146-150

Chapter 146: Joint Enforcement

“It seems they were very close to uncovering the truth at the time.”

Inside the surveillance room of the NYPD.

Agent Zhou frowned as he studied the movement trajectory sketched by the FBI agents on the photo wall, particularly the pictures of the vehicle.

Without the help of a psychic, the two FBI agents had pieced together fragmented clues to uncover the truth behind the disappearance case. It was truly impressive.

“It’s a pity—they were too close to the truth.”

Agent Phil, also examining the photo wall, lamented the FBI agents’ misfortune.

“Sean Johnson?”

Amanda’s gaze landed on the photo of George getting into the car. Reading the name labeled by the FBI beneath the image, she subconsciously muttered it aloud.

“Sean Johnson, one of the participants in the séance ritual video uploaded to YouTube.”

Confirming Sean’s identity practically explained the reason for the string of disappearances.

The FBI and NYPD officers shared their firsthand experiences to help Amanda and her team fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

“Get ready to move out…”

Turning her gaze from the surveillance room, Amanda realized the increasing number of victims required immediate action to stop the crisis.

“Zhou, prepare two vehicles in case we need to split up.”

She instructed Agent Zhou, then turned her attention to Angela, who looked eager to participate, but shifted her tone.

“Angela, I need you to stay at the station as backup and maintain constant communication.”

“But, Chief…”

Angela’s face displayed obvious disappointment at the directive. She started to argue for her inclusion in the operation.

“Chief, we’ve got a situation.”

Agent Zhou’s voice interrupted the conversation.

“You seem disappointed.”

Watching Amanda leave in a hurry, Spike turned to Angela.

“This is a supernatural case. Every agent who joins BSI reads about these types of cases on their first day.”

The proximity to an actual supernatural case but being sidelined was understandably frustrating.

“Trust me, they’re not as safe as you think. Once provoked, the consequences are unimaginable.”

Seeing Angela’s disappointment, Spike tried to console her.

Yet, Angela remained visibly upset at being excluded.

“Angela, I need you to help me with something.”

Noticing her demeanor, Spike shook his head slightly and gave her an assignment.

---

“NYPD wants to join us in investigating the disappearance case.”

Frowning, Agent Zhou relayed the troubling news to Amanda.

“No, absolutely not!”

Amanda rejected the idea without hesitation.

What they were about to confront wasn’t a routine disappearance case but one involving dangerous supernatural elements.

“Tell the NYPD it’s out of the question.”

“I did, but the NYPD has valid reasons. Some of their own officers are among the missing, and they feel compelled to act. The recent ‘Clown’ shooting incident has also put them in a precarious position, leading them to protest to the federal government multiple times…”

Agent Zhou’s explanation left Amanda in silence.

Her phone rang again.

“This is Amanda.”

After listening to the directive from the BSI headquarters, Amanda exhaled in frustration and looked at Agent Zhou.

“Tell the NYPD they can join this operation, but they must follow our orders at all times.”

Although they were about to face a highly dangerous supernatural threat, they couldn’t escape the entangled alliances within their organization and were forced to collaborate with the NYPD.

From the moment Amanda picked up the call, Agent Zhou had already anticipated the outcome.

Minutes later, with sirens wailing, the team headed toward a cabin on the outskirts of New York.

---

“So, it’s finally starting?”

Late at night, Allen brewed himself a cup of coffee and watched the unfolding scene on his system panel.

With a single thought, the screen shifted to the other side, focusing on the cursed FBI agents.

---

Stepping stiffly out of the car, the FBI agents and several NYPD officers walked toward the cabin, their faces frozen with unnatural rigidity.

Their minds were clear, but they had lost control of their bodies. Helplessly, they watched themselves approach the cabin under the curse’s influence.

Through their rigid eyes, they noticed faint light emanating from the abandoned cabin, shadows moving within.

Passing by a lone tree in the yard, they stopped before the door.

Knock, knock.  

A NYPD officer, despite his reluctant gaze, raised his hand to knock on the wooden door.

The shadows inside stilled abruptly.

Creak… Creak…  

Moments later, accompanied by the sound of winding gears, a lifeless, stiff face appeared at the doorway.

“Welcome.”

The door creaked open, revealing a figure with no trace of emotion on his rigid face.

“It’s Jamie!”

The two FBI agents recognized him—the missing person who had filmed the video.

Through Jamie, they saw the crowd inside the cabin: the very people who had gone missing.

They had found the missing individuals, but now they, too, had joined them.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

Jamie’s lifeless eyes scanned the group at the door as he spoke in a monotonous tone.

Turning mechanically, he stepped toward the crowd inside.

Behind him, a massive gear embedded in his back continued to spin.

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 147: The Shadow Beneath the Tree*

"Have the officers wait in the car."

Stepping out of the vehicle, Amanda gazed at the cabin before her and the withered tree standing in the middle of the yard. Everything matched precisely what she had seen in George's memories during her psychic vision.

There was no doubt—this was the place George and the missing persons had last been.

"A vehicle was found nearby..."

"Matching the ones driven by the two missing FBI agents, as well as a car from the NYPD. Clearly, the missing agents and officers came here too."

"Good. Looks like we won’t need to search elsewhere."

Hearing Agent Zhou’s report, Amanda raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming noticeably more solemn.

Examining the abandoned FBI vehicle revealed no clues useful to the investigation. Agent Phil turned his gaze toward the brightly lit cabin and asked Agent Zhou, "Are you sure this house is supposed to be abandoned?"

"At least, that's what the records say."

Following Phil’s line of sight, Zhou also noticed the light emanating from the cabin's windows.

"So, whoever’s inside..."

"Is likely the target we’re looking for."

Stretching lazily after exiting the car, Speck glanced toward the cabin, pausing briefly to study the withered tree in the yard.

"It seems... it's afraid of being alone."

Hearing Speck's comment, Phil couldn't help but display a bewildered expression.

"Afraid of being alone?"

It was hard for him to imagine an evil spirit—or some grotesque being—being afraid of solitude. After all, wasn’t it they who were terrified of it?

"I've mentioned before, the spirit world is a void—no joy, no pain, no sensation. Because of this, their consciousness is often shaped by the emotions they experienced just before death. The desperate remain in despair, and the fearful find no peace..."

"Alright, now isn’t the time to delve into our target's psychological profile."

Under different circumstances, Amanda would have been eager to hear Speck’s insights about the nature of spirits.

After all, that was one of the reasons the BSI had chosen him as a consultant.

But the current situation didn’t allow them to linger in idle conversation. Drawing her gun from its holster, Amanda glanced toward the cabin. From the bright windows, she could even make out shadows moving inside.

Under Amanda’s lead, the BSI team cautiously approached the cabin.

Walking at the back, Speck’s eyes lingered on the patches of moss accumulated over the years on the wooden boards, then drifted back to the withered tree in the yard.

For a moment, a hazy vision surfaced in Speck’s mind.

---

*Boom—*

The deafening roar of thunder was accompanied by a torrential downpour, enveloping everything in the night.

*Clang!*

Amidst the dim, rain-soaked night, a shadowy figure appeared near the tree.

Cough, cough, cough...  

Rainwater lashed against the figure’s emaciated frame, prompting a series of pained coughs. The figure strained to drag a black bag toward the lushly branched tree.

Reaching the tree, the figure unzipped the bag.

*Boom—*

Amid the flashing lightning and rumbling thunder, a blurred face became visible inside the bag.

"I'm sorry..."

Gazing at the face, the frail figure muttered an apology, only to pick up a nearby shovel and swing it mercilessly at the figure's head.

---

"Speck."

The horrifying scene playing out in his mind made Speck furrow his brow instinctively.

A low voice calling from ahead snapped him out of his thoughts.

He blinked, and the vision faded.

"I'm coming."

Casting one last glance at the withered tree, its eerie stillness stirring something within him, Speck walked toward Amanda.

"What’s wrong?"

To the others, it seemed as if Speck had been standing motionless by the tree for a few seconds.

Amanda’s gaze swept over the withered tree before she turned to Speck and asked quietly, "Did you see something?"

"I saw something interesting. I’ll tell you later."

Speck replied calmly to Amanda’s question, then shifted his focus toward the cabin.

"It looks like the owner of the house knows we’re here."

As if on cue, the creaking sound of the cabin door echoed. It swung open, revealing Jamie's lifeless, rigid face.

"Welcome. We’ve got so many guests tonight," Jamie said, twisting his stiff neck to scan the group outside. His mouth opened and closed mechanically as he raised an arm in a mock gesture of welcome.

"..."

Amanda’s eyes lingered on Jamie’s wooden, puppet-like face for a few seconds before she composed herself, suppressing the shock. She glanced at Speck, who remained unfazed.

"If I’m not mistaken, he’s one of the missing persons," Amanda noted quietly.

Watching Jamie’s puppet-like movements, Phil's face betrayed his horror. He whispered to Zhou, "He looks more like a puppet than a person."

Even Zhou, who typically maintained a stoic demeanor, couldn’t hide his astonishment. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his emotions and said, "So this is the curse’s power—turning people into puppets under its control?"

Speck studied Jamie closely, particularly his jointed fingers and the slowly turning wind-up key protruding from his back.

Perhaps Jamie had been the first to fall victim to the curse. His body had undergone complete transformation, becoming a wooden puppet in human form.

"That’s why the missing persons vanished without a trace—they were all taken and turned into puppets," Speck concluded.

Amanda glanced into the cabin, her eyes scanning the scene. Inside, shadows of various figures moved about, creating an oddly bustling yet sinister atmosphere.

"What’s the plan, Chief?" Phil asked nervously, gripping his gun tightly. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he stared into the unsettling cabin.

"Proceed with caution. These are victims of the disappearances," Amanda replied in a low voice, addressing the agents' rising tension.

Everyone inside the cabin, including Jamie at the door, was a victim. They had to be extremely careful not to harm any innocent lives.

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 148: Entering*

“...”

Outside the wooden cabin, the atmosphere was tense.

“Come in.”

Creak. Creak.

Jamie, standing at the doorway, twisted his neck and urged the group outside.

“Come in, come in, come in!”

The wooden-textured eyes in his hollow sockets began spinning wildly. Jamie stared at the unresponsive BSI agents standing outside, his wooden joints creaking as he moved. The wind-up key on his back started spinning rapidly, and his previously monotone voice turned sharp and urgent. His mouth opened and closed like a malfunctioning wooden puppet.

“Of course, we’ll enter now.”

Sensing the increasing danger emanating from Jamie, a flicker of seriousness flashed through the slightly lowered blue eyes of Spike. He then smiled faintly and stepped inside.

As he crossed the threshold, the wind-up key on Jamie’s back began to slow down, and his trembling limbs gradually stilled. However, his wooden eyes remained fixed on Amanda and the others outside.

It wasn’t just Jamie at the door; everyone inside the cabin twisted their stiff necks in unison to look at the BSI agents entering.

Their gazes were filled with resentment and unwillingness, like the envy of the dead toward the living. The oppressive atmosphere filled the cabin, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

Under the weight of those stares, Agent Phil's nerves were stretched taut, and he gripped his trigger tightly.

At the critical moment, Agent Zhou raised a hand, stopping his partner's rash action.

Meanwhile, Amanda, seeing Spike’s signal from inside the cabin, chose to trust the medium’s judgment.

She lowered her weapon, took a deep breath, and motioned for the BSI team to follow her inside.

As Amanda passed through the doorway, her gaze met Jamie’s. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a glimmer of despair in the depths of his wooden eyes.

But as the BSI agents entered the cabin, the people inside, who had been staring intently at them, withdrew their gazes. Even Jamie's face returned to its previously lifeless, vacant expression.

It was as though everything that had just happened was merely their imagination.

Yet, the memory of those hateful, resentful eyes had already etched itself deeply into the hearts of the BSI agents, leaving an indelible mark.

Creak. Creak—

Jamie shut the door and moved his stiff body to stand before Amanda and the others.

Twisting his neck and opening and closing his mouth, Jamie addressed the group: “The banquet won’t begin for a while. Guests are free to move about, but unless you have permission, please do not leave the banquet hall.”

Looking at the eerie figure before him, Agent Phil felt uneasy. He glanced around at the others in the cabin. Though their appearances varied, the expressions on their faces were uniformly vacant.

“What happens if someone leaves?” Phil couldn’t help but ask.

“Please do not leave the banquet hall.”

Jamie merely shook his head and repeated the same monotonous response.

After speaking, he twisted his stiff body and began walking toward the stairs, step by step.

“So, what should we do next?”

Amanda shifted her gaze from the massive wind-up key on Jamie’s back to Spike and asked.

“I don’t know.”

Spike shook his head in response.

“You don’t know?”

Amanda’s expression turned incredulous at his answer.

“But I do know this: if we hadn’t entered the cabin as instructed, the situation we’d face might be far worse than it is now.”

Spike reached over and took a glass of wine from the stiff hands of a nearby waiter, taking a sip before continuing.

“The nature of the grotesque is bizarre and unpredictable, with no two instances being the same. However, they all share one thing in common: every grotesque ability has a specific trigger or medium. Take, for instance, the missing persons in the cabin—they ended up here because they activated the curse in the video...”

“But these patterns are extremely fragile. Breaking them invites even greater disaster.”

As Spike mentioned breaking the pattern, Amanda noticed a subtle change in his expression—quickly masked and hidden again.

“In short, the grotesque has drawn us into the cabin and mentioned a banquet. That suggests that, at the very least, we’re safe until the banquet begins.”

“So, what we need to do now is locate the object that serves as its anchor before the banquet starts. Destroying the anchor will sever the grotesque’s connection to reality.”

Spike’s words made Amanda and the others tense up immediately.

Agent Zhou’s gaze swept over the cabin’s occupants and soon landed on several individuals whose attire clearly differed from the rest.

“It’s those two FBI agents and the missing police officer.”

He motioned for Phil to follow him.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

As they passed through the cabin’s missing persons, Phil glanced at their vacant, stiff faces, then at Zhou, whose expression remained stoic. He couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course I’m afraid. I’m human, not a machine.”

Zhou responded coldly without looking at Phil.

“But I also know that fear doesn’t solve anything, especially not in situations like this. It only makes things worse.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

Phil detected a deeper meaning in Zhou’s words.

“You don’t need to know.”

Seeing Phil’s curious expression, Zhou shut the conversation down without hesitation.

“I thought partners shouldn’t keep secrets, but it’s your call.”

Phil shrugged and gave up on prying further.

The two approached the missing FBI agents and police officer, noting their stiff postures and lifeless faces that were almost identical to the others’.

“Looks like we won’t find any clues from them,” Phil said with disappointment.

Zhou, however, didn’t give up. He frowned as he studied the FBI agents’ rigid movements and lifeless expressions. Raising his hand, he waved it in front of one of the agents’ eyes before his gaze sharpened.

A faint, nearly imperceptible smile crossed Zhou’s otherwise cold face.

“Don’t be so sure.”

---

*Chapter 149: The Deceptive Banquet*

"You’re actually laughing?"

Agent Zhou glanced at Agent Phil, a look of disbelief flashing across his face.

"In a situation like this, you’re worried about something so trivial?"

Phil shrugged, his gaze also fixed on the stiff-faced FBI agent before them.

"I’m just trying to lighten the terrifying mood. So, what did you find out?"

Shifting his focus from Phil’s face, Agent Zhou turned to the FBI agent, whose expression remained unnaturally rigid. He responded in a low voice, "They watched the summoning video and got cursed by whatever was in it. Luckily, the curse hasn’t fully taken hold yet—unlike that guy at the door, who’s already turned into a puppet."

"At least their eyes aren’t completely affected yet."

As he spoke, Agent Zhou scrutinized the FBI agent's stiffened face. Not long ago, they’d had a tense run-in with the FBI, but now, upon meeting again, these agents were reduced to this state.

Silently cautioning himself, Agent Zhou finally addressed the immobilized agent, "Right now, I need your help—not just for us, but for yourself as well."

The white FBI agent, aware of his current predicament, realized his only hope lay with the BSI agents standing before him. Any disdain or mistrust was cast aside as he moved the only part of his body he could—his eyes—glancing downward with great effort.

"Good. It looks like you can still hear me," Zhou said, exhaling in relief as he noticed the subtle movement.

At least things weren’t at their worst yet.

Still, the image of Jamie at the door—fully transformed into a puppet under the curse's power—pressed on Zhou’s mind, filling him with urgency.

There was no guarantee this FBI agent, who still retained some shred of awareness, wouldn’t succumb to the same fate in the next moment.

With this thought, Zhou wasted no time. "From now on, I’ll ask you some questions. If the answer is ‘yes,’ move your eyes to the left. If the answer is ‘no,’ move them to the right. Do you understand?"

Hearing Zhou’s instructions, the FBI agent moved his eyes to the left, confirming he understood.

Satisfied with the response method, Zhou immediately began his inquiry.

"So, all of you came here because you watched the video?"

A glance to the left—yes.

"Was the video the one Jamie and the others filmed—the summoning video?"

Left again—yes.

"Did you see anything—or anyone—controlling the others or you?"

Another left—yes.

"Tell me, what is it?"

Phil, unable to contain his curiosity, interjected, "What did you see controlling them?"

But the FBI agent’s stiff eyes didn’t move in response to Phil’s question.

"He can only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’" Zhou replied, glancing at Phil in mild exasperation.

However, as soon as Zhou finished speaking, the FBI agent’s eyes suddenly moved—not left, not right, but upward.

"What does that mean?" Phil asked, his face filled with confusion.

"Is it ‘yes’ or ‘no’?"

The unexpected reaction left both BSI agents momentarily at a loss. But quickly, they exchanged a glance and seemed to reach the same realization.

"I’ve got it!" they shouted in unison.

"It’s the second floor!"

As they shouted, the FBI agent’s eyes shifted left—confirming their guess.

---

"I’ve been working so hard. Just two more years, and I can finally pay off all my debt and student loans…"

"I’m happy with my job now."

"I’m planning to propose to my girlfriend, but I don’t know if she’ll say yes."

"Starting today, I’ll work out. I’m too fat—no girl likes a fat guy."

"It’s all because of that damn ghost-hunting show. If it weren’t for filming, I’d never have agreed to go ghost hunting…"

"I need to save up. I’ve got my eye on this beautiful handbag, but it’s way too expensive. At my current salary, I’d need to go without food for over a month to afford it. Maybe I should think of another way."

"I hate socializing, hate this stupid job, hate everyone. Why do you all look so happy?"

"I feel discriminated against. Just because of my skin color, you think you can boss me around, just like what you did to our ancestors."

Inside the wooden cabin, the missing individuals stood scattered, their positions forming an illusion of a lively party.

Yet, as Amanda moved closer, she realized their words and the surrounding atmosphere were starkly incongruous.

Their voices repeated monotonous phrases, like pre-recorded lines from a puppet's mouth—illogical and entirely disconnected from one another.

The rigid movements paired with their muttering created an eerie, chilling sense of unease.

"It seems you’ve noticed," Spike remarked, placing his empty glass into the hand of a missing person acting as a waiter, who continued to mutter about becoming someone important.

Spike’s drooping eyes scanned the cabin’s occupants. In his vision, each missing person had a wind-up key protruding from their back, some clearer than others, bearing wooden textures and spinning continuously.

As the keys turned, the individuals repeated their motions after every pause, like clockwork toys.

"Everyone here is just a puppet," Spike said. "The entity controlling them is putting on a ‘lively’ banquet."

"What’s its purpose?" Amanda asked, watching the others. Though she couldn’t see the wind-up keys as Spike could, she sensed the unnatural, deliberate nature of the scene, like a child playing with toys—an obviously fake game, yet the child found joy in it.

"To mask its loneliness."

"Loneliness?"

It was the second time Amanda had heard that word from Spike.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 150: Transformation*

“Everyone, the banquet has officially begun!”

Before Amanda could press Spike about the meaning of “loneliness” in his earlier statement, Jamie descended the stairs with stiff, mechanical steps.

He turned his rigid neck toward the crowd in the cabin, his wooden mouth opening and closing as he made the announcement.

Creak... creak... creak...

As Jamie's voice fell, Amanda felt the floor beneath her begin to tremble. She wobbled but steadied herself with Spike’s help. Then, she noticed everything in the cabin start to shift with the sound of winding gears.

The old wooden walls began to separate, and planks of wood emerged from the staircase, forming new patterns on the floor. The cramped living room stretched outward, expanding rapidly into a grand, luxurious hall.

“Oh, shit!”

Agent Phil struggled to maintain his balance amidst the shaking but couldn’t suppress his expletive as he surveyed the transformed surroundings.

“It’s not just controlling people—it’s redecorating the house!”

“This isn’t merely redecorating,” Agent Zhou muttered under his breath as he frowned, scanning the room. His expression darkened as he noticed a specific change.

“The stairs…”

“What?”

“The stairs are gone.”

Phil turned to where the staircase once stood and found a massive fireplace in its place.

“So, you expected this to happen?” Amanda asked, her puzzled gaze shifting to Spike.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t see this coming,” Spike replied as he released her arm and walked over to the wall. He touched the new surface, then inspected the thin layer of dust on his fingertips.

“The guests, the banquet has begun.”

Amanda opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Jamie appeared beside her with unsettling speed, given his stiff movements. His wooden eyes locked onto her as he spoke with his hollow voice.

“Please refrain from unnecessary movement to avoid disrupting the banquet.”

Amanda forced herself to maintain eye contact with Jamie’s hollow gaze, suppressing the shock churning inside her. After a tense five or six seconds, Jamie turned his creaking neck and continued to deliver the same warning to others in the room.

Under Jamie’s unnerving supervision, the scattered guests gradually gathered together. Agents Zhou and Phil also took the opportunity to rejoin Amanda.

“We found the missing FBI agents,” Zhou began in a low voice. “And we’ve confirmed the anomaly is upstairs. But…”

Amanda followed his gaze to the fireplace. The cabin’s transformation wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a direct obstacle to the BSI’s mission.

While the BSI agents wrestled with the challenge of accessing the second floor, Jamie clumsily climbed onto a raised platform in the newly expanded hall. His wooden neck swiveled, and his now fully wooden eyes rotated in their sockets, eventually fixing on Amanda’s group.

His mouth opened and closed as his monotone voice echoed through the hall.

“We’re delighted to have everyone here for this banquet. It’s been so long since this place has been so lively.”

“And to our esteemed guests from afar, we hope you’ll enjoy the activities planned for today’s banquet.”

At Jamie’s words, everyone in the room turned their stiff necks toward Amanda and her companions. The same resentful, bitter stares Amanda had felt earlier returned with unsettling intensity.

“We’re enjoying the arrangements so far,” Spike said with a smile, raising his glass to Jamie on the platform.

Jamie’s wooden eyes swiveled again, seemingly pleased by the response. The crowd shifted their empty gazes back to Jamie, leaving the agents momentarily free from their oppressive stares.

“Phew…” Phil exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I’ve never realized how terrifying it is to be stared at like that.”

“We can’t let this continue,” Zhou muttered. Even he, with his usual composure, felt the weight of the situation. “We have to act quickly. Otherwise, it won’t be long before we’re the next ones turned into puppets.”

Amanda’s concerns mirrored Zhou’s. She had been silently observing the crowd’s behavior, and moments ago, she had spotted a clockwork mechanism—identical to Jamie’s—emerging from the back of one of the missing agents. As the gears turned, the agent’s expressions and movements became increasingly puppet-like.

“Spike, is there any way to help us locate the anomaly?” Amanda asked, turning to him. As a medium, Spike was the most knowledgeable about such phenomena.

But Spike’s attention remained fixated on Jamie, his fascination evident. Amanda’s growing impatience finally snapped him back to reality.

“Spike!”

“Huh? What did you say?” he asked, reluctantly tearing his gaze from Jamie.

“I asked if you have a way to help us find the anomaly!” Amanda repeated sharply.

“I don’t know,” Spike admitted, shaking his head in a way that surprised her. “But I do know that if you wait by the river long enough, something will eventually come to you.”

“And now, it’s time to cast the bait.”

Before Amanda could react, Spike grabbed her hand and raised it high.

“We’d like to participate in the next banquet game!” he called out to Jamie on the platform.

(To be continued...)