I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 82 Outside the Research Institute [Bonus Chapter for 300 Monthly Tickets]

Suddenly, a bird flew down from the dark night sky.

The bird was entirely black; it was a crow.

The cat leaped between the tree trunks and slowly fell down. It then scrambled down the tree and ran quickly on the ground, but even so, it was still slowly thrown off by the people in the tree and the birds in the sky.

White smoke billowed from its body, and a leopard darted out from the smoke, running even faster, as if it were carrying the wind.

Ahead was a high bridge. The person leaped from the treetop and landed on the bridge pier. His feet ran on the straight concrete for more than ten steps before he flipped onto the bridge and then turned and ran off in another direction.

Below, there was something that looked like a big cat or a leopard. It couldn't come up and could only go around it, while the crows overhead followed closely until Pei Ju stopped in one place.

Suspended Mirror Research Institute.

The Suspended Mirror Research Institute is sealed off; the main gate is locked with chains.

This place was clearly abandoned. He stood there looking at it, and his mind was filled with thoughts of his grandfather's flesh, which had been turned into glass-like threads.

That was a spell he learned from the Mirror Spirit. He didn't know if he could block it. He had no confidence at all because he had seen that spell before. When that brilliant mirror light shot out, his grandfather didn't dodge at all. And he knew why his grandfather didn't dodge: because he was right behind him.

A crow circled in the wind and landed on a branch of a nearby tree.

A gust of wind rushed by, and a leopard came galloping over, stopping beside him with a fierce look on its face.

Pei Ju looked over and saw the leopard quickly shrink into a tabby cat, which suddenly became much cuter. It leaped onto a pile of rocks and sized up Pei Ju.

The crows perched on the branches, peering at Pei Ju; they were all scrutinizing him.

Pei Ju wanted to go in, so he moved around outside the Suspended Mirror Research Institute, and wherever he turned, the cat and bird turned their heads in the same direction.

Just then, a light came on in a nearby low house, and an old man wearing a coat poked his head out of the window and said, "Hey, young man, what are you doing? I've been watching you for a while. There's nothing to steal here."

Pei Ju was at a loss for words. He had come here in the middle of the night and was looking around an abandoned building. To others, this would seem like he was up to no good.

Nevertheless, he had to deny it, saying, "I didn't want to steal anything."

"Of course you said you didn't want to steal it after I saw you. Did you want to change it to robbery? Let me tell you, young man, don't think I'm old just because I'm in Haishi. When I was young, I grew up in Northeast China. I've handled a 1,000-pound Siberian tiger from Changbai Mountain without hesitation."

"Besides, do you know what's the most popular thing in Northeast China?"

"I don't know," Pei Ju answered honestly.

“That ten-meter-long snake sleeps with me; it’s our guardian spirit. I’m here watching over this house. Don’t think you can come here and steal things just because you’ve learned a little. If it were that easy to steal, would it even be your turn? You better behave yourself.”

“I don’t steal anything,” Pei Ju honestly retorted.

The old man inside the house said disdainfully, "Young man, you don't steal or rob, what a waste of that long hair and such a big guy. Alright, go back now."

"But I just want to go in and take a look," Pei Ju said honestly.

"Young man, do you have a pass?" the security guard in the low building shouted.

"No," Pei Ju answered honestly. "Then you can't get in. If you do, you'll be ruining my livelihood. Go back, go back, don't disturb my sleep."

Pei Ju ignored him.

He wanted to go inside and take a look; for some reason, he had a feeling that there was something there.

“Young man, I’m not trying to be mean, but don’t think that just because you’ve learned a little something you can daring to venture here. You have no idea, but five years ago, quite a few people died here.” He said to Pei Ju very seriously.

"How did he die?" Pei Ju asked honestly.

"Of course, it was this research institute that did something wrong and was raided by our government. But no one expected that it was actually a mirror maze. Many people who went in lost their souls when they came out."

"The body is out, but the soul is lost inside," said the security guard in the low house.

"The Spirit Purification Bureau and all those people in the Super Committee, don't they have any solutions?" Pei Ju asked, somewhat incredulously.

“A member of the Super Committee has arrived. The member said that this maze connects to the mirror world, which is broken yet boundless. People who are lost in it are very difficult to find again. Some people have suggested destroying it, but the families of those who have been bewitched disagree. They believe that as long as it is left here, there is still a chance to find them and to give those lost souls a way home.”

“Look at those candlesticks, shrines, and small temples over there. Those are where their family members are trying to summon their souls back.”

Pei Ju saw that there were indeed many things downstairs, and some ashes on the ground. He had been so focused on looking at the building that he hadn't noticed them before.

All he knew was that five years ago, the people from the Suspended Mirror Research Institute came to the Temple World and harmed his grandfather. He didn't know that there had also been a great war outside, and it was very fierce.

"So, have they caught anyone?" Pei Ju asked.

"What are we trying to catch? We haven't caught anything. This place is just a maze of traps," the security guard said sadly.

"Then why are you guarding this place?" Pei Ju certainly didn't think he was just an ordinary security guard, nor was he just a tough old man from Northeast China.

The old man sighed and said, "Do you have any wine? If you do, bring me some, and I'll have a chat with you."

Pei Ju, where can I get any wine? There's no wine for sale at this hour.

Pei Ju shook his head, indicating no.

"Never mind if you don't have any, just drink mine. Come in, let me tell you about what happened back then."

"Okay, sir, I'll go in then." Pei Ju stared at the dim light in the low house that should belong to the security guards, his eyes narrowing slightly, and in that instant, they became somewhat sharp.

The crow perched on the branch tilted its head, looking at the house.

The cat over there jumped over too, and they looked at the house.

In their eyes, the room was dimly lit, and the old man was staring at the cat and the bird with a clear warning in his eyes.

From their perspective, Pei Ju could see through the window that he had already gone inside, and then the security guard closed the window.

In an instant, only a dim light could be seen in the room. In the light, two figures were reflected on the window. A strange scene unfolded: the figures on the windowsill slowly grew larger, as if they were looking down at the people in the room.

(End of this chapter)