..
The ritual to infuse the power did not conclude until sunrise the following day.
To allow his body to fully absorb the infused power, Wood did not dare to move after the ritual ended; enduring the aching cramps, he struggled to maintain a specific posture.
.. How.. how much longer must I.. endure..
Just endure a little longer, it'll be over soon.
Master offered a hypocritical consolation, his lips curling into a slight smirk from the suppressed laughter as he began his hands-on examination.
But..
Don't move around, it will interfere with the absorption.
Oh..
Wood obediently froze his body, not daring to move a single inch, his cheeks turning red rapidly from holding his breath: "I, I.."
After leaving the Electric Chair, did Peterson tell you about what he encountered in the gap between life and death?
He.. he..
He didn't say?
He only told me part of it.. the details are still vague.. I, I don't know if I should.. if I should..
It's alright. Just say as much as you can remember.
Master used a magnetic and religiously gentle voice to soothe Wood's emotions and body, helping him recall his conversation with Peterson: "Don't force yourself, don't let it weigh on your mind.."
Mmm.. I.. I remember..
Under Master's gentle soothing, Wood closed his eyes and began to repeat himself as if in a dream.
I.. by 'I' here, I mean Peterson..
I know..
“I entered the rift between life and death while in a near-death state, I saw the prosperous New York turned into terrifying ruins. The sky was a ghastly grayish-red, the air was filled with sulfurous volcanic ash.. All the buildings had collapsed, their surfaces billowing with choking black smoke. Countless fragmented human corpses, looking like mummies but not quite mummies, wandered through the city of corpses and volcanic ash.. They all had no faces, all of them, then, then.. I saw Andy!”
Wood's voice suddenly turned shrill, his body began to writhe violently from the unknown pain.
Master quickly grabbed his hands: "Don't be afraid, I am here, I am here with you."
Mm..
Wood's body gradually returned to a state of calm.
He let out a long breath and continued his narration.
I have never seen Andy before, but when I saw the humanoid monster with faint flames flickering inside that charred body, the name Andy immediately flashed through my mind.. I walked toward Andy, I saw a golden ring on Andy's charred right hand.. A Golden Seal Ring in the style of Ancient Egypt.. The Seal of Osiris.. Ah! Ah!
Wood's throat let out an uneasy scream once again, his chest trembling violently.
Is it painful? If it's painful—
No! I must tell them everything Peterson saw! Immediately! Everything!
"Wood" opened his eyes, golden lightning churning within them.
.. That thing wants the Seal of Osiris. It cannot touch the Seal of Osiris, so it bewitched Andy, but it underestimated Andy's true nature.. Andy obtained the Seal of Osiris.. Andy refused to hand the Seal of Osiris over to that thing.. He wore the Seal on his own hand; even if it meant becoming a monster, neither human, nor demon, nor ghost.. he was unwilling to take off the ring.. We must find Andy immediately, before that thing obtains the Seal.. Stop everything, I..
You need to lie down and rest.
Master smiled, raising his right hand to brush the air across Wood's face: "Trust me, you are very tired now.."
Author's Note:
----------------------
Thanks to the reader "If You Don't Read Properly, You'll End Up Working in a Factory" for providing nutrient solution.
Next chapter, the adorable little Anubis~ (Betes, the cat goddess disguised as an Ancient Egyptian Cat Mummy, declares: Cats and dogs shall never reconcile!)
New story released! I'm giving out some comment red envelopes to everyone~
Chapter 7: Seal of Osiris (7)
At noon, Peterson brought Wood to knock on the door of Mike and Nancy's house.
Ms. Nancy?
Yes, I am Nancy.
Mike's wife, Nancy, opened the door and received them as calmly as possible, even though her face bore slight burns and her voice trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Peterson proactively showed his credentials: "Hello, Ms. Nancy, I am Agent Peterson from the New York Branch of the Special Events Investigation Department. This is my partner. We are investigating the mysterious death case of your husband, Mister Mike. May we come inside to discuss this in detail?"
This..
A clear flash of panic crossed Nancy's eyes, she even reflexively moved to close the door.
Ms. Nancy—
Peterson used his body to block the door, refusing to let his close it: "As a devout Catholic, are you truly not interested in the real cause of your husband's death at all?"
But..
Those who commit suicide cannot go to heaven, they cannot even have a funeral in a church—even if it is just for your husband, you should cooperate with us and help us determine his true cause of death as quickly as possible.
Peterson used persuasive reasoning.
Nancy's attitude gradually softened.
I—
Let us in, let us help you.
Peterson pushed the door again.
—No!
Nancy's previously wavering attitude suddenly turned stern again as she firmly rejected Peterson: "Mike is already dead! He committed suicide! I accept that fact! I don't want to know the truth!"
Really?
Yes! I don't want to know the truth!
Nancy spoke fiercely, intending to drive Peterson out of the room.
Nancy's parents also rushed over upon hearing the noise. The old man even aimed a shotgun at Peterson: "Get out of our house this instant! Or I'll shoot!"
“..”
Peterson was helpless and had no choice but to retreat.
Bang!
As soon as he let go of the door, it slammed shut heavily.
Peterson looked at the tightly closed door with displeasure and lifted his foot to—
Don't be like this.
Wood hurriedly intervened: "Getting angry won't solve anything."
Peterson looked up, his sharp black and white eyes glaring at him, "Of course I know that anger solves nothing."
“Then—”
Back to the vehicle.
Oh.
..
Wood followed Peterson back to the vehicle.
As soon as the car door closed, a smile suddenly appeared on Peterson's face, which had been filled with anger just moments before.
She took an instrument from the back seat of the car and turned it on, the conversation between Nancy and her parents immediately came through clearly.
Dad, what should we do now? They've come for us!
“Nancy, don't panic. We haven't broken any laws, as for this matter.."
—"It's all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on traveling to Egypt, then now.."
No! It's not Mom's fault!
But..
—"Darling, we are a family, we must stay calm! All this misfortune will end!"
—"But.."
—The Lord will forgive us!
The conversation ended there, muffled sobbing and the sound of high heels pacing back and forth drifted from the speaker.
.. When I was greeting Nancy, I had already attached the mini bug to her clothes.
After listening to the conversation between the family of three, Peterson explained to the stunned Wood, "I knew from the very beginning that she wouldn't invite us inside, let alone tell us the truth."
That conversation just now..
The conversation just now confirms my suspicions.
Peterson's expression was solemn: "Nancy's parents once traveled to Egypt and brought back something special from there—because of this object, Mike was chosen by the Seal of Osiris, which was on Andy's hand, died tragically. Nancy and the others clearly know the truth, but for some reason, they refuse to tell us the truth and even forbid us from knowing about the existence of that object!"
So, what do we do next?
Tail them, investigate, if necessary, consider breaking into their home to steal that item.
Peterson said without a second thought.
But..
What are you trying to say?
Doing that wouldn't be a violation of—
Which is more important: collecting evidence illegally or protecting a life?