Dream Capture: I Can See Through All Secrets!

178: 178. The right pathAs night deepened, Mike and Julie quickly found the church, which wasn’t too far from Jiangcheng University.

”Let’s hurry, there’s still time!”

”Yes, to the church!” Mike’s voice trembled nervously; this man, who always prided himself on his rationality, was now placing all his hope in faith.

Clutching their coats, the two rushed out of the university apartment, hailed a taxi at the entrance, and, using a mix of broken Chinese and English, urged the driver to take them to the largest church in Jiangcheng.

The church in Jiangcheng was located behind a famous commercial street. At night, bathed in light, it appeared solemn and peaceful, its Gothic spires pointing directly to the night sky.

This familiar architectural style brought a slight sense of calm to the two, as if they had found their organization.

They eagerly pushed open the heavy wooden doors, hoping to see candlelight, hear an organ, and find a priest who could listen to their confessions and offer them sanctuary.

However, the sight that greeted them instantly stunned them.

The interior of the church was indeed solemn, but it was mixed with an Eastern-style decor, and instead of a black-robed priest, they were met by a kind-faced, fifty-something Chinese woman in ordinary clothes, who was wiping the pews.

Seeing two foreigners looking hurried and terrified, she paused, then asked, ”Welcome! Do you need help?”

Mike and Julie exchanged glances, momentarily speechless.

Mike’s Chinese wasn’t good, so he struggled to form words, gesturing, ”Is the priest here? We... we need to see him. It’s urgent!”

The woman understood ”Father,” and, as if realizing something, smiled and waved her hand: ”There are no... priests in China. Only me, a volunteer, my surname is Li.”

Their hearts sank.

No priest?! What about exorcisms, prayers, and seeking spiritual refuge?

Julie was still unwilling to give up, gesturing frantically: ”Holy water! We need holy water!”

Aunt Li followed the direction of her finger, frowning, seemingly trying to understand.

Then, as if she understood, she led them to the door of an inconspicuous small room in the corner of the church and pointed inside.

It was an ordinary sink with a common stainless steel faucet, and a sign hanging above it read ”Holy Water.”

”Do you want holy water? It’s over there,” Aunt Li said kindly.

Mike and Julie stared at the tap water gushing out, completely bewildered.

Holy water... was just tap water? This familiar yet strange sense of dislocation exacerbated their already confused state of mind.

Finally, with extremely complex feelings, they used the empty mineral water bottles they carried to fill two bottles with ”holy water,” and also took a dusty Bible from a bookshelf, intending to use it as an exorcism weapon.

As they left, they saw a small souvenir stall next to the church entrance. As if grasping at a last straw, they frantically bought two of the brightest and largest silver cross necklaces from the stall and solemnly put them on.

However, even with the Bible, crosses, and ”holy water,” their unease did not lessen much when they returned to the hotel.

Julie looked at the cross in her hand and murmured, ”Do you... do you think our God’s things... will work here? Can Western holy relics deal with Eastern... evil spirits?”

This question also silenced Mike.

Eastern evil spirits, with Western holy relics? He had no confidence at all.

The fear brought by this uncertainty tormented them all night.

Early the next morning, with heavy dark circles under their eyes, the two made an even more localized decision.

Go to a Taoist temple!

This was the solution they had thought of all night—a combination of East and West. Surely this would work now?!

They inquired and learned there was a popular Taoist temple to the east of Jiangcheng. They immediately rushed there without delay, and along the way, they nervously observed their surroundings, fearing that something unclean might emerge from any corner.

Inside the Taoist temple, green smoke lingered, ancient trees towered, and the atmosphere was entirely different from the church.

As the two looked at the Taoist priests in Taoist robes with long beards, and the incomprehensible talismans and ritual instruments, although they felt unfamiliar, they strangely felt a glimmer of hope for a professional solution.

They spent a lot of money, devoutly prayed for protective talismans, drank talisman water said to ward off evil and calm fright, and even asked a Taoist priest to perform a small ritual.

Listening to the Taoist priest chant incomprehensible scriptures and watching the burning talismans and waving wooden swords, their taut nerves seemed to genuinely find some solace and relaxation.

”I have a feeling we’ve found the right path this time!” Mike whispered to Julie.

Julie also nodded vigorously, clutching the newly acquired protective talisman tightly, praying for the mysterious Eastern power to protect her!

After the entire process, it was already noon, and Mike and Julie returned to Jiangcheng University feeling satisfied.

The next two days were calm; there were no more ghost walls, no eerie smiles or whispers, and no bloody illusions.

The anxiety in their hearts finally subsided, little by little.

It seems that Eastern magic can indeed counter Eastern evil spirits!

As the fear receded slightly, the suppressed pressure of their mission resurfaced. Their superior’s warning hung over them like the Sword of Damocles.

They couldn’t hide forever.

”We must act tonight,” Mike took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure as a scientist: ”We can no longer approach the lab and Qin Tian; the risk is too great. We’ll use remote methods instead.”

Julie also nodded solemnly. The exchange meeting was about to end, and they didn’t have much time left.

They planned two schemes: first, to carefully construct a phishing email carrying a special virus, disguised as a peer review comment from an international academic journal, attempting to infiltrate Qin Tian’s computer and steal data;

Second, to secretly set up small signal interception equipment at a suitable location within a certain range of the laboratory, attempting to capture wireless communication signals from inside the laboratory.

That night, the two, carrying backpacks filled with equipment, stealthily went to the rooftop of the apartment building to set up the signal interception point.

The rooftop was vast and cluttered, strewn with discarded construction materials and rusted iron frames.

In the distance, the lights of Jiangcheng University were faintly visible. The laboratory building, which housed the secret they yearned for, now resembled a dormant giant beast in the darkness.

”Hurry and set it up. Once we get the signal, we’ll leave. Not a moment more!”

Mike lowered his voice, speaking urgently, as he opened the metal case he carried, which contained precise signal interception equipment.

Julie nervously scanned her surroundings, the cast on her arm particularly noticeable in the dim light. Her eyes were filled with vigilance, as if something could leap out of the darkness at any moment.

However, just as Mike had connected a data cable, and Julie turned around... the world suddenly changed color!

That familiar, suffocating coldness descended again without warning!

In the shadow of the rooftop water tower, it was as if countless eyes opened in the darkness.

The surrounding air began to distort, and the distant city lights flickered as if they had a loose connection.

What terrified them even more was that a viscous, dark red blood began to silently seep from the rooftop floor, rapidly spreading, and the air filled with a heavy smell of blood!

”No! It’s happening again! It’s back!” Mike’s hands and feet went cold with fear, and the equipment case clattered to the ground.

Julie was equally distraught, screaming as she threw away the binoculars in her hand. She saw that twisted, pained human faces were beginning to emerge from the seeping blood—the very faces of the targets she had dealt with in past missions!

They roared silently, crawling towards them!

”Crosses! Talismans! Use them!” Mike screamed hysterically, fumbling to pull out the cross from his chest and the talismans from his pocket, waving them wildly.

However, the cross was unresponsive, and the yellow paper talismans fell through the air without any special effects, completely unable to stop the terrifying illusions from approaching!

They had all failed!

”It’s useless... all useless...”

Driven by extreme fear, the two cried and stumbled backward, retreating all the way to the edge of the rooftop.

The cold railing pressed against their backs, and below them was adozens-meter drop into emptiness.

With blood shadows coming for their lives in front and a deadly height behind, they were in despair.

”Call the police... yes... call the police! Let the police help us, we need help!”

Mike, as if grasping at a last straw, pulled out his phone with trembling hands, almost instinctively dialing the emergency number, screaming incoherently into the mouthpiece: ”Help! Rooftop... there are ghosts! Come help us! Please!”

Julie also screamed along with him.