Part 4: Water Corpse Garden - Chapter 108: Following
The long Grand Canal connects many of China's famous rivers and streams, such as the Haihe River in Tianjin, the Yellow River in Shandong, the Huaihe River in Jiangsu, etc., and there are countless intersecting water systems and branches.
Ou Yelinlang, who left Yin Chuan without saying goodbye, was now at the end of a waterway intersecting with the Grand Canal.
Rather than being a waterway, it would be more accurate to describe it as a canal dug for the fields of the surrounding villages, drawing water from the canal to irrigate and nourish the nearby crops.
However, what Linlang saw before her was not a field waiting for the autumn harvest, but an inky black water diversion tunnel, the height of which only allowed her to squat down and move forward.
Where does this cave lead to? Linlang wondered.
She wasn't afraid. After all, the maidservant she was following, Yu Zhenzhu, was quite young. If she could enter without fear, why couldn't she? Besides, it was not like she had never been through such secret passages before. She had even been in and out of the so-called tomb of Shen Wansan. Why would she be afraid of such a small water cave?
Linlang took a deep breath, calmed herself, and dimmed the flashlight to its lowest setting. She waded through the water, ankle-deep, and made her way deeper into the cave. She listened carefully ahead, fearing anyone following her would discover her whereabouts.
After walking for more than ten minutes, the top of the low tunnel gradually rose, and soon the view opened up. It was just dawn, and a ray of morning sun shone on the water in front of them, so bright that it was difficult to open her eyes.
It looks like it has come to an end.
Linlang raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight. She realized that her surroundings had gradually transformed from a cold, damp cave to a brick-lined passage. Sunlight streamed in through a crack in the stone wall. She had just turned off her flashlight when she heard intermittent whispers in the distance.
What's ahead? Why do there seem to be so many people? Linlang felt uneasy.
A few steps further, there was a T-shaped corner. The sound seemed to come from the left. Linlang became more cautious and slowly walked forward for another ten or so meters before she found a set of stairs leading down. At the end of the stairs was a wooden door with a window made of thin iron wire. The sound came from behind this door.
Linlang's hearing was not as sharp as Yin Chuan's, but she was afraid of getting too close and being discovered by people outside, so she had to squat quietly under the window at the end of the stairs and listen attentively to the movements outside.
But outside, there was only the murmur of Wuliwutu, a large number of people, like the Great Compassion Mantra chanted by monks in a temple. But it was not the dull murmur of Buddhist scriptures, but more like a sinister incantation, the tone of which was tinged with arrogance and malice.
Linlang listened patiently for a long time, still unable to understand what they were mumbling. After a long wait, the mumbling finally stopped. After one of them said in English, "That's all for today," there was a flurry of footsteps, and it seemed that the people outside were leaving.
Just when Linlang breathed a sigh of relief and was thinking about how to get out of the secret passage, a conversation between two people caught her attention, and they were speaking English.
"Thank you for taking care of the sacrifice. I will leave it to you to arrange everything."
"Don't worry about that, I've already taken care of it. But as for Alice...is it appropriate to arrange her like this?" A thin voice said in a Scottish accent, and the tone seemed familiar.
"Alice shouldn't be picky. After all, she didn't bring Catherine with her, so how could she have the guts to demand this or that? And since she didn't come in person, arranging for her entourage to stay in the church hospital for a day or two is already good enough," said another man who seemed older. Linlang could tell he was the one who had just said, "That's all for today."
"Alas, it's Alice's fault for being so careless. Back in Wuhe, Gege managed to capture Catherine with a little trick. If that fortune teller hadn't been so useless, Catherine would have been ours long ago."
Linlang was startled. A fortune teller? Aren't they talking about how they were kidnapped in Wuhe County and held by fortune teller Dou Tiezui? Could it be that they've been planning to attack me for a long time?
"It's not without reason that the organization has taken a fancy to Yin Chuan. Along the way, he not only solved the unsolved cases set up by Mr. Wan and Alice, but also cured Catherine of the poison. That's incredible."
"Not only that, I believe he's already deduced the true meaning of the Chinese characters left behind by the organization. But... is there really any point in us doing this? Can such a grand goal of the organization truly be achieved?"
"Eh? Are you questioning Gege's plan? Leslie, the organization doesn't allow for disunity of thought. Your idea is very dangerous. Satan will never forgive you."
"What a sin! Please, Satan, forgive my stupidity!" The young man's tone was full of regret.
Linlang heard them talk about Satan. Could these people be followers of Satanism? Satanism is a sinister offshoot of Catholicism, with followers in Europe and America. They worship the evil god Satan and act in extreme and evil ways. If that organization is related to Satanism, dealing with them would be very difficult.
After listening to each other for a while, the two men didn't say anything valuable, so Linlang planned to leave and go to the other side of the T-corner to see if there was an exit, but suddenly the older man spoke again.
"I heard that Jade Pearl—Alice—was having trouble recruiting that ancient Chinese magician. Looks like we can only place our hopes on Droso."
"Droso? Didn't he say he'd been staying in the hospital next door for a while? Why didn't I see him when I got here?"
De Rosso? Linlang was startled. De Rosso was the name of her teacher, Elliot. He hadn't been here in ages. Linlang immediately calmed down and continued to listen to their conversation.
"I also heard from other people in the organization that Gege arranged for De Rosso to stay in the hospital. I don't know exactly when he left."
"Droso is such a cunning fellow, he thought he could pretend to be hypnotized and sneak into the organization. But Gege had already figured out that he was pretending to be hypnotized, so he used his own trick against him. I think we have a sure thing to control Droso."
"I also think that with Gege's ability, she can definitely do it. But then again, if Droso is still so stubborn, will Gege get rid of him in anger?"
Linlang's heart tightened, and her lips trembled unconsciously. Could it be that they were going to murder Teacher Elliot?
"I don't think the princess would do anything to De Rosso unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, he is a rare talent."
"Hmm... that's right. Since the Lu family can't be relied upon for magic tricks, the only one left is De Rosso."
"Hey! Isn't there his student Catherine?"
"Jenny Catherine? If she hadn't been able to control Yin Chuan, I would have killed her long ago!"
Linlang was secretly furious. These people were indeed ruthless and merciless. If it weren't for Brother Yin's protection, she would have died at their hands long ago! No, I must help Brother Yin completely eradicate this evil organization!
"Let's go. I'll leave this to Douglas. The train leaves in thirty minutes. I have to go. Why don't you get on the train with me?"
"No, I still have some things to do. Although the last person from the Word Organization has been left to him... it's still a bit troublesome!"
"Okay, go do what you have to do."
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