World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 209 Pandora’s Box

The St. Anilof Foundation's facilities remain bright and clean, with space capsules, gondola spaces, and curved glass panels—all a reflection of modern technology and human civilization.

Vanessa, wearing high-heeled boots, walked down the corridor, leaving behind a series of "tap-tap-tap" sounds.

"Vanessa, are you going to check those packages again?" a clear female voice asked.

“That’s right, Caroline, and the captain.” Vanessa looked at the two people she had unexpectedly met and nodded. “I can’t let the evil influence of the Ghost spread into the Foundation.”

"Our coroner truly lives up to his reputation as the head of the department. I really don't know where we would go without him," Reagan said.

Vanessa nodded slightly without changing her expression and walked past them.

After the "Ghost" incident, Vanessa gained the favor of the chairman and her influence within the foundation rose significantly, while Reagan, who originally belonged to the inspection team, gradually lost his dominant position due to the downfall of the old inspection team.

The foundation is now essentially a one-man show by Vanessa, since the president doesn't really get involved.

She had considered making peace with Reagan, but he was determined to regain his former position and continue managing the front-line departments.

Although Vanessa didn't have deep feelings for her two teammates, she didn't have any complaints either. She simply thought her captain was too incompetent to manage the tense situation.

With the Ghost closing in, the Department of Direct Confrontation had no choice but to hide in the facility, afraid to step out the door.

Fortunately, the other three departments have more freedom of action, and the Ghost and the Free Mystic will not attack ordinary people.

Even so, Vanessa forbade everyone from leaving the facility to prevent them from having unnecessary contact with the ghosts.

Therefore, the basic needs of hundreds of people had to be met at this foundation facility. Vanessa negotiated with government departments to ensure that they provided food and water regularly to keep the facility running.

She thought, "At least hold out until reinforcements arrive from headquarters."

As the foundation's only remaining "seeker of knowledge," Vanessa would personally inspect these supplies each time, record their condition, and then distribute them to each employee.

A blue, floating hand emerged from beneath her robes, caressing each box. Information flowed into her mind, and Vanessa nodded slightly in response.

Suddenly, she hesitated, opened her eyes, and frowned.

"What it is?"

As Vanessa pondered, she found herself drawn to the strangely emanating box—or rather, it resembled a box full of secrets, waiting to be opened by her.

"The Seeker of Knowledge" is a divine medium with a sharp mind and a great curiosity about all things in the world.

Faced with the unknown temptation, Vanessa could hardly resist. She tentatively placed her two floating hands on either side, and with a "click," the box was opened.

The phantom image of the "High Priestess" tarot card flashed and disappeared, followed by a plume of black smoke that burst from the [Possessed Box] accompanied by human cries, and went straight into Vanessa's forehead.

Fear, disaster, chaos, and endless despair...

"Ahhhh!!!"

She let out a piercing scream, and just as she was about to do something, it was too late. The black smoke of disaster enveloped her layer by layer, and the blue flames of Futaguya suddenly ignited, while crimson lightning crackled and exploded.

Her last shred of sanity vanished, and this E-rated enigma descended into utter madness.

"Hiss hiss hiss... hiss hiss hiss..."

As flames billowed, the surrounding supplies burned to ashes.

The movers scattered in panic, and the piercing alarm blared in the ears of every employee who had been on edge lately. The fuse of panic was ignited, and it erupted out of control.

When the control team arrived, all that remained was ashes. Futaguya, with his head ablaze with flames, hissed threateningly at the newcomers.

“Ms. Miller…” Simon stared at the out-of-control mystery, his hoarse voice like a dying cry, “Is this the Ghost’s retaliation? Killing the one who created ‘He’…”

Before they could act, a fishing net descended from the sky, covering Futaguya, who struggled inside. The flames were dispersed by the threads of the net, and the energy slowly dissipated.

"You figured out how to break my 'trick' so quickly, that's very valuable."

Everyone saw that the president was hanging upside down from the ceiling at some point, and they commented with great interest.

Noticing the gazes of the crowd, he jumped down, pulled up the fishing net, and then used the black restraints to bind Futaguya, giving instructions to the remaining members of the control team.

"Lock it in the isolation room." The chairman stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. "Simon, you stay here and come with me somewhere."

…………

Dietrich Police Department.

The line was busy for a long time before it was finally answered. The police officer who made the call immediately began to interrogate him.

"The St. Anilof Foundation, aren't you going to take action to wipe out the [Ghost]? Don't you know that the situation in Michigan is basically out of control? Superpowered individuals have spontaneously formed all sorts of organizations, completely destroying the structure of society!"

"..."

"Although they dare not kill due to the pressure of the ghosts, they perform 'miracles' everywhere, showing no regard for the law! In this way, won't the old tax laws, social security, and medical insurance become a joke? Order is about to be destroyed!"

However, his shouting did not elicit the usual calm female voice offering explanation and reassurance; instead, it was met with a burst of maniacal laughter.

"Hahaha... Hahahaha! Yes! Destruction is imminent!"

"Huh? Are you Mr. Reagan Modicridge?" The officer on the phone was taken aback.

"Fight against the [Ghost]? What a joke! The disparity in strength is too great; it is an absolute law! It is more unpredictable than anything known! The old world is about to collapse! We, its maintainers, will perish along with it!"

"Are you alright? Where is Ms. Miller, who has been on the line with us?"

“Vanessa has gone mad! Driven mad by the Ghost! And I… am almost there too.” Reagan’s voice was filled with suppressed despair. “Where did we get the confidence to attempt to judge the Ghost, to judge the god of this new era…”

"Hit it!" the officer behind the desk roared. "Useless! The Foundation is a bunch of useless trash!"

"Dudu...dudu..."

The police cut off the communication.

He turned to look at his superior, and surprisingly, the officer was no longer the subservient man he had been before; instead, he was indifferent. "What kind of look is that? You piece of shit, I'll fire you!" the officer gritted his teeth.

“Sir, Mr. Modigliani is absolutely right.” The officer suddenly smiled faintly. “A new era is about to begin, and the maintainers of the old world will perish along with it.”

"What...what do you want to do?" The officer's voice became panicked.

"Ping—"

His answer was a gunshot, hitting him squarely in the forehead.

The officer blew on the muzzle of his gun and pulled out his phone with the screen lit up. In addition to the forum with a black background, his split screen displayed an electronic painting surrounded by green code, with the character's arms outstretched and facing the audience.

“Lord Ghost, how I long to follow you.” He kissed the cold image. “Savior of the New Era, please grant me the right to become a believer…”

Unbeknownst to the police officers, in the corner of the office, a young man with dark hair was watching this scene expressionlessly.

Ghost Deer's [Eliminate Aura] Invisibility Technique.

He opened his notebook and wrote: Due to the increase in radiation levels, even the legendary-rated "Encyclopedia of Magic V" can resist the "prophet" ability of that foundation chairman.

Having obtained the desired information, space distorted, and the young man vanished.

The officer, left alone in the police station—a place that once represented justice and order but is now filled with bloodshed and chaos—talked frantically to himself, staring at the body that had been blown out of its head.

…………

On an abandoned boat near the International Bridge, Anna sits in a corner of Elysium, manipulating her mystique.

The angel revealed all the secrets to her in the language of Enoch through the fifth door and the winged key.

Zhou Qingqing gazed at the scene, which resembled an oil painting, and marveled at it.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful, tangible manifestation of ‘Commes’ energy. It truly lives up to the name ‘Dreamer,’ it’s absolutely dreamlike.” She paused, turned to look at the silent Lin An, and exhaled. “Junior, where are you going?”

“Tread Wood, Shatter Canaan,” Lin An interjected shrewdly.

What if they go and never return?

"Then I won't go."

"..."

"I've made all the necessary preparations," Lin An said with a smile. "Next time it's my junior's turn to treat me to a meal, so please cook something nice for me when I get back."

"Alright, I'll start making the soup now." Zhou Qingqing glanced back. "Xiao Li and Xiao Bai, what do you want to eat?"

“General Tso’s Chicken,” Joshua said.

"Fried noodle sandwiches!" the witch chimed in.

"Fine, you two can just eat fast food and takeout for the rest of your lives." Zhou Qingqing rolled her eyes. "Chinese food isn't just about fried food and sweet and sour chicken!"

On the other side, the angel told Anna what He had seen, and Anna swallowed hard before timidly reporting back to Lin An.

"Lord Ghost, for some reason, his coordinates show that he does not exist."

"Failed again?"

Aside from Mike and Sang Sang, Lin An wanted to say goodbye to Sasaki Haruto before leaving, but no matter how Anna asked Enoch Angel, she couldn't get the exact location of this shut-in roommate.

Oh well, Sasaki only needs the world of anime.

Lin An pulled out a group photo from the hospital from his pocket. He didn't know where the photo was taken, but the background was a blue highway. Simon and Missy were eating Taco Bells, while he was staring blankly at the sky.

Barry, who was taking the photo, looked at the camera and made a silly peace sign.

After staring at the reflective photo for a while, Lin An put it into his breast pocket, placing it together with the "Pipe Gift".

He didn't believe that killing Doris was to nip the evil lurking in Dietrich in the bud and make her pay for her actions, nor did he think that his actions had brought peace to the city.

As for the improvement in public security, the fact that the mysterious figures were hesitant to act due to the pressure of the ghosts, and the effective suppression of extraordinary crimes, these were not his goals. Lin An never attributed these achievements to himself, and instead smugly thought, "My actions are, in general, for the sake of justice."

He was merely pursuing the shadow of "Commerx" from beginning to end.

But the scenery I saw and the friends I met along the way have unknowingly occupied a small corner of my heart.

No matter what, I will never harm my companions. Lin An secretly vowed, even if this time it might mean a life-or-death battle with the president of the St. Anilov Foundation.

…………

The Wood family’s basement is a stark contrast between its vintage style and modern decor, with an altar standing prominently.

The sculpture, made of pure white marble, is a replica of Michelangelo's "Pietà," simultaneously conveying an atmosphere of pain, solemnity, and heroic submission.

The Messiah lies between the Virgin Mary's knees, with a scar on his ribs, his head drooping back, and his right arm resting on the Virgin Mary's right knee.

The Virgin Mary held him in her arms, overcome with grief.

She was wearing a robe and cloak, her left hand outstretched behind her, and her right hand supporting herself and the Son of God.

The dark-haired woman stood on the rough carpet, gently stroking the head of the suffering savior. Her opal-like eyes flashed with a variety of complex emotions, which then turned into a dreamlike recitation, chanting verses from the Divine Comedy.

“Oh, Virgin Mother, who gave birth to the Son of God… Your merits have made your humanity so sublime that your divine Creator did not hesitate to become your creation.”

The next moment, her slender fingers suddenly exerted force, squeezing the hard marble until it cracked and then shattered into pieces with a "crack".

Adria took a step back, crossed her arms and remained silent for a moment. The slightly ferocious expression disappeared, and her face returned to an elegant and composed demeanor with a half-smile.

“It’s time to end this, my dear Anne.”

Thank you to Chemical (Physics (I), Herring of the Tiber River, and xybyzr for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.

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(End of this chapter)