their monster costumes.
Inside the haunted house, the Fisherman served a bowl of red, viscous liquid to Guo Da Hai and asked cautiously, "Sect Leader, why did you ask that Mo Chuan to come again?"
Guo Da Hai ignored him. He first smeared some of the liquid onto the small idol in front of him, then drank the remaining liquid in the bowl. Finally, wiping his mouth, he said, "Because he is a ghost cultivator, and his mental strength is extraordinary."
"Previously, ordinary people would receive the blessings of Lord Dragon God in one go after the experience, but he clearly did not. So, I arranged for Li Shun (the owner) to have him do some of our work here, right by the idol, initially to help him accept the 'knowledge' faster."
"But it was clear that even after attending to several groups of customers, the opponent was not significantly affected, and those he had intimidated also had their influences disappear."
"So I had Li Shun give him another free travel voucher to Huzhou, all so he would stay here longer, allowing me to 'enlighten' him personally!"
Finishing his words, a crazed smile appeared on Guo Da Hai's face. He tilted the idol with his hand, pouring the red liquid from the idol's bowl into a small vial. Then, he raised his hand and handed the vial to the old woman, saying, "Go and brew some mung bean soup, mix this divine water into it, and then distribute it freely to passersby."
...
Mo Chuan changed into a security guard uniform, disguised as a carnival maintenance worker, and headed towards the carnival entrance. Soon, he spotted the old woman distributing mung bean soup to passersby.
He Dan Rui had just sent a message stating that this old woman had emerged from the "Zhong Yuan Da Ji" haunted house, pushing a tricycle towards the carnival entrance, distributing mung bean soup at the gate. Those who drank the soup had all become vacant-eyed with stiff gaits, slowly walking towards the haunted house.
The Superpower Management Bureau had already intercepted these people and sent them to the hospital for treatment. Mo Chuan's task now was to deal with this old woman first.
"Grandma, are you selling mung bean soup here?"
Because Mo Chuan was wearing sunglasses and a mask, the old woman didn't recognize him. She managed a smile on her wrinkled face and said, "Everyone's happy today. This old woman brewed some mung bean soup to give away. I'm too old to participate, so I'm giving it to you young people, as if I'm participating myself."
Mo Chuan sneered inwardly but maintained a gentle tone. "Grandma, it's like this. Our carnival organizers have set up fixed stalls for every vendor to prevent disputes over space and arbitrary occupation. Although you're not causing any trouble now, our team will soon be clearing out those without stall permits. How about this, I'll get you a temporary one right now, is that okay?"
The old woman thought this wouldn't take much effort and agreed to it for the sake of certainty.
"Alright, then you can leave your cart here or push it with me. We'll find a quiet place to register. It's too crowded and noisy here."
The old woman thought for a moment, left her tricycle in place, and followed Mo Chuan as he turned into a small alleyway next to them.
As soon as she stepped into the alley, the old woman reached for her ID card. However, when she looked up, she met Mo Chuan's pair of eerie green eyes.
"You!..." The old woman suddenly understood something and immediately tried to escape, but the sound of chains behind her was faster than her steps. In an instant, a ghostly green hook blade pierced through from behind her, above her left shoulder, appearing before her.
"Ah!!—" The hook blade stabbed into the old woman's shoulder, but strangely, not a drop of blood flowed out. Beneath the torn clothing, there were actually twisted, intertwined dark roots.
"I must report to the Sect Leader immediately!" The old woman gritted her teeth, her body transforming into a mass of roots along with her clothes, scattering on the ground. A white, hazy light drifted from her mouth towards the outside of the alley.
"This way~"
As Mo Chuan's voice rang out, the hazy light was swung back by his 〔Judgment Pendulum〕 and then hooked by the returned chain.
As the grappling hook dragged, the hazy light clearly struggled, attempting to escape, but it was ultimately in vain, and Mo Chuan dragged it into the lantern.
"My apologies, my technique is rusty. It's been a while since I've stacked layers, and it took so long. I'm truly sorry."
Mo Chuan deactivated 〔Hell Curse〕 and sent a voice message to his phone, "It's resolved. I'm heading to the haunted house now. You guys push the tricycle away and see what's in the mung bean soup."