World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 18 Poolside Horror
April was stunned. After a long while, she shook her head repeatedly.

"I thought this was a book praising the greatness of life, but who knew it would be so barbaric!"

"...I'm really curious which translation software you used."

This machine translation is even worse than the system translation!

“I didn’t use a translator.” April awkwardly put on her coat. “It’s funny, Lin. One day I suddenly thought of a question: what are the other gods of fertility like, besides Adam and Eve in the mythology of the United States? Mike told me that you are a walking book list of ‘occult’ books.”

"I shouldn't have said that in the first place!" Mike gritted his teeth. "It was the worst decision I've made all year!"

"Anyway, I went to Sasaki, and he pointed to the top book and told me to take it, but the English inside was too complicated and I couldn't understand it, so I asked Kim to—"

"You're not arguing anymore?"

An attractive voice interrupted April, but she wasn't angry and hugged the short-haired woman's arm.

"I've decided to give him another chance."

"Seeing is believing, Lin, you've really opened my eyes," Doris laughed. "Five minutes to reunite my friends. Have you ever considered becoming a marriage counselor? You're a psychology major, after all."

“Psychology?” April’s eyes widened. “But you often attend classes with me at the art school.”

"Just out of interest, I'm just auditing a lecture." Lin An smiled slightly. "I occasionally try something new to see if it suits my taste. I'm neither a psychology major nor an art major."

“That kid is a genius.” Mike patted Lin An on the shoulder. “April, you’ve finally come to your senses. Seriously, you’ve made such a big fuss, I haven’t been able to sleep for days.”

"What nonsense! It's definitely real..."

April muttered softly, and Doris seized the opportunity to continue the conversation.

"Lin, what's your social media name?"

“AnL,” Mike interjected, “but this kid isn’t online often, and his replies are ridiculously slow.”

Doris shook her phone, and the seemingly diamond-encrusted case reflected a dazzling light.

“I’ve followed you.” She naturally moved closer to Lin An. The phone screen was small, so the two were very close. “This is my profile page. Please follow me back.”

The short-haired woman had a soft body and gently touched Lin An's arm. Due to the height difference, he could see the blue veins flowing beneath her slightly pale skin.

From this angle, Doris looks like an angel descended from heaven, fragile and innocent.

A delicate fragrance wafted from the golden-gray hair, captivating all who beheld it.

Doris glanced up to observe Lin An's expression, only to be surprised to find that he was not only not engrossed in the moment, but also frowning and deep in thought.

The aroma of pineapple wafting through the coconut grove, a subtle scent of cucumber, the fragrance of lavender, and...

...a subtle sweetness from fennel seeds.

“Lin, you’re my 27th follower.” The woman’s laughter pulled Lin An back from his wandering thoughts. “After Brian Gates and Donna Kardashian.”

Lin An glanced at her phone. His ordinary account stood out starkly among a bunch of profile pictures with tens of thousands of followers.

"thump!"

Water splashed high into the air, landing on the heated floor and evaporating into white mist with a hiss.

"Plop! Plop! Plop!"

Amid cheers, more people rushed to jump into the swimming pool.

Lin An quickly protected his phone, vigorously wiped the water off the screen, and put it in his pocket.

"The party games have started!" Doris exclaimed excitedly, completely disregarding the risk of her electronic devices breaking down. "Lin, quick! Hurry up and change into your swim trunks, let's go play!"

"I didn't bring my swim trunks. I'm not planning to participate—"

"Oh, don't be so boring, just borrow one from the butler! Come here, follow me!"

Water from the swimming pool kept splashing onto the underfloor heating, and a mischievous white mist rose slowly into the winter sky of Dietrich.

Doris's parties were always so lively, to an eerie degree, with young men and women expending their boundless energy as if they didn't know tomorrow.

They shouted, laughed, jumped into the pool, and climbed out, soaking wet.

The temperature kept changing, and the steam obscured Lin An's eyes, making it difficult for him to see his surroundings.

Invertebrate white tentacles twisted nature, gathering, floating, gliding, and hanging in sync with blurry human figures, while milky white matter grasped and covered everything it could cover.

It was hard to see where he was standing; Lin An was almost weightless. He slowed down and tried his best to maintain his balance.

"Gala!"

Even so, Lin An almost tripped and fell when he suddenly stepped on an uneven obstacle. He managed to regain his balance and looked closely, only to find that it was a water gun.

Forget it, I don't expect these people to have any sense of security...

"Haven't you found a housekeeper yet?" he asked the enthusiastic Doris.

"Be patient, An'an."

Before the words were finished, a sharp, distorted scream came from afar.

"Ahhhh——!"

The revelers didn't react, assuming it was just a common accident like someone slipping and falling.

Is this some kind of party game?

"Shout louder!"

"Again!"

Someone started the commotion, and as if to join in their joke, more screams rose and fell, until they echoed through the sky, completely shattering this misty paradise.

"Monster! There's a monster in the water!"

"What are you doing! Don't come any closer, let go—!"

"Everyone, run!" "Don't push me—don't shove me! Let me get up first! Damn it, get out of my way!"

Before the thick fog had dissipated, countless figures scattered and fled for their lives. White arms and white legs, human limbs were intertwined, creating a chaotic scene reminiscent of the figures in a medieval ceiling painting awaiting judgment in purgatory.

Someone slipped and fell, someone stepped on him, someone wailed and cried, and someone cursed loudly.

"Boom-"

The barbecue machine was overturned by the crowd, and the collapsed speakers and other electronic devices were scattered all over the ground with wires crackling and sparks flying, raising a cloud of smoke and filling the air with the smell of burning.

Several people collapsed to the ground instantly, convulsing uncontrollably.

"What happened?" Doris seemed to have never seen such a terrible sight before. Her face grew paler and paler, and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around her body, trembling uncontrollably.

Sure enough, it was too late.

Lin An sighed, picked up the plastic water gun from the ground, and grabbed Doris's wrist.

"Did you hear what they were shouting? The monster is coming! Run for your lives!"

"Lin, are you serious? This isn't funny!"

"Let's find a safe place first."

Lin An pulled the trigger of the water gun with his left hand, and the cold water jet whistled, clearing away the remaining water vapor in front of them. The view suddenly became clear, and he led Doris to the stairs closest to the pool.

They all breathed a sigh of relief as they climbed onto the balcony.

Doris, who had survived the ordeal, slumped against the marble railing, panting heavily, barely able to speak.

Lin An looked down and saw that the moisture in the surrounding area was gradually dissipating.

The men and women in swimsuits panicked and, misled by the fog, chose various escape routes. Some fell into the outer bushes, some clung to the villa's fence, trying to keep themselves from rolling down the hillside, and some desperately pounded on the villa's gate.

The group of people who had just escaped into the villa locked the door leading to the garden, leaving the others outside in despair.

Human nature is like the moon; it always has a dark side that is unknown to others.

Lin An cleared his throat and shouted.

"Everyone, listen to my voice! There's a staircase here that leads into the villa. Run in my direction!"

After saying that, he kicked open the balcony door.

The person inside was startled and instinctively tried to pull the door back. Lin An blocked the door with his body, raised the water gun high, and smashed it on the person's forehead with a "bang".

"You're so scared by something so trivial? If you really want to experience a zombie apocalypse, go to Hollywood next door and become an extra!"

Following his voice, the panicked crowd found their target and surged up the stairs one after another toward the only open door.

Lin An stood to one side, gathered his emotions, and dialed the "foundation hotline".

"Hey?"

"Is this the special investigation team? I need to report!" Lin An said. "Something's happened to me! Something terrible has happened! I need your help!"

"Sir, please calm down." The person on the other end immediately became serious. "Where are you located?"

“My location? My location—I’m at 12 Margaret Street, on that hillside in the wealthy neighborhood of Dietrich, at the Wood family villa!”

"Oh, don't worry! Find a safe place to take shelter," the person on the other end of the phone said. "Our special operations team has received your location and is on its way! They'll be there in about... five minutes!"

The posts on the World Tree Forum were not in vain.

Lin An gave the operator a few perfunctory words and hung up the phone.

The fan started making a clanging sound. He looked up and saw a helicopter in the sky, heading towards the villa.

The foundation's equipment is pretty good, second only to the Mohican State Revenue Department.

Lin An glanced at the noisy young couple on the other side of the door and walked towards the balcony railing.

Doris, who had been lying there, recovered from her discomfort and looked at Lin An approaching, her heart pounding.

Is he worried about me?

Thinking this, Doris couldn't help but throw herself into the young man's chest, wanting to reach out and hug his waist.

"Lin, thank you for saving me—"

"Brush it."

She missed her target. Lin An took off his coat, draped it over Doris's shoulders, said "You're welcome," and eagerly took over the spot where she had just been resting.

This is an excellent vantage point for viewing the scenery.

A sharp siren blared, and three police cars and two ambulances wound their way up the small road and stopped in front of the Wood family villa. Police officers and paramedics filed in and evacuated the panicked crowd.

Lin An stared intently at the helicopter as the door slowly rose and lowered—an aerial photography device.

Wait, where are the foundation staff?

As the noise subsided, the rescue team acted swiftly, and the crowd cooperated actively, quickly moving to a safe place with the police. Doris wanted to check on Lin An's safety, but she was unable to do so and was pushed away by the crowd.

Lin An closed the door in the corner.

A buzzing sound passed by my ears.

He turned around abruptly and saw two points of light suspended in the air within the swirling steam. A second later, they multiplied into eight, some red and some white, like the cold light of a lighthouse.

The silhouettes of four creatures emerged from the thick fog, the mysterious figures' piercing eyes fixed on the roaring "monster" in the pool.

As the moisture thinned, Lin An saw their true colors.

The foundation's four-person team...

We finally met.

(End of this chapter)